Executor. Trustee. Power of Attorney. Most of my clients have encountered these common estate planning terms before, but often they aren’t quite clear on the differences between them. It’s helpful to think of each term as a job title. Each “job” is similar in that all involve acting as a fiduciary (that is, being legally…

Have you ever wanted to be a friend of the court? Well, you can. All it takes is filing an amicus curiae (Latin for “friend of the court”) brief in an appellate court case. Appeals can often be high stakes. When a party appeals a trial court’s decision, it is often because the party thinks…

On December 21, 2020 Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021, signed into law December 27, 2020. This Act continued, and in some ways expanded, the unemployment benefits available to individuals. It removed the mandates for employer provided sick leave and family medical leave, but extended the employer tax credits through March 31, 2021. UNEMPLOYMENT…

In a September 2020 report to the legislature, the Washington State Department of Ecology (“DOE”) recommended that water rights in the Nooksack River watershed (“WRIA 1”), along with rights in one other watershed, Lake Roosevelt and middle tributaries (WRIA 58), be formally adjudicated. All water withdrawn in Washington State is withdrawn pursuant to a water…

Hiring and managing employees means paperwork. Most small business owners are aware they’re supposed to keep employment records for their employees, but many are understandably confused about what they’re required to keep and for how long. Since failing to comply with the various state and federal laws governing employment document retention can be a costly…

I frequently find that my estate planning clients come into our initial meeting with a decent understanding that end-of-life care directions are an important part of a complete estate plan, but that they often have a confused sense of how end-of-life care directions are actually documented. This is understandable as the central document for end-of-life…

Arbitration is an alternative way to resolve disputes outside of court. As explained by the American Bar Association, arbitration is a private process where disputing parties agree that a neutral third party can make a decision about the dispute after hearing evidence and arguments. Arbitration is different than mediation. In arbitration the arbitrator can decide…

One of the first steps in opening a new professional practice is to form a business entity. That process looks a little different for licensed professionals than it does for other types of business. It’s important for licensed professionals to be aware of those differences when they go to start their practice. Washington’s Professional Service…

The Washington State Supreme Court decision Whatcom County v. Hirst, 186 Wash.2d 648, 381 P.3d 1 (2016) set off years of uncertainty for rural and suburban development in Whatcom County. Most of Whatcom County is in the Nooksack River watershed (“WRIA 1”). You can find out if your property is in WRIA 1 or a…

A surprising number of people, being understandably (and blissfully) unstudied in Washington’s probate laws, carry in their heads the vague notion that one of the risks of dying without a proper will is that the State then gets to gleefully step in and inherit one’s unprovided for property. Like many common misconceptions, there is a…