Podcast - Navigating the Updated SF-328 Form
Podcast - A Comparative Guide to Obtaining an FCL: DCSA vs. the Intelligence Community
Diversifying Your Contract Pipeline by Maximizing Opportunities through the DOD’s Mentor Protégé Program
A Comprehensive Overview of FOCI Mitigation
Podcast - Defense Dynamics: Navigating the Post-Election Landscape for the National Security Sector, Part 2
Mitigating FOCI Under Section 847
Episode 345 -- Raytheon Pays $950 Million to Resolve Fraud, FCPA, ITAR and False Claims Act Violations
Everyone Come to Play: Exploring FOCI Mitigation Instruments
Defense Dynamics: Navigating the Post-Election Landscape for the National Security Sector
Podcast - Navigating M&A Due Diligence: Safeguarding Security Clearances
Podcast - Change Condition Packages: Tips for Cleared Contractors
Podcast - Corporate Documents in the Context of Clearances
Navigating Personnel Security Clearances (PCLs)
Cybersecurity Insights: Updates on CMMC Implementation and CUI Identification
What Is an FCL and How Do I Obtain One?
Protecting Our Nation’s Data: Cybersecurity Compliance for Government Contractors
Intellectual Property In Department of Defense Contracting
The When, Where, Why and How of CMMC with Fernando Machado
Podcast - The State of Contractor Cybersecurity with Katie Arrington
UPDATE: Let Your Voice be Heard: Congress Wants to Hear from Small Business Government Contractors - The House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure hearing titled “Leveling the Playing Field:...more
For government contractors, one consequence of the Trump Administration’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce is the availability of recently departed (or actively looking to depart) government employees. This...more
In the 22nd episode of "Are We All Clear? Facilitating Security Clearances," host Marina O'Brien is joined by Washington, D.C., International Trade attorney Andrew McAllister to help break down the Defense Counterintelligence...more
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) published a press release on May 9, 2025, announcing an updated Standard Form 328 (SF-328), Certificate Pertaining to Foreign Interest. The updated form was approved...more
On June 5, 2025, the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) of the U.S. Congress convened a hearing titled “Barriers to Supply Chain Modernization and Factor Productivity Enhancements.” Throughout the hearing, members and witnesses...more
This week, I discuss with Patricia Underwood, Ph.D., DABT, MBA, Chief Toxicologist, Principal Director – Chemical and Material Risk Management, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense, and my...more
Continuing its efforts under Chairman Brendan Carr’s leadership to safeguard United States communications infrastructure from foreign threats, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) adopted an Order and...more
This week, the Trump Administration reached the 100-day mark—a significant milestone in any presidential term wherein key administrative priorities and objectives are promulgated. Perhaps unsurprisingly, cybersecurity stands...more
On April 9, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order entitled “Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base,” directing the Secretary of Defense to study and report on ways to...more
GSA to Oversee Federal Purchasing: A Step Toward Efficiency or a Challenge for Agencies and Contractors? On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to consolidate federal procurement under the General...more
On January 15, 2025, the FAR Council finally released a proposed rule (the Rule)1 regulating the use and handling of controlled unclassified information (CUI) as a part of the general strategy to reduce threats of...more
The Department of Defense (DOD) is taking steps to comply with President Trump’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)-related Executive Orders (EOs). In a memorandum dated January 28, 2025, DOD’s Acquisition and...more
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council issued its long awaited proposed rule on Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) on January 15, 2025. The proposed rule establishes a common form to be used by all federal...more
On January 15, 2025, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council issued a proposed rule that, if adopted, would uniformly define and protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) across the government. The proposed...more
The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025 NDAA), signed into law on December 23, 2024, has significant implications for defense acquisition and...more
On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed into law H.R. 5009 - “Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025.” (2025 NDAA). First passed in 1961, the NDAA is a...more
To kick off the New Year (and as is now tradition, since we put out a similar Recap & Forecast last year), Sheppard Mullin’s Governmental Practice Cybersecurity & Data Protection Team has prepared a cybersecurity-focused 2024...more
On May 13, 2024 the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) published Instruction 5205.87: Mitigating Risks Related to Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence for Covered DoD Contractors and Subcontractors (the Instruction), which...more
Corporate Transparency Act, Part 4: Reporting Requirements Temporarily Suspended - As you may have been following, PilieroMazza previously reported on the requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and the...more
Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity is often the lifeblood of corporate growth. While whole treatises can be, and have been, written on cybersecurity and legal challenges during M&A activity, the following are a few key...more
On October 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) issued a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to establish a pilot program allowing for sole source follow-on contract...more
As a result of a broader U.S. government effort to address supply chain vulnerabilities, Congress passed a new law focused on U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) contracting with certain entities that operate under foreign...more
The National Defense Authorization Act was revised in December to state that parties to an HSR-reportable transaction that “will require a review by the Department of Defense who are required to file the notification and...more
WHAT: The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) just published the second of two proposed rules setting forth key requirements for its long-anticipated Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 program. The earlier...more
Cyber incidents involving critical infrastructure pose a serious risk to the US. In March 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Security Advisor warned state governors about potential attacks on drinking...more