On March 28th, after a year-long lawsuit, the King County Superior Court struck down, as a violation of the state constitution, Seattle’s “first in time” ordinance which required residential landlords to screen rental applications in chronological order and award the…
Read MoreIn recent months, a flurry of news articles have pointed to a strategy whereby certain highly paid professionals (such a doctors, lawyers, and accountants) can form worker-owned cooperatives in order to avoid the limits placed on the new tax law’s…
Read MoreIn November 2015, Congress enacted as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (the “BBA”) partnership audit rules designed to make it easier for the IRS to examine partnerships and collect any resulting underpayments through one centralized proceeding. With limited…
Read MoreThe American Institute of Architects (AIA) has for nearly 130 years produced standardized form contracts for the construction industry. The AIA reviews and updates its form contracts based on industry trends and important decisions, and in 2017 revealed substantive changes…
Read MoreThe Washington Court of Appeals recently issued its opinion in Rowe vs. Klein, which teaches that sellers of property in Washington should exercise caution before agreeing to give a deed with warranties of title, such as a statutory warranty deed.…
Read MoreThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changes much of our nation’s tax law. One of the most discussed changes is the new flat corporate tax rate of 21%, which is a permanent change in the new law. To take advantage…
Read MoreWashington recently enacted the Healthy Starts Act, a law that provides additional workplace rights and protections for pregnant employees. The law requires any employer with 15 or more employees to provide certain accommodations to its pregnant employees, regardless of whether…
Read MoreOn December 11, 2017, the Seattle City Council voted 7-0 to enact new regulations for short-term rentals. The new regulations will take effect on January 1, 2019, and will require all operators of short-term rentals (including those offered on sites…
Read MoreThis article is a collaboration between Evan Monez, attorney at Montgomery Purdue Blankinship & Austin PLLC, and Geoff Curran, Wealth Advisor at Merriman. Though we try to stave off the inevitable as long as we can, it’s a fact of…
Read MoreOn November 16, 2017, the House of Representatives passed the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (H.R. 1) (the “House Bill”) with a 227–205 vote. The Senate’s version of the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (the “Senate Bill”) has not been…
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