Library Can Help Plan for Pets
By Marcus Hochstetler
Having the opportunity to hear a local attorney talk about estate planning issues seemed to me at first to be an important, but not an extremely stimulating, topic. However, I enjoyed the hour-long session, which covered many areas of planning for the future and during which the speaker mentioned “pet trusts.”
With two cats of my own, I began to wonder if we had anything in the collection that would speak to setting up a pet trust. Lo and behold, I was able to locate a section in the newly published Washington Estate Planning Deskbook, which reads in Sec. 11.6(6), Pet Trusts:
Washington is one of a handful of states that permits the creation of trusts for the benefit of pets. The pertinent statutes governing Washington pet trusts can be found at Chapter 11.118 RCW. It should be noted that a trust may not be created for just any pet: only “nonhuman animal[s] with vertebrae” are qualified beneficiaries. See RCW 11.118.010. Because animals cannot bring legal actions to enforce their rights, RCW 11.118.050 gives standing to the following individuals to bring enforcement actions: a person designated for that purpose in the trust instrument, the person given custody of the pet, or a person appointed by the court following a petition by any person.
You can check out this volume from the library to find out how the rest of this section ends. For information on other state statutes, go to www.estateplanningforpets. org created by the Estate Planning for Pets Foundation.
This nugget of information and many others can be located in various treatises in our collection (see the collections note below). If you have what you think is a unique legal question, perhaps we can help direct you to the right material. You can call our reference desk at 206-296-0940 to start your legal research journey.
The Law Library staff is excited about two opportunities for service, which began in February and will continue indefinitely at our Seattle library location. The KCBA Housing Justice Project began to offer a one-of-a-kind-in-the-nation weekly evening clinic on February 27 from 4-6 p.m. This clinic helps those who are facing evictions and various other landlord-tenant issues.
On Thursdays, from noon-2 p.m., the KCBA Downtown Legal Clinic is held for individuals seeking advice on a wide range of issues. Beginning March 16, a KCBA Civil Rights Legal Clinic will be held from noon-2 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays for those who seek help in this area. To become a volunteer for the Housing Justice Project contact Amanda Kale at 206-267-7028 or for the Downtown Legal Clinic contact Cathie Caldwell at 206-267-7029.
Gifts: The library appreciates gifts to the collection from Barrie Althoff.
Internet class topic: The Seattle Law Library Internet lunch-break class for web users will be held on March 16 from noon-1 p.m. and will cover “Introduction to Casemaker.” Contact the library at 206-296-0940 to sign up for this class. n
Marcus Hochstetler is the King County Law Librarian. Please direct comments or questions to him at
206-296-0940 or marcus.hochstetler@metrokc.gov.
Collections Note
By Rita Dermody
Collection Access Services Librarian
The King County Law Library has a wide variety of resources that discuss animal law. The Washington State Bar Association has held several continuing legal education seminars on this topic. In our library are materials from the second and third Annual Animal Law Conference.
In 2005, the WSBA published Animal Law: Meeting Standards of Care, Preventing and Defending Against Veterinary Malpractice; plus, Dangerous Dogs, and in 2003, it published Animal Law: A Bird’s Eye View. In Washington Criminal Practice in Courts of Limited Jurisdiction, by Linda Portnoy, you can find a chapter titled, “Animal Offenses: Domestic.” Nolo Press has published Dog Law: A Legal Guide for Dog Owners and Their Neighbors.
For discussions of the Endangered Species Act we have ESA: Endangered Species Act, by Tony A. Sullins, and Endangered Species Act: Law, Policy, and Perspectives, by Donald C. Baur and William Robert Irving, both published by the American Bar Association. Discussions of the ESA can be found in some of the WSBA continuing legal education materials such as Navigating the Maze: A Checklist Approach to Land Use and Environmental Law; The Future of Land Use and Environmental Regu-lation: Can a Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy Coexist?; and the annual Environmental and Land Use Section Midyear Meeting and Seminar. Please visit the library and review these materials. n
