Guide for Forming an 8(a) Native Hawaiian Owned Small Business
Are you a Native-Hawaiian Owned (“NHO”) business interested in applying for the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) 8(a) Development Program (“8(a) Program”)? Ward and Berry provides this brief informative guide as to the legal framework and regulations for becoming an NHO (as defined by the SBA) and applying for the 8(a) Program. Under 13...
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Proposed SBA Rule Would Drastically Change the Impact of Small Business Size/Status Recertifications
The SBA recently released a proposed rule that would bring significant changes to small business size and small business socioeconomic program (Woman-Owned Small Business Program, Veteran-Owned Small Business Program, etc.) recertifications. Such recertifications are especially important in the context of indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts, which contemplate the award of future task orders to...
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The Supreme Court Has Spoken – The FCA and Scienter
“For scienter, it is enough if respondents believed that their claims were not accurate.” 1 - Justice Thomas On June 1, 2023, the Supreme Court issued its opinion on the ongoing False Claims Act (“FCA”) scienter issues (the “Opinion”) – i.e., does a company’s objective or subjective knowledge matter regarding whether its submissions to...
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Non-Compete Agreements – To Ban or not to ban? That is the Question.
Recent Trends in Non-Compete Agreements Are non-compete agreements (colloquially referred to as “non-competes”) on their way out? Over the past year, more states are either prohibiting the enforce ability of non-competes or greatly restricting their use, hinting at a growing trend away from non-competes. The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), which is always on the...
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Supreme Court Dismissal of In re Grand Jury What This Means for (Potentially) Privileged Communications Going Forward
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” – Justice Kagan The Supreme Court decided to dismiss In re Grand Jury as “improvidently granted” in its January 23, 2023 Order after hearing oral argument on the case earlier this month. In other words, after agreeing to hear the case, and instead of establishing clear law...
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CFIUS Provides Guidance on Enforcement of its Mitigation Agreements
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) is cracking down on companies who fail to comply with CFIUS mitigation agreements and other legal obligations under section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (codified at 50 U.S.C. 4565). On October 20, 2022, the Department of Treasury, chair of...
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