One of the most common questions we receive from business owners is ‘what’s the difference between independent contractors and employees?” Categorizing a worker in your business as an employee or an independent contractor is an important decision, impacting minimum wage and overtime laws, employment security, worker’s compensation, and federal taxes, potential liability for employee misconduct, [..]
Washington State has recently updated its Equal Pay and Opportunities Act. This update was passed to promote business transparency and to lessen wage discrimination. As of July 28, 2019, Washington State employers are prohibited from asking potential employees about their wage or salary history during the job application process. This applies to all employers, regardless [..]
Revocable living trusts are a popular estate planning option in Washington State. Usually, establishing a revocable living trust means that your estate does not need to go through probate when you pass away. But in order to use a revocable living trust to avoid probate, you need to transfer ownership of your assets from your [..]
Accessory dwelling units (or ADUs for short) are a hot topic in Whatcom County and throughout Washington State. As the trend of tiny houses, she-sheds, man caves, crafting cottages, and separate home offices has taken off, there are more and more home owners utilizing small separate buildings to add to their living space. An ADU [..]
THANK YOU! to our clients and friends for voting us Best Attorney in the Northwest again for 2019! I’m proud to say we have placed in Best of the Northwest each year that there has been a voting category for Attorneys. We appreciate your support.
A new law, which will go into effect on January 1, 2020, is making non-compete agreements in employment contracts a much more limited option for Washington State employers. The new law makes non-competes unenforceable for employees with earnings under a certain level, and it only allows for enforcement of non-competes if they are 18-months or [..]
Landlords may be surprised to learn that our Washington State lawmakers just made some pretty dramatic changes to landlord-tenant law and tenant rights in our state. Here’s a summary of some of the recent updates to Washington’s landlord-tenant laws: Starting July 27, 2019, landlords are required to give tenants at least 60 days of notice [..]
If you are an employer, you may be confused by what the new Washington State “Family Leave Act” means for your business. The Washington Paid Family & Medical Leave Act was signed into law on July 5, 2018 and went into effect on January 1, 2019. Employees cannot apply to receive benefits under the new [..]
A good estate plan considers not only what would happen if you die but also how to protect your assets during your life. It can be confusing to figure out how to protect your savings as you prepare for the possibility of needing long-term care later in life. Here are three key things to ask [..]
The death of a loved one is a difficult time that often requires those who are burdened by grief to make some big decisions. Making sure you have a solid estate plan in place means being able to provide your loved ones with some direction and comfort at that challenging moment. While it’s not easy [..]