Why Understanding Liens is Important Construction liens are a critical aspect of the construction industry, providing security for those who contribute labor, materials, or services to a project. Understanding construction…
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/ Civil Procedure, Construction Law, Real Estate - Commercial
Developers, owners, and contractors would all be wise to take note of Senate Bill 426, currently under consideration in the Oregon legislature…
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/ Commercial Law & Contracts, Construction Law, Labor & Employment Law
As wildfires grow more frequent and severe across California, Oregon, and Washington, homeowners and businesses face mounting challenges in securing and maintaining property insurance. The Los Angeles wildfires alone have…
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/ Environmental Law, Insurance, Real Estate - Residential
Arbitration agreements have become commonplace in construction contracts. As a result, a significant portion of construction disputes are resolved privately through arbitration rather than in public courts.
This article was…
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/ Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Commercial Law & Contracts, Construction Law
Here are some useful basics if you have a dispute that may be headed to court for resolution…
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/ Civil Procedure, Civil Remedies
Policymakers have several tools for addressing the rising issue of homelessness in their communities. In City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, No. 23-175603 (June 28, 2024), the U.S. Supreme Court (“Court”) had its first…
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/ Constitutional Law, Real Estate - Commercial, Zoning, Planning & Land Use
In a typical permitting process, the local government may place certain conditions on issuing a building permit to further a legitimate public purpose. While the local government has “substantial authority to regulate land…
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/ Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Real Estate - Residential, Zoning, Planning & Land Use
In the dynamic world of real estate development, the orchestration of real property documents (such as leases, easements, or purchase agreements that are collectively referred to here as “site control documents”) plays a pivotal…
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/ Commercial Law & Contracts, Construction Law, Zoning, Planning & Land Use
Construction projects involve significant risks to project owners, designers, and contractors. Many such risks are allocated in the parties’ contracts, which in turn require those parties to obtain insurance—further allocating…
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/ Construction Law, Insurance
On December 12, 2023, Seattle’s former City Council passed Ordinance 126982 in an effort to increase commercial rent affordability for small businesses. The Ordinance, returned unsigned by the Mayor, became law on January 29,…
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/ Real Estate - Commercial
Under Washington law, prime contractors perform construction for consumers, while speculative builders construct on property they own. The differentiation between these classifications is important because prime contractors are…
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/ Construction Law, Taxation
In the ever-evolving landscape of business, flexibility is paramount. The recent widespread adoption of remote work has led companies across the country to shed office space. As companies navigate changes in market dynamics, the…
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/ Real Estate - Commercial
In a case of first impression in Washington, the Washington State Supreme Court held that a landowner may satisfy its duty to guard an invitee “against known or obvious dangers on the premises by delegating the duty of…
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/ Construction Law
When negotiating design and construction contracts for large projects, it is common for sophisticated parties to push to the end of their negotiations the half-dozen or so provisions that one side or the other has characterized…
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/ Commercial Law & Contracts, Construction Law
Many construction, development, and real estate purchase agreements provide for early mediation as a condition precedent to arbitration or court litigation. Early mediation sessions usually fail, only to be followed months later…
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/ Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Commercial Law & Contracts, Construction Law, Real Estate - Commercial, Real Estate - Residential