On Thursday, October 2, Mary Beth is speaking at Pacific Lutheran University to students and alumni as part of the university’s homecoming festivities. Her speech will focus on faith and vocation; specifically, how people of faith discern a call to vocation. Mary Beth graduated from PLU in 2000 and was named PLU’s Recent Alumnus of the Year in 2012. The event is held on campus in the Scandinavian Cultural Center from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.
September 2, 2014 – A common mistake made by individuals and even attorneys is relying on the separate v. community character of property. The source of marital assets has become far less important in Washington than is largely believed.
Generally, community property is everything that either of you earned or acquired during your marriage unless you agree otherwise. For example, money you earned at work, put in a joint checking account, and used to pay household bills is marital property. The car you bought and made payments on with money from that account is also community property. On the other hand, separate property is everything a husband and wife own separately. In most cases, separate property includes anything owned prior to marriage, inherited or received as a gift during the marriage or anything either spouse earned after the date of separation
You may have heard this statement before: “Separate property does not need to be divided between the spouses”. This is a very dangerous assumption. It is no longer necessary to establish exceptional circumstances, as held in earlier court decisions, to award separate property of one spouse to the other spouse. For example, in Larson v. Calhoun, 178 Win App. 133 (2013), the court invaded the separate property of the husband even after awarding the entire community estate to the wife. This case has caused a stir in the family law field and is currently under consideration by the Washington State Supreme Court.
Characterization of property can be very complex. If you are faced with this issue and would like more information on safe-guarding your separate property, I recommend that you consult with an experienced family law attorney to determine the best course of action.
Jorge Ramos is a family law attorney with the Kent law firm of Hanis Irvine Prothero, PLLC. He can be reached at (253) 520-5000 or by email at jramos@hiplawfirm.com.
August 27, 2014 – Hanis Irvine Prothero is pleased to announce that Florian D. Purganan has become a Partner of the firm.
Florian (“Ian”) joined the Immigration Department of Hanis Irvine Prothero as a Legal Assistant in September 2004 and became an Associate Attorney when he passed the bar exam.
When Ian began his career with HIP, the Immigration Department of our firm had just one attorney and one legal assistant. His contributions over the years helped grow the department to 9 full-time employees. Throughout his tenure at HIP, Ian has actively participated in Filipino, legal, and community organizations.
HIP is proud to recognize Ian’s contributions to the firm and to our local community. Florian will continue to practice exclusively in Immigration and Citizenship Law.
Congratulations Ian!
July 25, 2014 – For over 50 years the South King County Bar Association has held the Phil Biege Memorial Open Golf Tournament. This year’s event was held on Friday, July 25, at Riverbend Golf Course in Kent. Organized by Greg Girard, partner in the law firm of Hanis Irvine Prothero, the tournament featured 50 players, many of whom were members of the South King County bar and bench. Included in the group was a large contingent of hackers from HIP Law Firm. With near perfect weather and great company everyone had a wonderful time despite the quality of their golf. John Curry won the overall championship, shooting a 78 and Judge Richard McDermott won the award as the best golfer wearing a robe.
July 7, 2014 – The employees of Hanis Irvine Prothero, together with five of the original members and staff, Mike Hanis, Patrick Hanis, Annette Bolster, Cynthia Irvine, and Dennis Shanlian enjoyed the afternoon by celebrating the Firm’s 11th Year Anniversary as one of South King County’s largest law firm.
Hanis Irvine Prothero is very proud to serve its community and hopes to continue to be a strong advocate in Kent and surrounding cities for many years to come!