The O’Riordan Bethel Law Firm is proud to join the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce in congratulating Cidalia Luis-Akbar and Natalia Luis of M. Luis Construction Co. on being awarded the Chamber’s Small Business Leader of the Year Award for 2015. The award will be presented at the MCCC’s 2015 Business Awards Dinner on November...
Author: blawgger
Government Contractors Must Beware of New DOJ Prosecution Guidelines
By Pamela J. Bethel We recently discussed the new emphasis that the U.S. Department of Justice is placing on the prosecution of individuals in white-collar crime cases. As we pointed out, the new guidelines, set forth in a speech last month by Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, represent a get-tough attitude toward corporate crime. It’s...
Prospective Contractors and Subcontractors: Be Aware of TINA
By Taimur Rabbani Is your business pursuing a U.S. government contract, or seeking to subcontract for a U.S. government contractor? There are several legal and regulatory schemes that you should be aware of that are relevant to this process. Among the most significant of them are the regulations implementing the Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA)....
It’s Time to Amend Federal Law to Protect Email Privacy
By Pamela J. Bethel A broad coalition in Congress is attempting to amend the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) by establishing a uniform search warrant requirement that the government must follow if it wishes to ask a third-party service provider, such as Google, to disclose the content of an individual’s emails. In order to obtain your...
Texas Court Was Right: These Internal Reports Enjoy Absolute Privilege
Companies that prepare internal reports at the request of the Department of Justice, discussing the likelihood of criminal violations, should be able to benefit from absolute privilege that shields them from defamation suits brought by people named in the reports. That is what the law should be; otherwise, companies would not feel free to conduct...
D.C. Making Changes to Its Small Business Preference Rules
On February 26, 2015, the District of Columbia’s Department of State and Local Business Development (DSLBD) made an announcement requesting public comments on recent changes made last fall to the D.C. local law concerning contract preferences for small businesses and other “Certified Business Enterprises” (CBEs). These changes were made by the Small and Certified Business...
SBA Changes Contract Qualification Rules for Small Businesses
As we noted in an earlier blog post this month, the Small Business Administration has released a proposed rule that would affect, in several ways, the operation of several special business preference programs for federal contracts. These include the 8(a) program for disadvantaged small businesses, the HUBZone program for businesses in historically underutilized business zones, and...
New SBA Rule Would Help Small Businesses Qualify for Federal Programs
By Carol L. O’Riordan The Small Business Administration has released a proposed rule that would affect the operation of several special business preference programs for federal contracts, such as the 8(a) program for disadvantaged small businesses, the HUBZone program for businesses in historically underutilized business zones, and the program to aid businesses run by service-disabled...
O’Riordan Bethel Receives Award for Its Work for Virginia Agency
At the 2014 Annual Breakthrough Breakfast of the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization (WPEO) at D.C’s .J.W. Marriott Hotel on December 4, 2014, O’Riordan Bethel received the Access Public Sector Award in recognition of its work with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Minority Business Enterprise. The WPEO is a national women’s business organization that promotes...
O’Riordan to Speak on Procurement at Supply Management Event
Managing Partner Carol L. O’Riordan will be the featured speaker on the evening of November 18, 2014, at a meeting of the Institute for Supply Management, National Capital Area, Inc. Ms. O’Riordan will speak on the topic of “Supply Chain: Government Contracts and Procurement Concerns.” The event will take place from 4:45 to 6:15 pm....