Blogs

Employment Law

OSHA Doubles Down on Workplace Heat Enforcement: What Employers Need to Know About the Expanded Heat National Emphasis Program

With record spring heat impacting the eastern half of the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has taken significant additional steps to elevate workplace heat hazards to the forefront of its enforcement agenda. On April 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a substantial update to OSHA’s National Emphasis Program (NEP)…

April 23, 2026

Employment Law

March 2026 OHR Guidance Highlights Ongoing Harassment Reporting and Training Obligations in the District

March 2026 materials from the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights (OHR) provide employers with a useful snapshot of the agency’s continuing focus on harassment reporting, workplace investigations, and employee training obligations. Although OHR did not release a formal new harassment rule package in March, the agency did update its notices, fact sheets, and…

April 20, 2026

Employment Law

DEI Re-Defined: The New Compliance Fault Line for Federal Contractors and Grant Recipients

On March 26, 2026, the White House fundamentally reframed how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are evaluated in the context of federal contracts. With the issuance of Executive Order 14398, “Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors,” DEI is no longer treated primarily as a cultural or human-capital initiative. Instead, for covered contractors and subcontractors,…

April 2, 2026

Nonprofit/ Exempt Organizations

What Happens When a Donation to Your Nonprofit Goes Bad

In 2012, financier and Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick made a transformative donation to his alma mater, Haverford College, a small liberal arts school in Pennsylvania. Over time, Lutnick’s contributions — reportedly totaling roughly $65 million — helped fund major campus initiatives, including the college’s library, which now bears his name. More than a decade…

March 27, 2026

Employment Law

No Severance, No Noncompete: Virginia’s Legislature Raises the Stakes Yet Again

Virginia’s steady march away from employer-friendly noncompete law continues. What began in 2020 as a targeted prohibition on noncompetes for “low-wage” workers has now expanded into a far broader restriction that reaches employees at every level of the organization. With the General Assembly’s passage of Senate Bill 170 (SB 170), Virginia employers must now confront…

March 17, 2026

Business and Financial Services

Not All Business Groups Are Alike: Understanding Chambers, BIDs, and Business Alliances in Virginia

Like other states, Virginia’s business landscape is supported by a network of organizations that often sound similar but may serve very different purposes. Chambers of commerce, business improvement districts (BIDs), and business alliances all work to strengthen the local and regional business environment, but they do so through distinct organizational structures, funding mechanisms, and missions.…

March 16, 2026

Employment Law

Déjà Vu All Over Again: The DOL’s New Take on Independent Contractors

Few questions in U.S. employment law have proven as persistent or as disruptive for businesses—as determining whether a worker is an “employee” or an “independent contractor.” Since the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was enacted in 1938, employers have struggled with a statute that imposes sweeping wage-and-hour obligations on employers for “employees” while offering little…

March 12, 2026

Employment Law

You Are Responsible for Your AI: What Employers Need to Know About EEOC Scrutiny of Hiring and Promotion Algorithms

Artificial intelligence is now embedded in modern hiring, applicant screening, employee promotion, and performance evaluation systems. From resume scanners to video interview analytics and automated promotion recommendations, algorithmic decision tools are becoming increasingly common. But one message from federal enforcement agencies is becoming unmistakably clear: you are responsible for your AI. The U.S. Equal Employment…

March 9, 2026

Employment Law

Virginia Court Clarifies the Rules on Noncompetes and Nonsolicitation Agreements for Nonexempt Employees

On January 27, 2026, the Virginia Court of Appeals issued a pivotal decision interpreting Virginia’s increasingly restrictive approach to employee noncompetition agreements. In Sentry Force Security, LLC v. Barrera, the court resolved a question that had been looming since Virginia first began limiting noncompetes for lower‑paid workers: how far those restrictions extend to customer and…

February 27, 2026

Employment Law

When an EEOC Charge Lands: Essential Steps Employers Must Take

Few workplace events generate as much consternation for employers as receiving notice that an employee or former employee has filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). While the arrival of a charge can set off alarm bells, it is important for employers to recognize that the charge is not a…

February 20, 2026