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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>I highly recommend:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#2F5496'>Robert L. Michaels<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#4472C4'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#4472C4'><img width=201 height=41 id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:image001.png@01D01623.D8181DF0"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>1515 Dock Street, Suite 3<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Tacoma, WA 98402<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>253-627-1091 office<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>253-627-0123 fax<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><a href="mailto:bobm@smithalling.com"><span style='color:#0563C1'>bobm@smithalling.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:HelveticaNeueETW01-55Rg;color:#1F497D'>John McCrady<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:HelveticaNeueETW01-55Rg;color:#1F497D'>Counsel</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Puget Sound Title Company<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>5350 Orchard Street West<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>University Place WA 98466<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>253-476-5721<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com [mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Douglas Bratt<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, December 12, 2014 3:02 PM<br><b>To:</b> wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com<br><b>Subject:</b> [WSBAPT] Pierce County Referral - TEDRA<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hello Listmates:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I spent a rather sad hour talking to a client earlier this week. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Client is the daughter of a recently deceased woman, who lived in Pierce County. She had a Revocable Living Trust and a Pour Over Will. The Will has been admitted to probate in Pierce County, with non-intervention powers. The Trust appears to have possibly been prepared by a “Living Trust Mill,” and it is unclear to me how much of the mother’s property (including a residence) was actually transferred to the trust.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Executor/Trustee position is being filled by an older sibling of my client. Although personal property belonging to my client remains in the mother’s house (from times when my client was spending time caring for her mother), Executor/Trustee unilaterally changed the locks soon after the death, is occupying the residence, and states that he will be selling assets as he wishes, perhaps to his own household members (at bargain prices), and that he does not consider it fair that another sibling (who was left out of the Will and the Trust) is not getting anything and that he intends to remedy that. He has granted the “left out” sibling access to the residence to “take what you wish,” while refusing to allow entry to the residence to my client, even to retrieve her own stuff. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In the meantime, my client is having enough trouble adjusting to her mother’s death, and does not want to stir up a lot of controversy – she doesn’t want family conflict. I already told her that if she wants to protect her rights, she will probably be viewed as a rabble-rouser (or worse) and will be subject to much animosity and name-calling, so she better make up her mind.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>What makes it more difficult for her is that the sibling named to serve as Executor/Trustee had been “on the outs” with his mother for the last several years of her life, but the mother never got around to changing the trust or her will. My client “knows” that her mother did not want this sort of result.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Notwithstanding her reservations about saying anything, she is open to talking to someone in Pierce County regarding TEDRA to try to bring this matter back where it should be before it is too late.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I feel my client needs someone with a gentle touch in leading her in the right direction, as opposed to someone set on conquering the world, taking no prisoners, since my client appears to be on the edge of despair because of the short time that her mother has been gone. At the same time, while she is sensitive, I feel my client is capable of dealing with a realistic assessment of her situation and to set her expectations, accordingly. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Any referrals/recommendations?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Best Regards,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Doug Bratt<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy"'>Douglas J. Bratt</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy"'>Lawyer</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><img border=0 width=220 height=224 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D01623.D8181DF0" alt="Envelope scaled Foster"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Office: (360) 213-2040 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> Fax: (360) 213-2030<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email message may contain confidential or privileged information. If you have received this message by mistake, please do not review, disclose, copy, or distribute the email. Instead, please notify us immediately by replying to this message or telephoning us. Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>NOTE:</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>I do not use encrypted email. Messages sent to or from my office via email are not secure and may not be protected by attorney-client privilege. This email address is not monitored at all times. If your matter is urgent, please phone my office during regular business hours.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>TAX ADVICE NOTICE: IRS Circular 230 requires us to advise you that, if this communication or any attachment contains any tax advice, the advice is not intended to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding federal tax penalties. A taxpayer may rely on professional advice to avoid federal tax penalties only if the advice is reflected in a comprehensive tax opinion that conforms to stringent requirements. Please contact us if you have any questions about Circular 230 or would like to discuss our preparation of an opinion that conforms to these IRS rules.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>