Blogs

Business and Financial Services

4 Tips for Pursuing Principal Forgiveness of a PPP Loan

The Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) has been a highly popular relief program for small businesses passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The PPP allows small businesses to obtain government-backed loans from private lenders which, if spent properly on payroll, rent, utilities and/or mortgage interest, can be all or partially forgiven. Over the last month,…

May 4, 2020

Employment Law

Virginia Enacts Dramatic and Far-Reaching Employment Law Protections

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has signed into law nearly two dozen bills that provide significant new rights for Virginia employees, including legal protections to combat wage theft, prohibit non-compete covenants for low-wage workers, and expand the scope of the ban on workplace discrimination. Also signed into law by Governor Northam were enhanced employee whistleblower protections…

April 27, 2020

Divorce and Family Law

I Want to Get Divorced, but I Can’t Get a Court Date…Now What?

Currently, the courts in Virginia, Maryland, DC, and all around the country have been essentially closed for all but emergencies and are not hearing civil cases on a regular basis (which includes family law cases). Even when the courts open again, there will be a major backlog of cases – everything that was supposed to be heard from mid-March through the end of the shutdown, the full schedule of cases set to be heard before the pandemic, plus a glut of newly filed cases on top of that. The…

April 24, 2020

Business and Financial Services

COVID-19 Economic Relief Investigations: They Will Expose Some Businesses to Civil Liability

The initial rounds of COVID-19 economic relief have largely been depleted. More rounds of relief are expected soon. Further out, there will be investigations and follow-on civil (and criminal) proceedings surrounding this largest-ever economic stimulus package in U.S. history, with almost $350 billion going to small businesses. Federal and state authorities, and even some companies,…

April 22, 2020

Divorce and Family Law

Coronavirus and Custody: Implications of Stay at Home Orders

On March 23, 2020, Governor Northam issued Executive Order 53, and a week later issued Executive Order 55, which together have defined the Commonwealth’s stay at home regulations for individuals and businesses. In our last posting prior to Executive Order 55, we opined that custody orders should still be followed even where there was no direct guidance from the government as to how the stay at home order would impact existing custody orders. Fortunately, Executive Order 55 allows people to…

April 20, 2020

Divorce and Family Law

ER Doctor’s Temporary Loss of Custody and a Possible Path Forward

In a stunning decision in the 11th Judicial Circuit last week, emergency room doctor Theresa Greene lost temporary custody of her 4-year-old daughter solely because of her profession and potential risk of exposure to COVID-19. Judge Bernard Shapiro suspended Dr. Greene’s 50/50 custodial rights based upon the virus outbreak, despite Dr. Greene’s assurances she has repeatedly worn protective equipment and has tested negative for the virus. The Miami Third District Court of Appeals temporarily…

April 20, 2020

Business and Financial Services

Online Board Meetings – What to Know When Social-Distancing Requires Your Meetings to Go Virtual

Many corporations and LLCs that have traditionally held in-person shareholder and board meetings are looking for alternatives during the social distancing required for COVID-19. Fortunately, corporate and LLC governance statutes in most states, including Delaware, Virginia, Maryland and DC allow for meetings to be held remotely, if some special considerations are followed. Corporations are required…

April 16, 2020

Business and Financial Services

What Can Employers Ask and Do About Their Employee’s Health During the Coronavirus Crisis? Answers from the EEOC

EEOC Update, May 7, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has had an undeniably dramatic and devastating impact on public health in the U.S. It also has had dire consequences for the U.S. economy and businesses across the country. Many nonessential businesses have been forced to close altogether. Those that have been permitted, or required, to continue providing essential services, including many retailers, have struggled to find ways to keep workers from getting sick from coronavirus, and keep their…

April 14, 2020

Business and Financial Services

Documentation and Recordkeeping: COVID-19 Paid Leave and Employer Paid Leave Tax Credits

On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”), which creates two new emergency paid leave requirements in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The FFCRA covers private employers with fewer than 500 employees and certain public employers. Overview of Paid Sick Leave Law Division E of the…

April 7, 2020

Business and Financial Services

SBA Paycheck Protection Loans under the CARES Act

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) contains numerous benefits for businesses. One of these benefits is the addition of “Paycheck Protection Loans” to the existing Small Business Act (SBA) 7(a) loan program. The new program provides many businesses with 500 or fewer employees as well as non-profits, independent contractors, and sole proprietors, the ability to obtain government-backed, 1% interest loans from private lenders, with payments deferred for at…

April 4, 2020