Blogs

Employment Law

Assumption of Risk After Post v. The Pines Horse Farm: Why Virginia Businesses Should Revisit Their Customer Waivers

Does your Virginia business provide activities that pose a meaningful risk of physical injury such as horseback riding, fitness classes, recreational sports, camps, or similar customer-facing services? Does your business rely on customer “waivers” of liability to manage the risks inherent in such activities? That instinct is understandable. A written agreement that warns customers of…

June 22, 2026

Employment Law

Bonuses and Overtime: When Payroll Math Becomes an Employer Liability

Employers who pay bonuses to nonexempt employees need to understand a deceptively simple wage-and-hour rule: overtime must be paid based on the employee’s regular rate of pay, not merely on the employee’s base hourly rate. When an employee receives commissions, shift differentials, incentive pay, production bonuses, attendance bonuses, or other compensation tied to their work…

June 22, 2026

Construction

America’s 250th Birthday Is Creating Construction Opportunity and Risk in the D.C. Region

As the United States prepares for the semi quincentennial on July 4, 2026, Washington, D.C. is not just hosting the national commemoration. It is building for it. America 250 has accelerated attention on public spaces, historic assets, transportation support, accessibility, and visitor infrastructure across the region. For contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, suppliers, and owners, the…

June 18, 2026

Employment Law

Back to Fundamentals: The DOL’s Proposed Joint Employer Rule and the Return of ‘Economic Reality’

On April 22, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a long-anticipated Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing joint employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA). The proposed rule seeks to impose a single analytical framework…

May 27, 2026

Business and Financial Services

AI Guardrails Meet Federal Contracting: What GSA’s Proposed AI Procurement Rules Mean for Government Contractors

Artificial intelligence is no longer an experimental feature in federal procurement. It is rapidly becoming essential digital infrastructure used to analyze data, support decision‑making, automate workflows, and power mission‑critical systems across civilian agencies (non-military federal agencies such as the DHS, HHS, and Treasury) to analyze data, support decision-making, and automate workflows. Against that backdrop, the…

May 26, 2026

Business and Financial Services

Section 875 of the FY2026 NDAA: What DoD Contractors Need to Know About Bid Protest Payment Withholding

Section 875 of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act creates a new payment-withholding risk for certain incumbent Department of Defense contractors that file GAO bid protests. The provision directs DoD to revise the DFARS to establish procedures allowing contracting officers to withhold up to five percent of payments owed to an incumbent contractor during a protest-related bridge…

May 21, 2026

Divorce and Family Law

What Older Couples Need to Know About a “Gray Divorce” in Virginia

Divorce is rarely simple, but when it occurs later in life, often called a “gray divorce,” it brings a distinct set of legal and financial challenges. As more couples over 50 choose to end long-term marriages, questions about retirement assets, Social Security, spousal support, and estate planning become central to the divorce process. Virginia law provides a clear structure for divorce proceedings, but gray divorces require nuanced legal strategies that account for retirement timelines, fixed…

May 20, 2026

Business and Financial Services

What is Worrying Our Nonprofit Clients – Part II: Funding and Economics

As part two of our series, it is perhaps a truism that the first answer would always be money. The need for consistent and appropriate resources to execute on mission is a constant drumbeat for nonprofits. What is new is the pace of change, rapid shifts in sources of funds, changes in demand for services,…

May 11, 2026

Business and Financial Services

Estate and Gift Tax Savings Strategies: Planning Opportunities for Preserving Wealth

Estate planning is not only about deciding who receives assets at death. For high-net-worth individuals, business owners, investors, and families with appreciating assets, a well-designed estate plan can also reduce estate tax, gift tax, generation-skipping transfer tax, income tax, and capital gains tax exposure. The right strategy depends on the size of the estate, the type of assets involved, family goals, charitable intent, liquidity needs, and applicable federal and state tax laws. In the…

May 6, 2026

Employment Law

Virginia’s New Paid Leave Era Has Arrived: What 2026’s Paid Family Leave and Paid Sick Leave Laws Mean for Employers—and Why Preparation Can’t Wait

Virginia employers are standing at the edge of one of the most consequential shifts in workplace regulation the Commonwealth has seen in decades. During the 2026 General Assembly session, lawmakers enacted two sweeping paid leave measures — the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) insurance program and a new statewide paid sick leave mandate —…

May 5, 2026