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About Us

Central Washington Wine

Regional

The Pacific Northwest possesses a remarkable variety of landscapes, demographics, economic drivers and needs.  Being founded in Central Washington, we at Halverson Northwest understand how these factors uniquely affect our region. From the fields of Yakima County to the forests of the Wenatchee Valley, from the waters of the Columbia to the shores of Puget Sound, our skills are as diverse as the clients we serve.

 

Comprehensive

Some law firms center their practice on a single specialty. Others say they have a wide range of services, but spread a few employees across several practice areas. We chose a series of strong attorneys in specialized areas of practice and structured our firm around them. That is how Halverson Northwest is able to provide an outstanding breadth of legal coverage without sacrificing the depth of expertise required by each area of practice.

 

Experienced

For more than 100 years our attorneys have been practicing law in Central Washington, and we continue to build on the experience of our forebears every day. The rapid changes of the previous century and the comprehensive nature of our clients’ needs have driven us to a proactively adaptive approach to legal practice. Yesterday's lessons paired with today's tools enable us to successfully support our clients and help them meet the demands of the future.

 

Clients Choose Us

Through the individual talents, expertise, personalities, and experience of our attorneys, Halverson Northwest provides its clients with strong and diversified resources to meet their many varied legal needs. Our firm's principal areas of practice include general legal and business counseling and litigation, real estate, commercial and financial transactions, probate and estate planning, personal injury and insurance litigation, bankruptcy law, workers compensation law, tax planning and litigation, and banking law. Within these areas of practice, we also handle all facets of agricultural law, including crop damage litigation, governmental regulation, and agri-business planning.

Agriculture & Agribusiness

Halverson Northwest and our region was built on agriculture and agribusiness.   We have served literally every type of agricultural and agribusiness concern, including large vertically integrated agricultural operations, orchard and farming businesses, ranches, wineries, processing facilities and their lenders and investors.  Our experience includes entity formation and operation, real estate, regulatory and water issues, and agricultural litigation. 

Halverson Northwest attorneys routinely provide advice and representation in the following areas:

  • Entity selection, formation and operation
  • Representation of packing and processing facilities
  • Representation of marketing and sales agencies
  • Representation of farmers and ranchers
  • Federal, state and local tax planning for agricultural businesses
  • Agricultural litigation including crop damage, chemical applications and similar issues
  • Agricultural employment:  including labor counseling and litigation
  • Agricultural financing and capitalization
  • Environmental regulation and proceedings including Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act
  • Insurance coverage and claims litigation
  • Employment & Labor
  • Commission merchant regulation, compliance and litigation
  • Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) claims and litigation
  • Real property acquisition, disposition and leasing
  • Workman’s Compensation
  • Wage and hour regulation

Agriculture Cooperatives

Halverson Northwest is one of the few experienced and established firms advising agricultural cooperatives.  Our attorneys have broad experience in virtually every aspect of the operation and management of agricultural cooperatives with particular focus on processors. 

We provide our cooperative clients advice in the following areas:

  • General Business Representation – Assistance with cooperative organization and operations, contract negotiation and drafting, real estate transactions, employment and labor issues, regulatory compliance and compliance with organizational formalities. 
  • Agribusiness Issues – Advising agricultural cooperative and their management team on regulating issues including environmental, food safety and similar regulations.
  • Mergers and Acquisitions – The acquisition or disposition of companies, businesses and properties through mergers, stock transactions or asset purchase and sale agreements. 
  • Corporate Finance – Review and advise regarding all aspects of corporate finance and credit issues. 
  • Cooperative Corporate Governance – Advising cooperatives with regard to compliance with governing documents, policies and statutory directives. 

Banking & Financial Institutions

Halverson Northwest has a long history of representing banks and financial institutions.  Our representation has included both large and local commercial banks, savings & loan associations, mortgage companies, private lenders, insurance companies and pension plans.  We assist these institutions in transactions throughout the region with particular focus on agricultural loans. 

We have gained particular experience in loan structuring and documentation, debt restructuring and workouts, foreclosures and collections, bankruptcy and litigation (lender liability, lien priority, loan disputes and interpretation, etc.) 

We pride ourselves on efficient and economic representation with a keen understanding of agriculture and businesses of our region.  Representation of our financial institutions and lenders also draws upon our breadth of legal experience within the firm including specialized areas such as real estate, title insurance and coverage, water rights, and environmental regulation. 

 

Construction

Halverson Northwest serves clients in all aspects of the construction industry, including owners, developers, engineers, lending institutions, architects, general contractors, subcontractors, and material providers.  Our experience has spanned a wide range of issues and clients and has touched virtually every construction-related legal issue.

The construction industry is faced with rapidly changing federal, state and local laws.  Halverson Northwest’s experienced attorneys provide focused advice on such fields as environmental law, employer/employee relations, job safety, liens, financing, union and management issues, insurance, risk management, workmen’s’ compensation, and taxation.  Our breadth of experience in all aspects of construction law and litigation allows us to effectively for represent all clients through the construction process - whether the client is a large general contractor, engineering firm or small specialty contractor.

Halverson Northwest attorneys offer experienced legal support in the following:

Litigation

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Arbitration
  • Bidding and Bidding Errors
  • Bankruptcy
  • Collection

Construction Disputes (changed conditions, delayed claims, liquidated damages)

  • Design flaws and construction defects
  • Indemnification
  • Insurance
  • Labor disputes
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
  • Washington Industrial Safety And Health Act (WISHA)

Business Planning and Formation 

  • Corporate formation and planning
  • Joint Venture Agreements

Acquisition and Sale of Joint Ventures, Partnerships, Corporations and Limited Liability Companies

  • Employment contracts and labor negotiations
  • Equipment purchases, sales and leases
  • Buy-Sell Agreements

Insurance and Workmen’s Compensation

  • Review, interpretation and enforcement of insurance policies covering all aspects of the construction project

                        ·   Risk management, risk pooling arrangements, self-insurance plans

  • Review, interpretation and enforcement of payment, performance and contractor registration bonds

                        ·   Review and evaluation of workmen compensation claims

Labor and Employment

  • Union Organizing
  • Unfair labor practices representation

                        ·   Prevailing wage, wage and hour and compensation issues

  • Governmental contracting-affirmative action, contractor set asides, affirmative action

                        ·   Collective Bargaining

                        ·  Discrimination retaliation

                        ·  Wrongful discharge

                       

 

 

Engineering & Architecture

Halverson Northwest has a long history of representing engineering and architecture firms.  Our attorneys have advised on business and entity formation and operation, property and facility planning, and organizational ownership and structure.  We have also provided advice with respect to construction and design claims, public and private contract issues, lien rights and issues of professional liability. 

Insurance Agencies & Brokers

Halverson Northwest has worked closely with insurance agencies and brokers regarding both their own business operations as well as shared client planning and representation.  We have advised insurance agencies and brokers on matters of entity formation and operation, owner/member relationships (buy-sell agreements, employment contracts, etc.), property acquisition and ownership, and day-to-day legal issues. 

We also believe in a shared and coordinated representation of clients whether they be individuals or businesses.  Our attorneys have worked in concert with insurance professionals to provide risk management protections (liability, property, etc.) as well as address special coverage needs in specialty or industry undertakings.  We have also worked closely with the agency or broker in facilitating coverage claims and disputes.  This has been a valued and important relationship in client representation. 

Manufacturing

Medical & Health Care

Halverson Northwest has served health care professionals, clinics and hospitals for decades.  We provide a broad range of legal services including matters of practice formation and operation, taxation, employment and labor and regulatory compliance.  Our representation recognizes the ever-changing regulatory environment and increasing practice complexities.  

We also recognize that health care providers face the same business and legal issues presented to many business organizations.  We are experienced in facility development and permitting, shareholder and member relationships (including buy-sell agreements, employment contracts, entity governance), employment and labor relations (individual and collectively bargained), retirement planning and entity or practice relationships.  

Municipal Government

Nonprofit & Tax-Exempt Organizations

Public Port Districts

Halverson Northwest has a long history of representing public port districts.  Our attorneys have provided a full range of services to port districts including advice on matters of corporate governance, employment and labor, real estate acquisitions and ownership, land use and permitting processes and issues of environmental compliance.  We also understand the nature and purpose of port districts in the context of economic development.  We have assisted in development of public-private partnerships and facilities that support economic development.

Real Estate Development

Halverson Northwest’s multi-disciplinary team of lawyers serves multi-sector clients in all aspects of real estate development including environmental, land use, tax, construction and real estate law.  Real estate development is an integrated and complex process.  We take pride in our ability to work with local jurisdictions, elected officials, property owners, lenders, agencies, and others to successfully complete the project. 

Land Use

Our attorneys are experienced and well regarded in matters of land use planning.  We have successfully advised development of commercial and retail shopping centers, industrial parks, master planned developments, institutional (medical) campuses, subdivisions and short plats and binding site plans. 

Environmental Law

Real estate development often presents significant environmental issues and requirements.  Our attorneys have extensive experience with environmental components of permit applications including State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), Shoreline Management Act, Growth Management Act and related legislation.  We regularly assist clients in both due diligence and assessment of environmental risks and issues, including matters related to contaminated property, critical areas and wetlands. 

Real Estate

Our real estate attorneys provide knowledge and support to the purchase, sale, leasing, financing and development of all properties, including residential, office, industrial, retail, and multi-family properties.  

Tax

Real estate development is impacted by both federal and state tax considerations.  Our attorneys provide advice on tax implications related to real estate development, choice of entity issues and entity formation, property and sales tax considerations, valuation and related issues. 

 

 

Retail & Wholesale – Closely Held Business

Special Use Districts

Title Companies

Transportation

Water & Irrigation Districts

Halverson Northwest has significant experience and expertise in the representation of irrigation districts, including several of the largest districts in the federal Yakima Basin Project. In addition to representing district interests in water rights adjudicatory and administrative matters, we serve as general counsel for many of these clients, offering strategic guidance in all aspects of governance and operations, including:

  • District formation and inter-local relations
  • Assessment and collection of patron fees
  • Employment law and labor relations
  • Acquisition and protection of title and use rights in real property, canals, pipelines and associated irrigation infrastructure
  • Funding, development and implementation of large-scale conservation and water quality initiatives in partnership with state and federal government agencies and other resource stakeholders

 

Wineries, Breweries & Distilleries

The Pacific Northwest has seen an explosive growth in wineries, breweries and distilleries.  Central and Southeastern Washington have been at the heart of this growth.  The Yakima Valley is also one of the world’s leading hop-growing regions and home to world-class microbreweries.  Following recent changes in craft distillery laws, distillery activity is on the upswing.

Halverson Northwest is well placed to serve this industry, from formation and operations, to development of residential and hospitality projects.  Our attorneys are experienced in business and entity formation including all forms of ownership and tax structures.  Wineries, breweries and distilleries face typical business issues including real estate acquisition and development, employment and labor, and tax and licensing issues.  We are prepared to address those issues. 

Industry businesses and developments range from purely agricultural growing operations to production, hospitality and residential developments.  Development activities will involve real estate transactions, land use and environmental issues and critical considerations regarding water rights.  The integrated nature of wineries, breweries and distilleries requires a multi-disciplinary legal team.