Week 15: WSBA Bills Signed into Law
Last week, the Legislature entered the final week of the regular session, and Gov. Inslee called the Legislature into its first special session, beginning at 10 a.m. today (April 24). Read more 
Court of Appeals Reiterates No Duty to Will Beneficiaries
Division I of the Court of Appeals in Reznick v. Livengood, Alskog, PLLC, 2016 WL 7470037 (Wn. App. Dec. 27, 2016) (unpublished), recently reiterated that will beneficiaries ordinarily do not have standing to bring a legal malpractice claim against the attorney who drew the will involved because they are not clients of the lawyer. In doing so, the Court of Appeals relied primarily on its own opinion in Parks v. Fink, 173 Wn. App. 366, 293 P.3d 1275 (2013), which, in turn, applied the Washington Supreme Court’s decision in Trask v. Butler, 123 Wn.2d 835, 872 P.2d 1080 (1994). Read more
Week 13: Corporate Act Revisions Await Gov’s Signature
The Legislature is finished with policy and fiscal committee hearings and will be taking floor votes on bills until April 12. Budget negotiations will need to be finished before the end of the regular session, April 23; otherwise there will need to be at least one special session.
Court of Appeals Distinguishes Legal Malpractice and Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Division I of the Court of Appeals in Paulsell v. Gaffney, 2016 WL 7470061 (Wn. App. Dec. 19, 2016) (unpublished), recently underscored the differences between claims for legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty that can arise from the same set of facts. Read more
Week 10: The Legislative Clock is Ticking as WSBA Bills Enter the Opposite Chamber
Legislators were back in committee this week hearing a number of bills from the opposite chamber. With only a few weeks before the next legislative cutoff date, bills need to be heard and voted out of committee in a relatively short time frame.
