Blogs

Construction

Arlington County Reviews Residential Parking Working Group Proposals

The Arlington County Board held a work session on July 11th to review and provide feedback on the Residential Parking Working Group’s recommendations for parking minimums in the Rosslyn-Ballston and Jefferson Davis Highway corridors. The group recommended establishing parking minimums in these corridors based on the residential project’s proximity to the Metro. The parking minimums…

July 12, 2017

Employment Law

New Minimum Wage Increases for the District of Columbia and Montgomery County

For employers in the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, Maryland, the cost of doing business just got more expensive. Effective July 1, 2017, the hourly minimum wage rate in the District of Columbia increased a dollar to $12.50, while in Montgomery County, Maryland, the minimum hourly wage rate went up to $11.50. Virginia’s minimum…

July 10, 2017

Intellectual Property

Supreme Court Strikes Down Trademark Registration Ban on Free Speech Grounds

In a significant victory for free speech advocates – and fans of the Washington REDSKINS – the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that section 2(a) of the Lanham Act’s prohibition on the registration of “disparaging” trademarks violates the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. The Court held in Matal v. Tam that the statute “offends a bedrock First Amendment principle: Speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend.” The decision pared back the “government-speech…

July 6, 2017

Business and Financial Services

Selling Your Business? Don’t Pay Unnecessary Taxes

Purchase price allocation and timing of payments are two of the issues to consider when structuring an asset sale or purchase of a business. The tax consequences can be enormous if company assets aren’t allocated strategically. Consider this scenario based on an actual client. John is an entrepreneur who starts a roofing company. John works…

July 4, 2017

Employment Law

Consider This When Engaging Foreign Independent Contractors

In today’s global economy, it has become increasingly common for companies based in the United States to engage workers who live abroad for various purposes. U.S. companies often classify these workers as “independent contractors” to avoid having to navigate the employment landscape in other countries. However, U.S. companies should be aware of the potential pitfalls…

June 30, 2017

Construction

Arlington County Board Passes New Zoning Ordinance Amendment on Size of Signs

On June 17th, the Arlington County Board approved an amendment to Arlington’s Zoning Ordinance allowing greater aggregate sign area for certain properties with retail. The adopted amendment—which applies to buildings with comprehensive sign plans in commercial/mixed-use zoning districts—would increase the allowed aggregate sign area for retailers facing publicly accessible plazas. It would also increase the…

June 30, 2017

Business and Financial Services

Indefinite Geographical Range Sacks Enforceability of Non-Compete Agreement

Judge Liam O’Grady of the U.S. District Court, sitting in Alexandria, has found a non-competition agreement overbroad and unenforceable because its geographical component was defined by an irrelevant factor that resulted in a zone of prohibited competition that was indefinite in geographical range. The non-compete in NVR v. Nelson prevented the defendant / former employee…

June 26, 2017

Employment Law

Employment Law Under the Trump Administration

Like it or not, Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States of America. Now that the initial shock has worn off, it’s time to evaluate how federal employment laws, regulations, and enforcement may shift under the Trump Administration. While President Trump has not spoken at length regarding employment law since taking office,…

April 10, 2017

Construction

Statewide Regulatory Updates Underway for Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Architects

The Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers, and Landscape Architects (“the Board”) is reopening its regulations for general review. The Board is only at the notice of intent stage of the process, so it is unclear at this time which regulations will be revised. The goal of the review is to…

April 3, 2017

Construction

Arlington County Board Approves 1.2mm SF of Mixed-Use Development in West Rosslyn

On February 25th, the Arlington County Board unanimously approved Penzance’s 1555 Wilson Boulevard 4.1 Site Plan project. The applicant, represented by Matt Roberts, proposed to rezone the properties and submitted a 4.1 Site Plan application to permit approximately 1.2 million square feet of mixed-use development in the West Rosslyn area. The project, approved at 10…

March 27, 2017