On August 4, in response to a series of lawsuits brought by the environmental advocacy group Columbia Riverkeeper, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed to regulatory measures aimed at preventing oil leaks from eight dams on the Columbia/Snake River system.

Shiro Kashiba, founder and former executive chef of Shiro’s Sushi Restaurant, filed a declaratory action in King County Superior Court on May 27, 2014, to prevent the restaurant’s current owners from extending a non-compete provision against him.

A restaurant’s first response to an allergic reaction by a customer should be to leave it to the customer’s family member or friend to administer first aid. Further, the restaurant should call 9?1?1, if the customer exhibits a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).

If you own property or are looking to start a marijuana-related business in Seattle, you should pay close attention to the zoning laws over the next couple of weeks and months.

Those mandatory 18% tips on checks for large dining parties will get more expensive for restaurateurs starting January 1, 2014.

Are you curious about what your employees, or applicants for employment, might be saying or doing on Facebook and other social media sites?

The controversial “Second Chance” bill passed the Seattle City Council unanimously on June 10, 2013, and becomes an additional requirement employers must follow in Seattle’s ever restrictive, employee-friendly canon of ordinances.

In an article I wrote for the March 2013 issue of Western Real Estate Business Magazine, “A Tenant’s Guide to Environmental Liability Risk Management in Commercial Leases,” I wrote about drafting and negotiating commercial leases to protect the rights of tenants who need to bring and/or use hazardous materials on their leased premises.