Can You Sue for a Barking Dog? Dogs are known as man’s best friends. They can also be a nuisance and create major problems between neighbors. But can you sue for a barking dog? If there is one dog barking, it is considered to be private nuisance, but if there are many dogs involved, the […]
Author Archives: Dickson Frohlich Philllips Burgess
It is important for property owners to understand real estate trespassing laws in Washington and their legal rights. The act of trespass and subsequent remedies for property owners are governed by both common law (decisions made by the courts) and by Washington state statutes. Trespass is a tort, which means it is a wrongful act […]
How to classify an independent contractor vs. an employee is an increasingly important issue for businesses. Up to a third of the American workforce may be self-employed full- or part-time. A major question for these individuals and the companies for which they provide work is how many of them are, under the law, employees? Why […]
If you’re thinking about writing a will, you may wonder, do all assets have to pass through probate? Many assets do not. You could structure your estate planning so that all your assets avoid probate, which may or may not be the best option in your situation. Knowing which property is part of the probate […]
Non-conforming use, more commonly referred to as a “grandfathered use,” is a concept found in zoning and land use law. To understand it fully, one must understand how zoning and land use codes work. State and local government use municipal “zoning codes” to govern how buildings are constructed and how land is utilized. What’s more, […]
By Thomas L. Dickson, Esq. In a highly-charged real estate market, people losing their homes to deeds of trust foreclosure may be surprised to learn they are entitled to cash after the trustee’s sale. Despite the unpleasant fact a foreclosure is taking place, often the equity gained by the fated property substantially exceeds the amount […]
By Thomas L. Dickson, Esq. Used together, a promissory note and a deed of trust embody the most common type of mortgage. The deed of trust is recorded on the borrower’s title securing the note and prioritizing the loan’s position on title. There are only two ways to foreclose on this mortgage: judicially and nonjudicially. […]
How can a living trust help avoid probate? It’s a legal document that might be the right choice for you and your family if avoiding probate is a priority. Most of us don’t like to think about what will happen to our family after we die, but we like having control and doing the right […]
When you make a legally binding will and testament, you decide who gets your money, real property, and other assets after you die. But what happens if you die without a will in Washington? By law, the state decides who gets your assets through what is called “intestate succession.” Thus, when you die without a […]
In order to administer someone‘s estate, the personal representative must first understand the nature and amount of assets and property that needs to be distributed. Taking inventory of assets is one of the first and most important–yet often complicated–tasks in the probate process. While some assets or property may be specifically mentioned in a will, […]
