The Purpose of a Will

The general purpose of a Will is to designate a guardian for minor children, provide for the distribution of assets, reduce the impact of estate taxes, ensure continued property management for the surviving family members, provide for charities, and otherwise dispose of the deceased’s property in any other manner indicated in the Will.

If you, your family, friends, co-workers, or neighbors have questions about making a Will, give us a call at 253.858.5434 to set up an appointment. We proudly serve clients throughout Washington and Idaho and are available to meet in person, on the phone, or via Skype.

Yay for the First Amendment!

On this date in 1635, Roger Williams was banished from the Massachusetts colony for preaching that government had no right to interfere in religious affairs. (So scandalous!) Williams left Massachusetts and founded the Rhode Island colony, which became a haven for other religious dissidents and a place known for religious freedom.

We're big fans of the First Amendment around here. So let's hear it for the separation of church and state!

Contracts & Leases

Do you have a contract or lease to sign? Are you looking to buy or sell a small business? Are you concerned about the fine print? A well-drafted contract, lease, or buy-sell agreement can secure important rights for you, and an overlooked provision can leave you exposed to liability. Because of their importance to your business, you should have these agreements reviewed by an attorney who knows how to protect your interests.

An experienced attorney will not only be able to explain to you what your rights and obligations are under each agreement, but will also negotiate with the other party if a contract or lease presents obstacles or threatens your key interests. Ensuring that you have a favorable agreement from the beginning can help you avoid future disputes and keep your business running smoothly. At our firm, we can guide you through your important business contracts and leases and help you ensure they are consistent with your objectives.

Call us today at 253.858.5434 to schedule an appointment. We are proud to serve clients throughout Washington and Idaho.

Boise Meeting on October 18th

Idaho clients and potential clients - I will be in Boise October 18-20 and am available to meet on Friday the 18th. Give us a call at 253.858.5434 if you'd like to set up an appointment while I'm in town.

We represent nonprofit organizations and churches at all stages of their development.

From the forming of a nonprofit organization to obtaining tax-exempt status from the IRS, to complying with federal and state laws governing fund-raising and operations, the advice of experienced legal counsel is crucial at every stage of a nonprofit organization's development.

Leaders of the nonprofit organization are focused on developing its mission and resources. Guidance from legal counsel w...ith knowledge of federal and state laws applicable to nonprofit organizations enables leaders to grow the organization with the assurance that legal requirements are being met.We

We have been representing and advising nonprofit organizations for nearly 17 years. Unlike many large law firms, we do not assign a team of junior attorneys to "learn on the job" while working on your matter. We have the experience, skills, and resources to provide the answer you need, when you need it. We do not have to "reinvent the wheel."

If you are forming or work for a nonprofit organization and need legal services, give us a call at 253.858.5434 to see if we help.

Labor Day 2013

Our office will be closed on Monday, September 2, in honor of Labor Day. Have a great holiday weekend everybody!

"A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving." - Albert Einstein

Estate Planning for Artists, Musicians, and Authors

You're an artist, musician, or author. Does the executor of your estate know what to do with your work (including the tangible products as well as the copyright and trademark rights) after your death? Does your Will even recognize the fact that you have a body of work? Does your family know how to create an income stream from your work after you're gone? Do you know what you need to do before you die to prevent creating an undue burden for anybody else?

We have experience representing artists, musicians, and authors and advising them regarding their estate plans. If you, a family member, friend, neighbor, or co-worker is an artist, musician, or author needing estate planning services, give us a call at 253.858.5434 to make an appointment. We proudly serve clients throughout Washington and Idaho and are available to meet in person, by phone, or via Skype.

We Like Revocable Living Trusts

We like Revocable Living Trusts. If set up correctly and diligently maintained, they can provide an automatic mechanism for managing your affairs if you become incapacitated, they can be more flexible and creative than a Will, and they can avoid the need to probate your estate, thus providing for a faster, cheaper, and more private distribution of your assets to your family or charitable beneficiaries. If you, your friends, family, co-workers, or neighbors have questions or think they could benefit from using a Revocable Living Trust, give us a call at 253.858.5434 to set up an appointment. We proudly serve clients throughout Washington and Idaho and are available to meet in person, on the phone, or via Skype.

"Gift Lists"

Washington and Idaho law both allow you to incorporate what is commonly called a “gift list” into your Will. Once your Will references this gift list, you can create or change this list at anytime in the future. In making this list, you can give specific items of tangible personal property upon your death without having to name these items or the recipient in your Will. Examples of “tangible” personal property are: clothes, jewelry, household furnishings, sporting equipment, art objects, automobiles, pleasure boats, etc. “Tangible” personal property does not include real estate or “intangible” personal property such as savings or checking accounts, stocks, bonds, etc. For your list to be effective, it must be in your handwriting or signed by you. Your list must describe “with reasonable certainty” each item listed and to whom each item is to be given. If you prepare such a list, make sure it is dated so that it can be determined when your list was prepared. If more than one list is found, the most recently prepared list will govern. You should keep the most recent list with the copy of your Will.

If you have any questions about creating a "gift list" as part of your Will and general estate plan, give us a call at 253.858.5434.

Musicians Need Lawyers Too!

Musicians need lawyers too! When should you consider consulting an attorney?

* You need a contract with a manager, booking agent, or producer;
* You need to formalize your internal band agreement (e.g., expenses, song splits, voting rights);
* You receive an offer for use of your song(s) in a film, commercial, videogame, app, etc. and need a licensing agreement;
* You need to register your copyrights (songs, recordings) or trademarks (band name, logo);
* You want to form your own publishing company;
* You need help affiliating with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or SoundExchange;
* You find out someone is using the same band name;
* You discover that someone is using your song without permission;
* You want to record a cover of someone else's song;
* You need an exit agreement with a band member who is fired or quits;
* You have a record label interested in signing you or your band;
* You want to use someone else's music on your website or in a video;
* You co-wrote a song and want to establish your rights to freely exploit the song;
* You teach music lessons and need a services contract with your students;
* You perform at private functions and need a performance contract;
* You are running a festival and need contracts with the performers;
* You want to perform or shoot a video on someone's property; or
* You commissioned artwork for your album cover or merch and need to make sure you have all the rights you need to use the artwork.

Give us a call at 253.858.5434 to see if we can help.

Wills for Heroes

Wills for Heroes programs provide volunteer attorneys and FREE estate planning documents, including Wills, Powers of Attorneys, and Living Wills, to cops, firefighters, paramedics, corrections and probation officers, and their spouses. But we don't have any in Washington. Any of my lawyer friends want to join me in approaching either the WSBA, KCBA, T-PCBA, or one of the law schools' pro bono clinics to see about implementing a Wills for Heroes program in Washington?

Meetings on Thursday

Clients and Colleagues - I'll be working in Seattle all day tomorrow (Thursday, August 15) and still have a couple time slots for meetings available in the morning. Give us a call at 253.858.5434 to set something up.

Who needs an estate plan?

Do you have kids? Do you own a house? Do you want to make gifts to charities? Do you want to make gifts or provide for your grandchildren's education? Do you own a small business and want to learn more about passing it on to your children or grandchildren? Do you have a child or grandchild or even a parent with special needs or extraordinary medical expenses? A well thought out, creative, current estate plan should be on your To Do list. Give us a call at 253.858.5434 to set up an appointment to discuss how we can be of service.