Question 1

How much does a Bellevue employment lawyer cost?

Accepted Answer

Most Bellevue employment-law engagements at our firm run on transparent flat fees or HR-counsel retainers rather than open-ended hourly billing. A custom employee handbook, restrictive-covenant package, executive employment agreement, or separation agreement is quoted as a single fixed fee after a brief intake call. Ongoing HR counsel is available as a monthly retainer that covers routine handbook updates, hiring questions, accommodation issues, and pre-termination review. Complex or contested matters fall outside this scope and are referred to dedicated employment counsel. You will see the fee in writing before any work begins.

Question 2

Are non-competes enforceable in Washington?

Accepted Answer

Non-competes in Washington are governed by RCW 49.62, which makes them unenforceable against employees earning below an annually adjusted income threshold (currently around $120,000 for employees and roughly $300,000 for independent contractors), requires written disclosure of the restrictive covenant before acceptance of the offer, limits duration to 18 months, and voids any choice-of-law or choice-of-venue provision pointing outside Washington. Washington courts will not blue-pencil overbroad covenants — they will strike them. We draft restrictive covenants for Bellevue employers — Eastside tech employers, medical practices, and professional firms — to be defensible under RCW 49.62, paired with non-solicitation, confidentiality, and IP-assignment provisions.

Question 3

How do I terminate a Bellevue employee safely?

Accepted Answer

Safe termination of a Bellevue employee starts with documentation built before the termination decision — performance reviews, written warnings, and consistent application of policies. Before any sensitive Bellevue termination, an employment lawyer should review the file, the proposed reason, the comparator employees, the equity vesting status, and the proposed separation and release agreement. Common errors we see: terminating without documentation, offering severance without a Washington-compliant release, or using a generic separation agreement that does not satisfy ADEA or RCW Ch. 49.46 release requirements for Bellevue employees. We routinely review pre-termination files and draft compliant separation packages.

Question 4

What is the Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act and how does it affect Bellevue employers?

Accepted Answer

The Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act addresses pay discrimination and requires covered job postings to include wage or salary information and a general description of benefits and other compensation. We update Bellevue handbooks, posting templates, and pay-band documentation as proactive compliance work. Representation in agency investigations or contested proceedings is outside the firm's scope.

Question 5

Do I need separate employment agreements for executives versus rank-and-file employees?

Accepted Answer

Yes — Bellevue executive employment agreements typically cover compensation, equity grants under the company's stock plan, RSU and option vesting, severance and change-in-control protections, restrictive covenants tailored to a higher-compensation employee under RCW 49.62, IP assignment, and detailed termination provisions, while rank-and-file employees are usually onboarded with offer letters plus the employee handbook. The mistake we see most often on the Eastside is a generic offer letter for a senior tech role that quietly omits restrictive covenants or proper IP assignment, then a costly cleanup when the executive leaves for a competitor.

Bellevue Employment Lawyer for Employers