SERVICES
Employment Law
We provide legal services in many types of employment law matters, including but not limited to wage claims, overtime, and commissions, as well as any case involving employment discrimination, such as cases of pregnancy discrimination, disability discrimination, and race discrimination.
Business Litigation
Usually business litigation involves contracts that have an attorneys' fee clause. The loser pays the winner. Both sides have an incentive to minimize costs and risks. We have in depth experience litigation business torts such as negligent misrepresentation, fraud in the inducement, and tortious interference with prospective advantage. We have represented our clients both as plaintiffs and defendant. We charge a $400 hourly rate in a business litigation case.
Transactional Service - Business Entity Formation and Transactional Services
We can help you form a business entity to protect you from personal liability and draft contracts, such as purchase and sale agreements, for your business. There are four basic types of business entities: sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies. The choice of entity depends on your objectives and the tax and legal aspects of the entity. All entities except Proprietorship and Partnership require a filing and fee paid to a state. If you fail to continue to pay the fee and update filings, the entity will be dissolved and/or suspended.
Proprietorship
A proprietorship is the name given for one-owner businesses that are not using another business entity form. A proprietorship is required to obtain city, county, and/or state licenses. It pays taxes on the its income which is attributed to the proprietor (owner of the business). The IRS usually requires proprietors to schedule income and expenses on Schedule C of their individual 1040 forms.
Partnership
A partnership is two or more people in business together. A partnership can be implied in law as well. A partnership is required to obtain city, county, and/or state licenses. It pays taxes on the its income which is attributed to the partners according to the terms of their written or oral partnership agreement. The IRS has tax forms for partnerships (Form 1065). Individual partners receive K-1 forms declaring their share of the income which is reported on 1040 Schedule E.
A limited partnership is a partnership consisting of one or more general partners and one or more limited partners. The limited partners and general partners may be entities (e.g. corporations). The general partners run the business and have general liability. The limited partners are only liable to the extent of their promised capital contribution. If limited partners are active in the business, they assume general liability. The IRS has tax forms for partnerships (Form 1065). Individual partners receive K-1 forms declaring their share of the income which is reported on 1040 Schedule E.
Corporation
The corporation is considered to be a separate legal person under the law. It is run by a board of directors who appoint officers to run the day to day business affairs. It is owed by shareholders. Shareholders are either common or preferred. Preferred shareholders usually have more rights than common shareholders. Preferred shareholder rights are specified by the corporate charter and director's resolution. It is the most common entity used by public companies. Standard corporations are often referred to a "C corporations," a reference to Section C of the Internal Revenue Code where their tax treatment is defined. The IRS has tax forms for corporations (Form 1120). Individual shareholders receive K-1 forms declaring their share of dividend income (if any) which is reported on 1040 Schedule E. This results in a "double tax." The income is taxed at the corporate level and then on the individual level.
A Subchapter S Corporation is exactly the same entity as a corporation or a "C" corporation. The entity is defined by state law. The "S" and "C" designations are for federal tax law purposes only. The "S" designation comes from the name of the subchapter of the Internal Revenue Code which defines its tax treatment.
Limited Liability Company
The limited liability company is taxed like a partnership. If there is more than one owner the operating agreement should cover all possibilities (e.g. death, retirement, divorce, and conflict).
Bankruptcy Law
Chapter 7 is designed for individuals, corporations and partnerships in financial difficulty who do not have the ability to pay their existing debts. Under chapter 7 a trustee takes possession of all the debtor's non-exempt property, liquidates it for cash and uses the proceeds to pay creditors according to priorities of the Bankruptcy Code. In Washington, the debtor may elect all the state exemptions or alternatively all the federal exemptions.
You are responsible for third party charges such as court filing, credit report, and credit counseling fees.
Chapter 13 enables individuals with regular incomes, under court supervision and protection, to repay their debts over an extended period of time according to a plan. The plan may call for full or partial repayment. Businesses have more complexity and cost more. You are responsible for third party charges such as court filing and credit counseling fees. Often Chapter 13's (particularly for operating businesses) have complications and additional fees are charged by the hour. All fees must be reasonable and approved by the bankruptcy court.
We also help businesses and individuals deal with litigation in bankruptcy courts. We will only suggest a bankruptcy filing if it is a reasonable solution for your financial problems. Often the victim of fraud wants to teach the perpetrator a lesson and appears in the bankruptcy court even though the chance of recovery is small. In order to protect their rights under Section 523 of the Bankruptcy Act (the anti-discharge provisions), the victim must sue the debtor in bankruptcy. Under 523(a)(2) the victim must prove that the perpetrator committed the fraud "intentionally" with knowledge that his conduct was fraudulent.
Real Estate Law
e provide legal services to landlord, contractors, developers, and tenants as well as home owners. From transactional work to evictions and real estate litigation, we can help you solve problems and achieve your goals.
Trademark and Copyright Law
We can register trademarks and copyrights for you. A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, product feature, or any combination of these that distinguishes in commerce the goods or services of its owner from those of others. A trademark, therefore, is an indicator of source. It does not tell what the goods or services are, but where they come from. The word "cola" is a generic term; it tells you what kind of beverage this is. The word COCA-COLA is a trademark; it tells you what provider the goods come from, and by doing so it distinguishes those goods from similar goods of the same kind provided by different sources.
A copyright gives the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it for a limited time. Copyright gives the copyright holder the right to be credited for the work, to determine who may adapt the work to other forms, who may perform the work, who may financially benefit from it, and other related rights.
Family Law
We can represent you in divorce proceedings to end a marriage. The end of a marriage is the end of a legal relationship between two people. This involves separating property and debt and allocating time spent with children. We understand that every situation is unique and we go out of our way to offer personalized service to each and every client we work with.
Immigration Law
We will complete the necessary forms for you and advise you what to expect during the interview.