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Donna Person Smith, Attorney
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Important Milestones You Can Incorporate in Your Estate Plan

February 2, 2023DeveloperEstate Planning

Life is full of contingencies. While some outcomes are relatively certain, other events are more difficult to predict. This uncertainty can create estate planning challenges. Because life changes quickly and sometimes unexpectedly, your estate plan needs to be flexible. You can make changes to your estate plan when you are still alive, but when you…

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What Is the Effect of an Unrecorded Deed?

January 26, 2023DeveloperFamily Law

A deed is a legal document used to transfer real property ownership rights from one person or entity (the grantor) to another (the grantee). In many cases, this transfer occurs due to the property being sold, with the seller transferring the property to the buyer. Typically, a deed is recorded with the local county recorder…

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Want to Leave Your Retirement Account to Your Minor Child? Consider These Things First

January 19, 2023DeveloperFamily Law

Your retirement account may be one of the most valuable things you own. Many people consider naming their children as the beneficiaries of these accounts because they think it is a way of easily transferring their wealth if something happens to them. However, there are some factors that make this type of transfer more complicated…

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Why You May Still Have to Open a Legal Probate Proceeding

January 16, 2023DeveloperFamily Law

Probate is the legal process for recognizing the validity of a person’s will after their death and appointing the nominated decision maker. This person, also known as an executor or personal representative, administers the deceased person’s estate and ensures that their money and property are transferred to the beneficiaries specified in their will. If someone…

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Estate Planning Issues for the Modern Family

January 16, 2023DeveloperEstate Planning

As the name suggests, ABC’s TV show Modern Family depicts the relationships and experiences between a fictional extended family. Throughout the course of the series, the show addresses many issues that families deal with each day. For a close-knit family such as this fictional one, estate planning is crucial to ensure that everyone is protected…

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Important Issues to Address Before You Leave on Vacation

November 29, 2022DeveloperWills Estate And Probate

Getting ready to embark on your next great adventure? Before you zip up the last suitcase, here are five issues you need to address to protect yourself and your loved ones. Do you have a foundational estate plan? Has it been reviewed? An estate plan is a set of instructions memorialized in legal documents that…

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The Death of Anne Heche: Lessons for Estate Planning

November 3, 2022DeveloperEstate Planning

Anne Heche’s recent accidental death was a shocking reminder of how the everyday can quickly turn into the tragic. While driving through the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles on August 5, 2022, Heche was involved in a car crash and succumbed to her injuries a week later. The official cause of death was burns…

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The Pros and Cons of Probate

October 21, 2022DeveloperEstate Planning

In estate planning circles, the word “probate” often carries a negative connotation. Indeed, for many people—especially those with valuable accounts and property—financial planners recommend trying to keep accounts and property out of probate whenever possible. That being said, the probate system was ultimately established to protect the deceased’s accounts and property as well as their…

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What if I Cannot Find a Beneficiary?

October 14, 2022DeveloperFamily Law

When someone has named you as the executor (also known as a personal representative) of their will or the trustee of their trust passes away, you are obligated to distribute that person’s money and property according to the document’s terms to the designated beneficiaries. (For convenience, the roles of executor and trustee will be referred…

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Assisted Reproductive Technology and the Real Impact on Estate Planning

September 30, 2022DeveloperEstate Planning

According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 2 percent of all infants born in the United States (83,946 in 2019) were conceived using assisted reproductive technology (ART). ART is defined by the CDC as all fertility treatments in which both eggs and embryos are handled. It can involve many…

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Puyallup Office

3708 14th St Place SW Puyallup, WA 98373
Tel:253-840-0288


Tacoma Office

14718 Union Ave SW
Lakewood, WA 98498
Tel:253-840-0288

 

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COVID-19 UPDATE:
Additional Information for you.

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COVID-19 UPDATE

PLEASE NOTE: The State and Local courts in Pierce and King Counties have implemented changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such Court will not be held until late April or May, except for emergency hearings with a few exceptions. The court in Pierce County is also allowing for family law motions by scheduled and decided based on written motion only (no oral argument) so we are able to address family law matters without having to personally appear. If you have an emergency family law matter or domestic violence situation, those matters will still be heard in all courts and you will not have to wait to have your matter before the court for relief.

While our office will still be working diligently on your cases, for the health and safety of our community, appointments will be telephonic or via Skype if possible. To schedule an appointment please call the office at 253-840-0288.

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