Joint Venture Eligibility Refresher on Requirements for Government Contractors
New DOJ Memo Warns Employers: Rethink DEI Programs Now - #WorkforceWednesday® - Employment Law This Week®
Work This Way: A Labor & Employment Law Podcast | Compliance Clarity for Federal Contractors with Joan Moore and Mim Munzel of Arbor Consulting Group
The Rise of OTAs in Defense Contracting: Opportunities, Risks, and What Contractors Need to Know
Blowing the Whistle: What Employers Should Know About DEI & the False Claims Act
When DEI Meets the FCA: What Employers Need to Know About the DOJ’s Civil Rights Fraud Initiative
Podcast - Navigating the Updated SF-328 Form
CHPS Podcast Episode 5: The Future of Federal Procurement
DOL Restructures: OFCCP on the Chopping Block as Opinion Letters Expand - #WorkforceWednesday® - Employment Law This Week®
Abortion Protections Struck Down, LGBTQ Harassment Guidance Vacated, EEO-1 Reporting Opens - #WorkforceWednesday® - Employment Law This Week®
Podcast - A Comparative Guide to Obtaining an FCL: DCSA vs. the Intelligence Community
2024-2025 Bid Protest Decisions with Far-Reaching Impacts for Government Contractors
Non-Competes Eased, Anti-DEI Rule Blocked, Contractor Rule in Limbo - Employment Law This Week® - #WorkforceWednesday®
Diversifying Your Contract Pipeline by Maximizing Opportunities through the DOD’s Mentor Protégé Program
Clocking in with PilieroMazza: Latest Developments on DEI Executive Order and Action Items before April 21 Deadline
Podcast - The "I" in FOCI and AI: Innovation, Intelligence, Influence
#WorkforceWednesday®: EEOC/DOJ Joint DEI Guidance, EEOC Letters to Law Firms, OFCCP Retroactive DEI Enforcement - Employment Law This Week®
#WorkforceWednesday®: Federal Contractors Alert - DEI Restrictions Reinstated by Appeals Court - Employment Law This Week®
Podcast - What Are Joint Ventures and When Should They Get Cleared?
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued guidance dated July 29, 2025, to all federal agencies and recipients of federal funding, reiterating the Trump Administration’s January directive that all programs, policies, and activities —...more
On May 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched its Civil Rights Fraud Initiative. This is a coordinated enforcement effort aimed at using the False Claims Act (FCA) to investigate and, where appropriate,...more
Significant attention has been given to President Trump’s actions regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and policies, but the impact of those actions on private sector employees has not been clear. On his...more
On January 21, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled, "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity" ("Order"). The Order is mainly aimed at rescinding Executive Order 11246, which was...more
The first month of President Trump’s second administration began with a flurry of Executive Orders, many of which directly affect various employment related issues. While many of the new administration’s Executive Orders (EO)...more
On January 21, 2025, President Donald Trump issued several executive orders (EOs) eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal government. One of those orders, “Ending Illegal Discrimination...more
On February 5, 2025, her first day in office, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued two memos explaining steps being taken by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to implement President Trump’s Executive Order 14173 of January 21,...more
As we reported previously, President Trump’s January 21 Executive Order (EO) 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” terminated certain affirmative action requirements applicable to...more
On January 21, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” This Executive Order is a major pivot in federal policy regarding affirmative action...more
“Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” (Order) is one of President Trump’s most recent executive orders. The Order was signed on January 21, 2025. The Order revoked Executive Order EO11246...more
The Trump Administration’s new Executive Order on “gender ideology extremism” signals a dramatic shift in federal policy that will impact workplace policies, benefits, and compliance obligations relating to transgender...more
A change in presidential administrations can influence federal enforcement agencies’ priorities, how they interpret laws and guidelines, and how they carry out enforcement. Consequently, the transition to the Trump...more
Ready or not, reporting season is right around the corner. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced that the 2022 EEO-Component 1 data collection will open on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, and the...more
On June 29, 2023, in a 6-3 decision authored by Chief Justice Roberts, Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, the U.S. Supreme Court (“Court” or “Supreme Court”) held that college and...more
On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in two cases challenging universities’ consideration of race as a factor in student admissions: Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of...more
Private companies doing business with the federal government won a major COVID-19-related victory recently when the Sixth Circuit held in Ciraci v. J.M. Smucker’s Co. that government contractors are not subject to...more
On March 31, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) rescinded a Trump Administration rule that provided a faith-based carve-out exempting federal contractors from compliance with certain...more
On October 31, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments for two controversial affirmative action cases against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC). While the legal...more
This is the first in a series of articles summarizing key topics discussed at Ward and Smith's 2021 Construction Conversations Webinar. Members of Ward and Smith's Government Relations and Labor and Employment teams...more
Improving diversity -- what's okay and what isn’t? Employers are creative and strategic when it comes to increasing workforce diversity. Sometimes, however, that creativity -- and the motivation to “move the needle” on...more
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) recently issued new FAQ guidance on how federal government contractors should treat non-binary employees (i.e., those who do not exclusively identify as either male...more
On June 15, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that refusing to hire, firing, or otherwise subjecting an individual to workplace discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity is the equivalent of...more
Private employers with federal contracts will soon be prohibited from requesting criminal history information from candidates at the onset of the hiring process; instead, they will have to wait until after an offer is made....more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more
As 2019 comes to an end, we are pleased to present our traditional End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” Lists. This year, we present our “To Do” Lists in four separate Employee Benefits Updates. This Part 1 covers year-end health...more