Trusted Legal Counsel In Everett And Beyond
An estate plan can help determine how assets are distributed after a person passes away. One of the biggest mistakes people make when drafting an estate plan, however, is not keeping it updated and reflective of the changes in their lives. Many people update their...
A revocable living trust is a flexible estate planning tool that helps manage assets during life and transfer them efficiently upon death. It allows ongoing control through a structure that operates with little or no court involvement. When a revocable living trust...
Children grow, and a schedule that once worked well sometimes stops fitting your family. Washington law allows you to seek a change to your parenting plan, but the requirements depend on what you want to adjust. Standards for a plan change For a major modification,...
Your appointed executor has a crucial role in your estate plan. They will manage your assets, pay off debts, communicate with beneficiaries and interested parties, distribute assets and close the estate. Thus, their duties can be demanding. But you can make work...
After discussing divorce, spouses typically think about immediate living arrangements. They usually plan where each will live before the divorce is finalized. If you are at this stage, it’s important to understand your options. Here are a few living arrangements that...
Child custody orders are used to create expectations about parenting rights and responsibilities, and they’re typically used when parents are unmarried, separated or divorced. Child custody orders are always established according to the child’s best interests – not...
What would happen if you became sick and could not care for yourself? What if you were in a serious accident and were unconscious? These are conversations people often do not want to have. However, it is important to consider these questions when drafting an estate...
Facing a court martial can be overwhelming. The outcome may affect your military career, future employment and personal reputation. While military courts follow different procedures than civilian criminal courts, you still have important legal protections throughout...
If you are going through a divorce in Everett, Washington, you may wonder who will keep the family home. The answer depends on the circumstances of your marriage, how you acquired the home, its value and equity, and each spouse’s financial situation. Washington is a...
Taking the time to create a formalized estate plan is one of the most important things you can do when seeking to provide instructions for your loved ones if you ever become incapacitated or when you pass away. While most people think about a will when they hear...
When couples are dishonest or even directly lie to each other about money, it is often referred to as financial infidelity. They may be concealing financial information, lying about transactions and much more. For instance, one spouse may tell the other that they have...
When parents share custody, they often need to see each other frequently. Some co-parents exchange custody multiple times per week. Each of those encounters is an opportunity for conflict. The more conflict there is, the more stressful the situation becomes for the...
Many people procrastinate when it comes to putting an estate plan in place. Researchers in one study polled a group of Americans and asked them whether or not they already had an estate plan. Only about one-third of them had any estate planning documentation already...
If you own a family business, you may assume that dividing your estate equally among your children is the fairest choice. However, a family business can make estate planning far more complicated than dividing cash or other property. One child may have spent years...
A default divorce judgment is a ruling in which the court approves the divorce, even though only one spouse is involved in that legal process. The other party is in default and has not participated as intended. For example, perhaps you served the divorce papers to...
Driving under the influence (DUI) charges may follow traffic stops or car crashes. People who appear visibly intoxicated or fail chemical tests are at risk of charges that carry jail time, fines and driver's license penalties, as well as the consequences of having a...
One of your primary tasks when making your estate plan will be to choose someone to act as executor of your estate. When you die, they will work under the supervision of the court to settle and distribute it. Many people instantly think of a close family member, such...
Spouses are not legally required to communicate during a divorce, as conversations can be handled through attorneys and mediators. However, communicating with each other can make the process more manageable. If you are going through a divorce, and it’s possible to...
In Washington, the state can recover a deceased patient’s assets to offset the costs of long-term care. Being concerned about this is valid, especially when your family needs financial support in the future. While this is a standard legal process, there are specific...
Parental relocation can disrupt visitation and strain shared custody arrangements. State statutes generally require that a parent planning to move must provide advance notice to the other adult in the family, as well as anyone with visitation rights. In fact, they may...
