Ask General Counsel: Take caution when competing against former employer

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 8/24/2023 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, the business and litigation attorneys of General Counsel P.C. discuss a recent court decision involving defendants who used information obtained from their former employer to compete on federal contracts against that former employer. In Adnet Inc. v.
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Burden increases on employers when considering religious accommodation requests

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 9/14/2023 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, General Counsel P.C. attorneys discuss the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Groff v. DeJoy, which provides employers guidance on their obligation to offer religious accommodations. Gerald Groff delivered mail for the U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”). Groff
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Is the mental health of other spouse a legally justifiable reason for leaving the marital home?

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 7/20/2023 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, the family/divorce attorneys of General Counsel P.C. discuss a recent case where the court clarified that leaving a marriage for mental health reasons may be legally justifiable – but, determined that in this case, the facts
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Can I date while separated in Virginia?

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 3/2/2023 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, Joanna Foard, who leads General Counsel, P.C.’s divorce / family law practice, discusses whether, in Virginia, someone can date while separated. Virginia does not legally acknowledge a couple’s separation as the end of a marriage. Even
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: How do courts determine child custody and visitation rights?

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 2/14/2023 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, provided by the law firm General Counsel, P.C. with offices in McLean, Virginia, we discuss the factors a court considers when making child custody and visitation decisions.  For additional information on divorce and family law matters,
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Can a contract be formed through email communications?

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 1/27/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, the attorneys at General Counsel, P.C., discuss whether a contract can be formed simply through email communications (spoiler, the answer is yes). Parties often believe that to have a valid contract, it is necessary to have
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Online estate planning — you get what you pay for!

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 1/12/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, the attorneys of General Counsel, P.C. discuss the risks of using online estate planning tools (and why you should work with an attorney). Estate planning is one of the most important things we can do to
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Why your business or nonprofit needs a contract management solution

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 12/29/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, General Counsel, PC, a law firm in McLean that since 2004 has been representing businesses, nonprofit entities and individuals throughout the Washington area, discusses the importance of having a contract management solution – and offers its
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Use care (and caution) in drafting contracts

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 12/15/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, the attorneys of General Counsel, P.C. discuss what many may believe a boring subject – the importance of clear and concise language in contracts. However, if you have ever been involved in a contract dispute, perhaps
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: What to do if you (or your business) has been sued

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 11/23/2022 Image from Inside Nova Regardless of the success of a business, business owners run the risk of being sued. Litigation and lawsuits can be stressful, costly and time-consuming. However, there are steps business owners can take to help better protect their businesses and put them in the best position
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: What are the laws governing politics in the workplace?

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 11/08/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, the attorneys of General Counsel, P.C. provide an overview of politics in the workplace. With politics becoming more polarizing, employers may be wondering how much political talk among employees they should allow. Such discussions may distract
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Should I join? What is a class action or mass tort?

Ask General Counsel: Should I join? What is a class action or mass tort?
Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 10/25/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel,  the General Counsel, P.C. litigation team discusses what class actions and how they compare to a mass torts. Almost every day on television there is a commercial for a new class action lawsuit, talc in baby powder,
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Estate planning lessons from Queen Elizabeth

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 10/11/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, discusses estate planning lessons from Queen Elizabeth (and how her planning should be motivation for anyone that does not have a plan in place). Queen Elizabeth’s recent passing signals changes for the royal family. While most
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Celebrity estate battle pits Anne Heche’s ex vs. her estranged son

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 9/21/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this issue of Ask General Counsel, we discuss another lesson to be learned through celebrity estate mistakes. On Aug. 11, actress Anne Heche died unexpectedly at age 53 without a will or trust. She was taken off life support after only 48
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Can federal or government contractor employees use marijuana?

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 9/08/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, we discuss whether federal or government contractor employees can use marijuana.  Located in McLean, the attorneys of General Counsel, P.C. have been representing employers, non-profit entities, and individuals since 2004. While many states have enacted legislation
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Can a marital separation agreement contain ‘romantic restrictions’?

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 8/25/2022 Image from Inside Nova When parties get divorced, their marital separation agreements often have restrictions on introducing minor children to new romantic partners. In Powell v. Knoepfler-Powell, Michael Powell and Melanie Knoepfler-Powell entered into a marital settlement agreement during divorce proceedings. The agreement included a provision that the
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Top 5 employment law misunderstandings

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 8/10/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, provided by the attorneys of General Counsel, P.C., we discuss the top five employment law misunderstandings. 1.     Virginia is a right-to-work state – so my employer cannot fire me, right? NO.  Being a “right to work” state has absolutely nothing to
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: 6 reasons NOT to serve as the registered agent for your business

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 7/27/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, the business law attorneys at General Counsel, P.C., located in McLean, discuss why business owners should not serve as the registered agent for their business. Businesses in Virginia are required to have a registered office and registered agent.
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: What should I consider during a business divorce?

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 7/19/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, the attorneys of General Counsel P.C., based in McLean, discuss what a business owner should consider when their business relationship fails. Business relationships fail for many different reasons: Business partners may have long-term disagreements, a change
Read more
No Comments

Ask General Counsel: Getting Divorced? Be Sure to Update Your Will, Trust and Estate Planning Documents.

Published by Ask General Counsel on InsideNova, 6/22/2022 Image from Inside Nova In this edition of Ask General Counsel, we discuss what happens to your estate plan (and what you should do) when you are getting divorced. Ask General Counsel is bi-monthly legal column by General Counsel, P.C., a law firm based in McLean that represents businesses,
Read more
No Comments