It can be challenging to work out differences.Sometimes it’s hard to see another’s viewpoint.Sometimes it’s hard to look within.When disputes escalate, they can bog down the legal system.That’s why the Dispute Resolution Center of Tri-Cities (DRC) has been working to resolve disagreements since 1999.The support of trained, unbiased mediators can...
Benton County Prosecuting AttorneyEric EisingerNumber of employees you oversee: As the Benton County prosecuting attorney, I oversee 63 employees, including 32 criminal and civil deputy prosecutors.Where did you go to law school? What inspired you to pursue law?I attended law school at the University of Idaho. When I started my...
Couples are often wary to bring up the dreaded P word when discussing their nuptials.After all, who wants to ostensibly discuss a divorce and prenuptials when there is an impending marriage to consider.Oftentimes the desire to avoid the topic is rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of the use and benefit...
Statewide data breaches remain at record-breaking levels, prompting the state Attorney General to propose legislative reforms to protect data privacy.In 2022, 4.5 million data breach notices were sent to Washington residents, second only to the 2021 record of 6.3 million.State law requires organizations that experience a data breach to send...
The Benton Franklin Legal Aid Society honored an attorney and a legal technician with its highest awards for their service to the community in 2022.The legal aid society is a nonprofit and provides volunteer attorneys to Tri-City residents who can’t afford to pay legal fees for noncriminal cases. Its attorneys...
Providing legal counsel to criminal defendants and other low-income people facing court proceedings has always been a challenge in the Tri-Cities.Heavy caseloads, low pay relative to private practice, the lack of a local law school and now Covid-19 has not made it easier.But with 2022 now in full swing, the...
Benton Franklin Legal Aid Society, the nonprofit legal services agency that connects clients with volunteer attorneys, pivoted to helping area residents facing eviction in 2021. Barb Otte-PotterBarb Otte-Potter, executive director, said that prior to the pandemic, about 80% of its work centered on family issues. The pandemic, coupled with the...
W. Larry Jefferson Jr.Larry Jefferson Jr. will pay off his law school loans in about seven years.That would not be remarkable if Jefferson were a young attorney, just starting out. He’s not. He’s worked as a public defender in Seattle, and, more recently, Olympia, for more than 25 years since...
The Benton Franklin Legal Aid Society recognized two local attorneys with its highest awards for service to the community for 2021.The nonprofit matches Tri-City residents who can’t afford attorneys to represent them with volunteer lawyers to handle noncriminal cases, ranging from evictions to bankruptcy, family law, protection orders and more.Al...
Several years ago, I wrote about noncompete agreements for the Tri-cities Area Journal of Business.Legislation passed in 2019 has changed the rules, and it is time for employers to reconsider agreements that include noncompete clauses because the enforceability has been significantly curtailed by the new Washington law.In the olden days...
