Practice Areas

• Business and Commercial Law

  We provide a wide variety of services to our business clients from assisting in selecting the type of organizational entity under which to operate, preparation of agreements, sale and purchase of businesses, obtaining financing and funding for business operations, and employee relations, to dissolution.

• Business Organizations

  The form of business chosen for a business entity potentially affects every aspect of its operations. Our firm assists our clients in formation and business planning in deciding whether they want to operate as a closely held business, limited liability company, partnership, or corporation. We advise our clients about directors` and officers` liability, dissolution, franchising, reorganization, trade association membership and activity, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, business successions, and shareholders` rights.

• Civil Litigation and Appeals

  Our firm is knowledgeable and conscientious whenever it becomes necessary to engage in trials in all manner of civil cases. We provide a wide array of services to our clients whenever disputes with either individuals or commercial entities require courtroom advocacy. We handle appeals of both civil and criminal trial court decisions. Our attorneys are admitted to practice in both state and federal courts.

• Construction Law

  Our firm represents owners, contractors, construction managers, developers, design professionals, and suppliers in all aspects of the construction process, including bidding and document preparation, contract negotiation and formation, contract performance, financing and warranty issues, mechanics and materialmen liens, and claims and dispute resolution.

• Employment Law

  Employment law covers a complex network of laws that controls how employers must treat employees, former employees, and applicants for employment. Our Employment Law Practice Group has significant experience in interpreting and construing state and Federal statutes and case law in areas such as employment discrimination, affirmative action, sexual harassment, employee benefits, whistleblower litigation, wrongful discharge, employment contracts, the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, the Federal Employer`s Liability Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and special laws governing municipal employment.

• Environmental Law

  Environmental law is a combination of state and federal statutes and regulations, local ordinances, and judicial decisions governing clean air practices, water pollution, hazardous and solid wastes, wetlands, and wild lands. Our lawyers assist clients to obtain required permits and comply with regulations and auditing principles to protect them from violations and penalties; advise them on hazardous waste cleanup and Superfund issues; and represent individuals and organizations in bringing actions where they believe a violation of any of these laws has occurred.

• Estate Planning and Probate

  Our firm handles Estate Planning matters which is the area dealing with the distribution of an individual`s property at his or her death, taking into account wills, taxes, insurance, property, and trusts so as to gain maximum benefit of all laws and, at the same time, carrying out the person`s wishes. Probate is the court proceeding through which a will is proved to be valid and the estate of a decedent is administered. The process, generally, includes collecting a decedent`s assets, liquidating liabilities, paying necessary taxes, and distribution of property to heirs.

• Insurance Law

  Our Insurance Law Practice Group concentrates in insurance regulatory matters and transactions involving insurance and reinsurance companies. We have served as counsel to major national and international companies. Our specific areas of expertise include regulatory issues before the State Department of Insurance; corporate restructurings and equity changes; investments, securities, and banking matters; and reinsurance and insolvency issues.

• Land Use and Zoning

  State, county, and municipal restrictions and regulations on real property use and property development are increasing in both number and complexity. Of particular concern is the increasing use of the state's power of eminent domain to either take property outright or to reduce the value of real property by enacting land use regulations and restrictions. Our firm offers experienced representation in this unique area of law.

• Landlord/Tenant Relations

  The relationship between the fee owner of real property and persons to whom the owner leases or rents the right to physically possess and use the property is frequently a contentious one. Our attorneys are knowledgeable and experienced in the remedies available to landlords to obtain the eviction of tenants who have violated one or more provisions of the lease or rental agreement.

• Personal Injury

  Our firm represents individuals involved in controversies alleging a wrong or damage to another`s person, rights, reputation, or property resulting from events or activities such as automobile accidents, defective products, infliction of emotional distress, intentional misconduct, and negligence.

• Probate and Estate Administration

  Our firm emphasizes in Probate and Estate Administration. Probate is the legal process by which a person`s debts are paid and assets are distributed upon her or his death. Lawyers refer to the entity that owns the deceased`s assets until those assets are distributed as an "estate". Estate Administration includes the probate process as well as non-probate transfers of the deceased`s assets. Individual state laws direct the probate court how to distribute the deceased`s estate. State laws and procedures vary greatly, so, it is important to consult a firm with expertise in this area of the law to ensure that the deceased`s assets are distributed correctly.

• Real Estate

  Our firm represents both commercial clients and individuals in all proceedings and transactions that deal with real property - land and the structures attached to it - including purchase and sale, construction, mortgages and foreclosures, lien claims, easements, zoning, title examinations, quiet title actions, closings, and management.

McFerran, Burns & Stovall, P.S.

3906 South 74th Street
Tacoma, Washington 98409
Phone: (253) 471-1200
Fax: (253) 284-3855
Email: inquiry@mblawyers.com