Law Offices of Brent Williams-Ruth

05/28/2026

Our space is not made for those with different abilities and the law can only do so much.

04/22/2026

When I give talks, I always say that you only need to turn on the news every morning to see someone who wasn't planning on dying yesterday.

Case in point. So sad for the whole family, let alone a small child.

Everyone has an estate plan - that plan covers who gets MONEY. But there is so much more that just money. Who will be the guardian of that child? Is that person qualified and able to be the custodian of the money left behind?

Estate planning is NOT a luxury. It is essential. This is why my office has three tiered pricing. Am I bargain basement - nope. But I also know that every client of mine has never had a problem with their documents and so the aftermath was exactly as they wanted it to be.

https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/monroe-crash-kills-couple-leaves-child-without-parents/281-82aa61e7-64c1-467a-aba0-ce1ad35908d3?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_KING_5&fbclid=IwY2xjawRV5dRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE5eE1tSEg0NlU3R0V3dVRGc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHhHWC-Y5a37cy33uOef3HHXtvgaq-CevVph2yPeaJ31oB5YMN1d_AEMll5ca_aem_-WIWzRyFLpdSfxnOuZq2Kw

Family and friends are rallying around the child and mourning the loss of two beloved community members.

03/18/2026

It’s an honor and privilege to be asked to talk to students. It’s an even greater honor to be asked to speak to ALL the students.

Today I am at Seattle University speaking to the entire first year class of law students about the Character and Fitness evaluation that is part of the licensure process.

I have dedicated the last 9 years of my life to this process. Serving on the WSBA Character and Fitness Board. Then serving as a WSBA Governor and leading the subcommittee charged with examining how to make the process better (ending with a report that has been published by the SU Law online law review). Now I am here headlining the talk as a solo presenter.

What a way to celebrate my Golden Jubilee.

03/16/2026

Sometimes I need to close the office for personal reasons….today we honor and celebrate the life of Cliff Martin. We will not be answering phones or emails the remainder of today.

An integral part of the Tacoma Rose Society who taught us that we can bury our mistakes. I like to say - no mistakes, just future compost.

Back in the office Tuesday.
Brent & Justin.

03/06/2026

I was told by a friend that my videos about the issue with the estate tax is too specialized. Here is a video on my YouTube channel giving an Estate Tax 101 explanation. I am sorry that this cannot be consumed like a TikTok reel. Some things are too nuanced to be explained in 60 seconds or less.

The following is detailed explanation meant to break down the Washington Estate tax and how it works - from exemption levels, to what is included in the Esta...

02/16/2026

ABC News has a story today from an AP writer called "How the rich pass on their wealth. And how you can too" - It is absolute click-bait trash.

Please do not take legal or tax advice from something that starts with "this is how the rich do things" - it's utter crap.

Just one specific issue that I will highlight is the following statement: "Even if you aren’t leaving enough behind to trigger taxes, your estate can get tied up in probate court, which typically assesses fees based on an estate's total value."

1) Washington State probate is not the enemy. The only reason anything ever gets "tied up" is because of family fighting OR maybe you have a property that just won't sell.

2) An attorney in Washington could literally lose their license to practice law if they charged you fees based on the value of the estate. It is prohibited. Washington state estate administration is either HOURLY or flat-fee.

There ARE some states where the attorney fee is based upon a statutory mandated rate. BUT NOT IN WASHINGTON.

The article also goes on to mix various benefits (such as probate avoidance, tax avoidance, and the step-up in tax basis). There is no magic wand way to get everything and pay nothing. Period.

A qualified legal professional will work with you to create the best option that fits YOUR NEEDS. Any lawyer that automatically is pushing you toward one form of estate plan over another is a MAJOR RED FLAG!!!

02/13/2026

It's been a week.....but despite whatever I may be going through, I will always respond to my Concierge Clients. Confused as to what that is? Watch this YouTube video as I describe a real example of how one client got the benefit of being part of my concierge client family.

PS - I realized in the video that I totally failed to mention - there is ZERO future costs. All those calls I take helping people in time of crisis.....no charge. It is why people join the Concierge Client Family.

A real life description regarding why clients elect to join the Concierge Client Family - too long didn't want to watch, it is because we never know when the...

01/24/2026

Friends - this campaign season is going to be very important. Before I get into party politics I want to draw your attention to a non-partisan race - Washington Supreme Court.

There is a candidate declared to succeed Justice Charles Johnson. He and I go back. Way back. Back to August 1999 - when we began law school together. His name is Sean O’Donnell.

After our first year of law school we both had an internship with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He flourished while I went in search of other areas of law.

He was a successful prosecutor in major cases (ever hear of the Green River Killer? he was on that case). He then ran for a seat as a King County Superior Court Judge. I was there when he launched his next campaign and was proud to see him take the bench.

His judicial career has been one of integrity, intelligence, and ethics. This past December he took an attorney to task for bad ethical conduct and treatment of opposing counsel.

You can imagine my enthusiastic endorsement when Sean told me he was declaring for the Supreme Court.

Here is his website. check him out. learn about him. be engaged because you can see what happens when an electorate simply loses interest in who the candidates actually are as people and how they will do the job.

https://www.odonnellforjustice.com

155 judges and multiple Mayors have already endorsed him, along with one former classmate who loves to see a Seattle University School of Law graduate represent. The fact that I have watched his career for 25 years is just me seeing a step that I knew would come some day. And that day is today.

Judge Sean P. O'Donnell is a 2026 candidate for the Washington State Supreme Court. Judge O'Donnell has 25 years of legal experience and currently serves as a King County Superior Court Judge.

01/02/2026

If you have never had someone in your immediate life suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s- it’s really hard to understand how terrible things can get.

This picture is from a friend of mine who is dealing with a parent who was given their phone back yesterday.

Message here - be kind to those telling you they have family with dementia. You may have no clue as to what they are dealing with at any given moment.

12/31/2025

Out of office and unreachable! Hopefully the sharks won’t eat me and I’ll be back!! Happy New Year’s!!