News Category: Blog Articles
‘Tis the Season: A Gifting Opportunity
If you are in the holiday spirit this season, you may wish to make gifts using the 2020 annual federal gift tax exclusion amount. To qualify for this exclusion for the year 2020, the gifts must be made no later than December 31, 2020 if being made directly to an individual or December 1, 2020 if being made to
Privacy in the Workplace: Employee Surveillance
(This blog is the first installment in a multi-part series regarding privacy in the workplace.) Employers often seek to monitor or surveil their employees in the workplace. Though workplace monitoring, searches, and surveillance can be a valuable tool for any employer, doing so is not without risk. Employers should make sure their workplace search, monitoring,
Got a Civil Complaint? Just Don’t Get SLAPPed
Your next-door neighbor has a bone to pick with you. Maybe he thinks you have encroached onto his property. Maybe he is mad about a fence you put up on the property line. Maybe he just isn’t in a good mood. Whatever the reason, he has decided that instead of dealing with his problems in
If You Rip up a Signed Prenuptial Agreement in Washington State, Does it Mean that Your Prenuptial Agreement is Legally Null and Void?
Tearing up a prenuptial agreement has made national news in music mogul Dr. Dre’s divorce in California, but how would Washington State courts treat the issue? In Los Angeles, Dr. Dre’s wife, Nicole Young, says that Dr. Dre tore up multiple copies of their prenuptial agreement and they both verbally agreed it was no longer
LHS&E Attorneys Recognized as 2021 Best Lawyers and “Ones to Watch”
Proud to offer you the best of experience, tenacity and judgment, the law offices of Lasher Holzafel Sperry & Ebberson PLLC is delighted to announce that Linda Kelley Ebberson, George S. Holzapfel, Darin T. Jensen, Jamie Polito Johnston, Taro Kusunose, Tara K. Richardson, Maya Trujillo Ringe, Justin Sedell, Lisa Ann Sharpe, Shannon Sperry, Karl A.
Commercial Litigation in the Time of COVID-19
It is undeniable that COVID-19 has affected all of our lives in more ways than we might ever have imagined. It is unsurprising that COVID-19 is affecting the way the Courts operate. In Washington State the Courts are adapting and setting up new guideline that allows pending litigation to continue and new matters to be
LHSE and COVID-19
We at LHSE have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak and have been actively considering and responding to the recent developments. The safety and well-being of our staff, clients, and colleagues is our top priority, and to that end our employees are working in the office half time and working from home half time.
The Americans with Disabilities Act and Working in the Age of COVID-19
As parts of the country begin to re-open following closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, employers will face many issues regarding the best way to bring their employees back to work. Throughout the pandemic, federal agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, have provided guidance for employers regarding the application of federal laws to
Can Relaxed Retirement Plan Withdrawal Rules Help Settle Your Divorce?
The new CARES Act has relaxed retirement account withdrawal rules for some retirement plans due to COVID-19 related reasons. These relaxed withdrawal rules apply to IRA, 401(k), and other “eligible retirement plans” as defined by the CARES Act. COVID-19 has disrupted life for all of us, with tens of millions of Americans losing jobs because
Overtime Gets an Overhaul
The Washington Department of Labor and Industries announced sweeping changes, effective July 1, 2020, to the rules determining whether an employee in Washington State is entitled to receive overtime compensation. In Washington State, the default rule is that all employees are entitled to overtime compensation. There are exceptions, however, when the employee meets three important