When Mark, a homeowner in Renton, WA, accepted an offer on his house and signed a purchase and sale agreement with a qualified buyer, he was excited to move on to his next chapter. The closing date was set, documents were in order, and both parties were prepared for a seamless real estate transaction.

However, just two weeks before closing, a critical issue surfaced: Mark’s ex-wife was still listed on the title of the property. Years earlier, the home had been awarded to Mark in their divorce, but the deed had never been formally updated. Now, with escrow pending and the title company refusing to proceed without full clarity, the sale was suddenly in jeopardy.

When Cathy was just 10 years old, her mother, Debra, vanished under suspicious circumstances. Despite multiple investigations, Debra was never found, and no official declaration of death was ever made. For over 15 years, Cathy and her grandmother continued living in Debra’s home, making mortgage payments and maintaining the property—but without legal ownership, their hands were tied.

Now an adult with a husband and newborn child, Cathy was ready to move on and sell the home that had become both a haven and a painful reminder of the past. However, a critical legal issue stood in her way: the title to the home was still in Debra’s name, and Debra was still legally presumed alive.

Peter and Linda owned a commercial building that they no longer wanted and learned that they could trade it in tax-deferred for an apartment complex using a 1031 like-kind exchange. As part of their asset protection strategy, they also wanted to place the new property into an LLC. In a 1031 exchange transaction, there are strict requirements and deadlines that need to be met in order to qualify for the tax-deferred benefits.

Frank owns a successful company in Vietnam and wants to get a taste of the American Dream. Once investors came to agreement, he would take key executives with him to the U.S. to help build the framework for expansion. In order to legally operate in America, and take his team overseas with him, he knew he needed the help of a well-informed attorney to execute all the proper business documentation and visas.

He also needed to know the tax benefits and obligations of a foreign investor/business owner.

Dave and Selma are long into their retirement years, struggling financially, and longed to enjoy the final moments of their lives without worry. When he was younger, Dave made his fortune starting and operating many successful enterprises. Generating revenue was never a problem for him. However, bookkeeping and accounting was his weakness.

Now, he owed nearly $300,000 in unpaid taxes, interest and penalties. His wife was also separately accessed for close to $270,000. Recently, Selma was diagnosed with a severe medical condition and the burden of dealing with the IRS was becoming too much for the both of them.

Maria and Barbara were Don's neighbors for over a decade and his closest friends. In fact, when Don's wife passed away several years ago, they became the closest to relatives he had, aside from his two dogs.

Maria treated Don as a daughter did a father. It was no surprise that in his will, he assigned her as his estate's personal representative.

The will also stated that Barbara would inherit $100,000 and custody of his two dogs. Maria would get the rest of his estate and remaining assets valued at $500,000.