Recent News

When parties form a contract, they usually write the contract with terms conforming to their intentions and expectations. Unfortunately, sometimes one or both parties err in accurately expressing these intentions and expectations within the terms of a contract.  To make matters worse, one party often reaps the benefit of that mistake and will defend the… Read More

In 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act became law. Now, in 2019, one aspect of the new tax law takes effect by altering taxation of spousal support (‘alimony’). Under the old tax code, spousal support was considered tax deductible for the payer and counted as income for the receiver. With the inception of the… Read More

Most closely held business owners are not familiar with the process associated with buying or selling a business. The process is comprised of four general steps: conversation, letter of intent, definitive documentation and closing. Conversation The first step in the process is the initial conversation between the buyer and the seller.  A simple conversation can… Read More

Beresford Booth is pleased to announce the addition of Andrew M. McKenzie to the firm. His practice areas include real estate litigation, commercial and civil litigation, and construction defect. We know that Andrew will be a terrific addition to our team. Read More

An escrow holder owes fiduciary duties to all parties to the escrow, and owes the same duty of fidelity that an agent or trustee owes to its principles.  Parties to escrows frequently misunderstand these duties.  It is not an escrow holder’s job to sort out ambiguities of a contract between the parties; rather, the escrow… Read More

In the midst of divorce proceedings, the effect of those proceedings on existing estate planning documents and whether the estate planning documents should be replaced are probably not high on a person’s list of things to consider.  Under Washington law, a Will signed during marriage that gives property or powers to a spouse is revoked… Read More

“I want to gift some money to my kids, and avoid estate tax, but I know you can only give $15,000 in a year.” Clients say this regularly. But the gifting cap is a myth! In the vast majority of cases, the term “gift tax” is a misnomer. Only the very wealthiest are at risk… Read More

The newly-passed Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (WUCIOA) will take effect on July 1 of this year. The WUCIOA is comprehensive and regulates the formation, management and termination of common interest communities (CICs). Covered communities include condominiums, plat communities, and cooperatives. Application The WUCIOA will apply to all CICs created after July 1, 2018… Read More

Beresford Booth lawyer David C. Tingstad was recently appointed by the Washington State Bar Association as Chairman of the Practice Primer Business Law Series. The WSBA Practice Primer is a continuing legal education program that takes a substantive area of law and develops a series of learning tracks that build upon one another. Completion of… Read More