Jimmy Buffett passed away last year with an estate plan that detailed his wishes as to the disposition of his assets upon his passing. All of Jimmy’s assets passed into trust for the benefit of his surviving spouse, Jane, and…
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/ Wills, Trusts, & Estate Planning
Conditions precedent are critical provisions in commercial contracts that require specific events or actions to occur before contractual obligations become enforceable. These conditions serve as legal triggers, ensuring that…
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/ Commercial Law & Contracts
The legal landscape for family investment vehicles in Washington shifted dramatically after the Antio LLC v. Department of Revenue decision of the Washington Supreme Court. In Antio the taxpayers were a group of investment…
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/ Family Law, Taxation, Wills, Trusts, & Estate Planning
In March, 2025, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced a new “Multiple Listing Options for Sellers” policy which gives sellers the option to only list a property on the local MLS and delay the listing on public…
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/ Real Estate - Residential
RCW 26.09.191, the Washington law on parenting plan limitations (a/k/a “.191 restrictions”), will change this month due to the passage of House Bill 1620. The bill, which was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by…
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/ Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Family Law
Prenuptial agreements are touchy subjects. Sometimes they can be perfectly fair and fine contracts between soon-to-be spouses. Other times they can grossly favor one spouse over the other.
In a previous blog post, I discussed…
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/ Commercial Law & Contracts, Family Law
Nearly 140 years ago, the United States Supreme Court first recognized that one who causes harm to another should not financially benefit from the estate of the harmed person. In Mutual Life v. Armstrong, the defendant was the…
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/ Civil Remedies, Criminal Law, Wills, Trusts, & Estate Planning
In 1990, attorney Stuart Webb inadvertently pioneered a new process for divorce aimed to minimize conflict and to resolve matters collaboratively and expeditously. Webb practiced family law and introduced a novel idea: he agreed…
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/ Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Family Law
The enforceability of noncompetition agreements is a widely debated topic in and outside of the legal world. In just the last year, it has been a repeat topic on the floor of the Washington state legislature.
States across…
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/ Antitrust & Trade Regulation, Commercial Law & Contracts, Labor & Employment Law
Since 2018, estate planning legislation in Washington has remained stagnant. Increases in our legislated estate tax exemption rate had been tied to a Consumer Price Index that no longer existed, and the legislature largely…
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/ Taxation, Wills, Trusts, & Estate Planning
As a product of the COVID-19 pandemic, Washington courts, like many others, were forced to adopt a virtual format with respect to live hearings and trials. This meant opting to conduct proceedings using Zoom, Microsoft Teams,…
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/ Family Law, Science, Computers, & Technology
Cryptocurrency is an increasingly common investment in spouses’ portfolios. While cryptocurrency can present unique challenges due to the various exchanges, different forms of recordkeeping, and new vocabulary, the key questions…
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/ Family Law, Finance & Banking
Washington state recently enacted some changes that may impact married couples and registered domestic partners. Under the new Spousal Personal Residence Exclusion, when a spouse/partner passes away on or after January 1, 2025,…
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/ Real Estate - Residential, Taxation
Residential construction contracts will often contain technical terms or jargon that leave many homeowners with uncertainty. Homeowners should be cautious of implicitly agreeing to language they do not understand when entering a…
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/ Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Construction Law, Real Estate - Residential
If your business has taken a hit because of tariffs or market volatility, the law may offer a path to modify your spousal support obligations—but it’s not automatic. A client runs a successful U.S.-based fashion brand that…
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/ Business Organizations, Family Law, International Law & Trade
