Estate Planning Survivorship Options 101: Do You Know What Your Estate Plan Actually Does?

Estate Planning Survivorship Options 101: Do You Know What Your Estate Plan Actually Does?
Deciding which family members will receive your assets upon death is one of the main considerations in estate planning. It is awkward to consider what would happen to an inheritance should one or more of your family members predecease you, or if one of your siblings predecease your parents. For example, if your mother leaves her
Read more
No Comments

What Happened at General Counsel, P.C. Today


Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Overview of Vaccine Mandates

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 10/27/02021 Image from Inside Nova Vaccine mandates are impacting hundreds of thousands of employees in the Washington region and across the country.  Here is a summary of the coverage, legal exemptions, and accommodations for the pending vaccine mandates.  For more information or legal assistance, contact Merritt Green, who
Read more
No Comments

Webinar: Religious Exemptions to COVID 19 Mandatory Vaccination Policies

              Recently, Merritt Green presented a webinar on Religious Exemptions to COVID 19 Mandatory Vaccination Policies. Employers and employees facing mandatory vaccination policies are struggling with understanding religious exemptions. This webinar will provide an overview of the law, of what constitutes a “sincerely held religious belief,” and what accommodations
Read more
No Comments

Estate Planning Choices of 3 Legends & The Valuable Lessons They Can Teach Us

The unique estate planning experiences of legends can be valuable lessons for us:  First, Chadwick Boseman, who brought the Black Panther to the big screen among other notable works, had no estate plan. Walt Disney, who made us smile in so many ways from creating Mickey Mouse, and his other productions to the amazing theme
Read more
No Comments

Webinar: Estate Planning – 20 Most Common Questions Clients Ask About Estate Planning

Ann-Marie Murzin recently answered 20 Questions about Estate Planning in the “Do I Need a Will? Or a Trust? And What is Estate Planning?” webinar series with Merritt Green. During this 60-minute webinar, Ann-Marie covers basic estate planning concepts, she does a deep dive into specific scenarios where estate planning may be especially helpful, as
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Religious exemptions to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 9/29/2021 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, we provide an overview of religious exemptions to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies.  This is an issue that employers and employees are struggling to understand and determine their respective rights.  This article is intended as a brief overview
Read more
No Comments

Religious Exemptions to COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policies

With the coronavirus pandemic ongoing and new cases still being contracted due to new variants, many employers are considering or have already implemented mandatory vaccination policies. These policies bring up questions about what rights employers have regarding employees who refuse to get the vaccine. Since cases regarding vaccination policies are just starting to be heard
Read more
No Comments

6 Estate Planning Lessons to Take From a Grumpy Old Man

6 Estate Planning Lessons to Take From a Grumpy Old Man
Only about one year ago, Emmy Award winning actor Ed Asner, who passed away this week, recorded a witty interview on the Kelly Clarkson Show.  Asner, who often played the role of a grumpy old man was far from that in real life. In the movie Up, Asner channeled his empathy in scenes so relatable they make people laugh and cry
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Legal Considerations When Starting a Business

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 8/25/2021 Image from Inside Nova There are many legal considerations when starting a business.  As attorneys, we are fortunate to help business owners start and operate businesses.  Unfortunately, we also see all the mistakes made by business owners.  Hopefully, the below outline provides guidance that can direct and
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: What is my personal liability as a business owner?

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 8/11/2021 Image from Inside Nova Corporations, LLCs, and other organizations are formed to shield their owners from liability. This protection is unique to corporations, as sole proprietorships or general partnerships do not have liability protection; they allow for the assets of both the business and the owner to be seized
Read more
No Comments

Virginia Employers: Review and Consider Amending Employment Agreements to Add Duty to Disclose Conflicts

In a recent case, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia denied the employee’s motion to dismiss and determined that multiple claims could proceed against an employee, including breach of contract, breach of duty of loyalty, and fraud. In this case, the employee and employer entered into an Employment Agreement stating the
Read more
No Comments

U.S. Supreme Court Holds Employee Who Accessed Work Database for Improper Purpose Did Not Violate CFAA

In a recent case, the United States Supreme Court held that a former police sergeant did not violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”) when he accessed a law enforcement database for personal use. As a general matter, the CFAA provides both criminal penalties and a civil cause of action that employers have utilized
Read more
No Comments

Webinar: Government Contracting – DFARS Part 233- Protests, Disputes, And Appeals – Win Federal Contracts

Lewis Rhodes recently presented in the DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations) weekly webinar series with Jennifer Schaus & Associates. During this 60-minute webinar, Lewis covers the DFARs clause on Bid Protests and Claims, and Claims Appeals as well as how the DFARS ties into the standard FAR provisions. These are complimentary webinars that cover defense
Read more
No Comments

President Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccination Directive is also for Federal Contractors

Employers can mandate Covid-19 Vaccination for Employees
On Thursday, July 29, 2021, President Joe Biden announced new measures to encourage vaccinations among Americans. Focusing primarily on increasing vaccinations at the federal level, President Biden stated that all federal government employees and on-site federal contractors are required to attest to their vaccination status. This order only applies to onsite contractors; it appears that
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Top five reasons Virginia employers need to review their restrictive covenant agreements

Blank non-compete agreement page on a marble table
Image by: Paul Lara / InsideNoVa Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 7/28/2021 Recent changes in employment law and changes to the economy and workplace in general due to the coronavirus pandemic may require some employers to update their employment agreements and restricted covenant agreements. For general guidelines on enforceability of restrictive covenant agreements,
Read more
No Comments

Fourth Circuit Holds Employer Wasn’t Required to Create a Job-Share Position as a Reasonable Accommodation Under the ADA

In a recent case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that creating a new job-share position for an employee with a disability doesn’t constitute a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). There, the court decided that if the job-share at issue didn’t exist at the time the accommodation
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Employer’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy upheld

Employer’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy upheld
Image by: Paul Lara / InsideNoVa Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 7/13/2021 In an April edition of Ask General Counsel, we asked:  Can Employers Require Employees to Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations? Our answer was “Yes, with some exceptions and if the mandatory vaccine policy is job-related and consistent with business necessity.” This opinion was supported
Read more
No Comments

Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy Upheld by Texas Federal Court

Employers can mandate Covid-19 Vaccination for Employees
In a recent case, a Texas federal District Court upheld an employer’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. There, employees of a Texas hospital sued the hospital, claiming the policy violated Texas public policy and federal law, and that termination of employees who refused to get the vaccine would constitute wrongful termination. The court dismissed the employees’ case,
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: What’s ‘defamatory’ in Virginia? Johnny Depp provides guidance

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 6/22/2021 In this edition of Ask General Counsel, Johnny Depp helps provide guidance on Virginia defamation law. Johnny Depp filed a lawsuit in Virginia against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, claiming defamation based on four statements made in Heard’s op-ed in the Washington Post in December 2018. Depp claimed
Read more
No Comments