Our tailored practice areas provide us with the flexibility and economy to deliver sophisticated legal solutions in a more personal and authentic way than traditional big firms, while still being able to assist clients with all aspects of legal services through our extensive network of referral sources.
We are proud of the fact that many of our clients have been with us for 10+ years and that the overwhelming majority of our business is from returning clients and referrals.
Practice Areas & Legal Services
Estate Planning
Our estate planning practice is driven by the knowledge that each client's situation is unique and requires planning that is tailored to meet their individual goals. We work closely with our clients to help them to make informed decisions that will achieve their family, business and tax objectives and provide them with peace of mind.
For clients that are looking for family security, but don't necessarily have estate tax concerns, our basic services include: preparation of Wills, Revocable Living Trusts, Durable Powers of Attorney, Health Care Directives, and coordination of life insurance and beneficiary designated accounts with the estate plan.
For clients with more significant estate values, evaluation of Washington state and federal tax considerations is critical. We apply techniques to reduce the overall transfer tax (i.e., gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes) burden on the transition of family wealth through various forms of lifetime transfers. This includes outright gifts, gifts to Grantor Retained Income Trusts, gifts to Qualified Personal Residence Trusts, gifts to Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts, Private Annuities, and Installment Sales to Grantor or Nongrantor Trusts, and the preparation of Gift Tax Returns.
Self Directed IRA Consulting
The use of retirement funds to invest into "nontraditional" assets (e.g., real estate, closely-held companies, private lending, etc.) has grown dramatically over the past 15 years. These accounts are often referred to as "self-directed IRAs", but they actually come in many forms and "structures" - for example, self-directed IRA-owned LLCs. Our attorneys have worked with thousands of clients who have utilized these unique investment structures. Legal and tax concerns that are often dealt with include: prohibited transactions, unrelated business taxable income (UBTI), and other IRS compliance matters. Our attorneys are widely regarded as national authorities on self-directed IRA and IRA-owned LLC legal and tax matters.
What We're Talking About
SEC and FINRA warn self-directed IRA investors about inherent dangers
On February 7, 2023, the SEC and FINRA published overlapping warnings to the self-directed IRA investors. The SEC has done this in the past, and the new warnings appear to be sort of a “reminder” that self-directed IRAs raise some unique concerns for individual investors. I absolutely agree that investors that are unaware of the … Continue reading SEC and FINRA warn self-directed IRA investors about inherent dangers
Read the full article »We’ve Moved – please note our new address!
Fairview Law Group has relocated its office to 1201 Third Avenue in downtown Seattle (formerly the Washington Mutual Tower). Please update your address books! 1201 3rd Avenue, Suite 2200Seattle, WA 98101 Click here for map and directions We look forward to meeting with you in our new space.
Read the full article »Self-Directed IRA + K-1 = IRS scrutiny concerns
My clients frequently ask, “what self-directed IRA investments have the most potential for IRS scrutiny?” While most clients think this question is related to the specific type of investment, to me, the question is more about the collateral consequences of a particular investment. IRS scrutiny is very rarely a random occurrence – instead, the IRS questions … Continue reading Self-Directed IRA + K-1 = IRS scrutiny concerns
Read the full article »Fee Arrangements
Our flexible fee structures are intended to provide the highest value to our clients by giving them a greater degree of control over their budgets. We believe that this fosters the best attorney-client relationships because it helps to remove any billing surprises or unexplained costs. Examples of these fee structures include:
Flat Fee
Flat or fixed fee arrangements are arrangements whereby the attorney agrees to handle a matter or group of matters for a specified sum. The specific nature of any fixed fee arrangement can be tailored to the nature of any given matter. Clients who desire budgeting certainty often find fixed fee arrangements attractive.
Capped Fee
While determining the "scope of services" is still vital to this strategy, capped fees provide some flexibility by creating a not-to-exceed billing ceiling. This model is favorable when both sides know there is a significant degree of unpredictability in the resolution of the legal concerns.
Billable Hour + Floor and Ceiling
This structure allows us to keep the traditional billable hour model as a base while protecting both us and our clients in the event that the volume of work is significantly lower or higher than anticipated.
