10/28/2020
Under ERISA, the federal law that regulates retirement and 401(k) plans, plan fiduciaries are required to prudently administer the plan, select and monitor plan investments and sufficiently diversify plan assets to minimize the risk of large losses. When third parties are retained to assist with these duties, they may become co-fiduciaries, but the employer retains… Read more »
10/27/2020
In the age of COVID, it is a rarity for hearings, oral arguments, client meetings, or any other legal proceeding to be held in-person. Instead, lawyers, judges, arbitrators, and all other legal figures are relying on their computers and telephones to keep the dockets moving. With the relative ease of logging into a hearing or… Read more »
10/19/2020
Many employers have had to terminate or furlough employees in 2020 due to COVID-19. Under IRS rules, a partial termination of a retirement or 401(k) plan may occur when there is a significant reduction (generally more than 20%) in plan participation due to employer-initiated terminations or layoffs during the plan year. If a partial termination… Read more »
10/12/2020
NOTE: This article updates the information in the following Articles previously published: PPP Loan Forgiveness, April 29, 2020 Additional PPP Loan Forgiveness Guidelines, June 2, 2020 PPP Loan Forgiveness Application, After the Payroll Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, June 24, 2020 On Friday, October 9, 2020, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) released guidelines for… Read more »
09/30/2020
The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) is a composite index derived from monthly report surveys from American Institute of Architects (AIA) member firms located throughout the United States reporting on construction project activity the AIA refers to as “Work-on-the-Boards” (projects in the planning and design processes). The data is compiled by the AIA’s Economics & Research… Read more »
08/19/2020
Last week, we advised government contractors in this article about the new restrictions imposed by an interim rule and revised Federal Acquisition Regulation clauses that require contractors doing business with DoD, GSA, and NASA to certify they do not use “covered telecommunications and services” from Huawei and other Chinese companies. We’ve learned that the Director… Read more »
08/07/2020
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the need to quickly develop medical products and services to fight the virus, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) is allowing the trademark examination process for marks used to identify qualifying COVID-19 medical products and services to be expedited. This program expedites the review of qualifying… Read more »
07/17/2020
WHAT VIRGINIA EMPLOYERS CAN EXPECT IN THE COMING WEEKS This article is the second in a three-part series discussing the New Emergency Temporary Standards for Employers in Virginia. Click here to read Part 1 and Part 3. With the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry’s adoption of 16 VAC 25-220; which is called the… Read more »
07/15/2020
This article is the first in a three-part series discussing the New Emergency Temporary Standards for Employers in Virginia. Click here to read Part 2 and Part 3. Governor Northam’s executive order (EO 63), tasked the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board (the Board) – which “promulgates and adopts job safety and health standards, [that]… Read more »
07/06/2020
The 2020 legislative session was notable for a few reasons. First, the Democrats held the majority of seats in both houses of the General Assembly for the first time in recent history. Second, the legislature also took action to address the impacts of COVID-19, which has affected virtually every aspect of our society, including community… Read more »
