Practice Areas

Personal Injury

You are entitled to be made whole: to be placed back in the same position prior to your accident. Insurance companies never tell you this. If you are not able to be placed back to the time of the injury, you should be compensated damages. The is the only means of accomplishing this through what seems to be an inadequate legal system mined with insurance morters and grenades.  I fight for you so you can get back to where they were in terms of pain and property damage before their accident.

In all personal injury cases, including motor vehicle accidents, you are entitled to recover general damages for your pain and suffering, emotional distress, disability, permanent disfigurement, scarring, loss of opportunity to enjoy life, interference with the husband/wife/parent/child relationship, wrongful death, loss of services, dismemberment and any other type of general damage relating to injury. You are also entitled to recover special damages, including past, present and future medical bills, wage loss, loss of earnings potential and other out-of-pocket expenses. It is your attorney’s obligation to properly prepare your case and determine what these damages are. This usually takes place after your medical condition is stabilized.

DUI and Criminal Defense

If you have been arrested and charged with a DUI or a criminal offense in Washington State, the right lawyer can save you a lot of headaches. Those “headaches” can amount to loss of driving privileges, very hefty fines and possible jail time. Washington State takes DUIs very seriously. Law enforcement are ready and determined to arrest you even before an investigation is started. The police do everything they can to seek out drunk drivers and prosecutors, in turn, do everything they can to secure the toughest punishment possible. If your significant other calls the police first during an argument, you most likely will be arrested. Choosing a lawyer that has the skills and experience you need to win your case is extremely important, as this is a decision that could have a significant impact on your life.

A competent defense lawyer should be able to communicate an understanding as to the numerous possible outcomes of your case. He should also listen to you and work with you to help you achieve your goals – retaining your driving privileges, avoiding a permanent criminal record, avoiding paying a hefty fine and staying out of jail.

Each case is unique and has its own set of facts and circumstances. I have 30 years of experience in criminal defense, and I have won most of the DUI cases that I have taken to trial. I have not lost a domestic violence trial as a defense lawer ever. I treat every case with the care and dedication that it deserves.

Do not place your head in the sand, call to schedule a free one-on-one consultation to discuss how to successfully go about avoiding jail time, a criminal record, retaining your driving privileges. I will be able to give you information tailored to your specific criminal charge, and help you understand just how I can help you at this difficult moment.

Property Disputes

A landowner has the right to exclude others from their land. Some say the right to exclude others is what makes something private property. An invasion of the right to exclude is called a trespass.

A trespass is an intentional, wrongful entry onto another person’s land, without the owner’s permission and without a legal privilege to do so.

A person may enter the land by causing things to enter the land, without actually stepping foot on the land, such as by throwing things onto the property, allowing a dog to cross the property boundary or flooding the property.

A trespass may be intentional or negligent. A person commits an intentional trespass as long as they intentionally take the action that interferes with the plaintiff’s right to exclude. An entry resulting from intentional action is a trespass even if the trespasser didn’t mean to trespass or didn’t realize that their action would be a trespass, unless perhaps a court feels that the trespasser’s mistake was excusable.

An intentional trespass may entitle the owner/possessor to a remedy at law. On the other hand, a negligent action that unintentionally results in an entry on the land is a trespass only if it causes harm.

If the landowner consents to an entry, the entry obviously isn’t wrongful and isn’t a trespass. The owner’s permission to enter the land is called a license. The landowner can revoke their permission anytime, however. If they do, the licensee becomes a trespasser if they remains on the land.

Even a person who is lawfully on the property can commit a trespass by exceeding the scope of their license or privilege to be on the property. There are volumes of examples that may apply. You should consult with a property lawyer to understand your rights.

Entering without privilege Exception for the right to exclude

• Entering the land reasonably to abate a nuisance if the owner hasn’t or won’t do so themselves
• Entering the land to retrieve one’s personal property that’s on the other person’s land (for example, a tenant’s lease may terminate or a licensee’s license may be revoked while they still have some of her personal property on the land; they have the right to enter the land within a reasonable time to retrieve their personal property)
• Entering the land out of necessity, to prevent serious harm to person or property
• A law enforcement officer entering the land with authority
• Entering the land as reasonably necessary to perform a duty or exercise authority created by law, such as governmental inspectors or firefighters

If you need assistance with a residential easement or boundary related matter, contact my firm today to speak to a Snoqualmie, Carnation, North Bend Fall City, Redmond, Issaquah and Sammamish real property lawyer. The firm also services clients in King County, Kittitas County and Grant Counties.

Estate Planning

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
– Benjamin Franklin

Your estate planning package will protect your loved ones if you should become disabled or deceased. It typically includes:

1. Your will;
2. Burial/Cremation Directive;
3. Power of Attorney for Health Care;
4. Power of Attorney for Finances;
5. Healthcare Directive; and
6. A Community Property Agreement (if you are married).

Your estate planning package starts with a planning conference where we will determine what your individual needs are and gather the information necessary to execute the necessary documents.

Simple Probate

Probate is a legal procedure for administering the estate of a person who has passed away, often referred to as the “decedent”. Probate involves collecting all the decedent’s assets; identifying heir and beneficiaries and sending notification of their interests; notifying and paying legitimate creditors; and distributing the decedent’s assets to the proper beneficiaries.

Probate proceedings are not necessary for all estates. Washington law provides a simplified procedure for the transfer of assets in a small estate when the value of such does not exceed $100,000.

In Washington State, however, if the decedent owned real property, the estate must be entered into probate to transfer the title. There are some exceptions, however. For example: If the decedent was married and had signed a Community Property Agreement then probate may not be necessary.

If your loved one has passed, and you are unsure of what you should do, please give my office a call at (425) 222-0555. We are happy to help.