The Library

Effective March 1 of this year, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) implemented a significant change to its loan eligibility requirements, barring green card holders and other non-U.S. citizens from applying for or receiving SBA loans. The new rule applies immediately to the SBA 7(a) and 504 loan programs. Beginning April 1, 2026, the policy will be extended to the Surety Bond and Microloan programs. Under recent, prior SBA guidance, a small business could still remain eligible for SBA financing if up to 5% of its ownership was held by a foreign national or lawful permanent resident. That policy has now […]

Yes!  However, this was not the law until the enactment of H.R.3608/S.2991, which was just enacted into public law.  Let’s face it, some jobs in the United States require workers to be able to read, speak, and understand the English language.  Perhaps there is no more compelling need for such communication than by the operator of a large commercial vehicle such as a tractor-trailer or bus, which literally can weigh over 70,000 pounds and be as long as 120 feet.  These vehicles are not only heavy and long, but they are also tall and often as high as 14 feet.  […]

President Trump has issued a broad executive order aimed at confronting the growing threat of cyber‑enabled crime, signaling a more aggressive, national‑security‑oriented approach than prior federal efforts. The order—released alongside the administration’s “Cyber Strategy for America”—focuses on dismantling transnational criminal organizations responsible for ransomware, financial fraud, phishing, extortion, and related cyber schemes. Although the order does not impose new legal requirements on private companies, it foreshadows increased government engagement with the private sector and heightened enforcement expectations across several industries. A Shift in Focus: Cybercrime as a National Security Threat The executive order frames cybercrime not merely as a law‑enforcement […]

Article originally featured in the Virginia Lawyer, Vol. 74 No. 5 published by the Virginia State Bar. It’s Wednesday night, and like most lawyers (perhaps a slight exaggeration), you and your esteemed colleagues are deep in a game of construction law jeopardy. Amid the fervor of the room, and noticing you are only slightly behind the leader, you select your next category—“Contract Terms” for $800. Your friend and moderator, channeling his best Alex Trebek, reads the statement, “a duty to make good any loss, damage, or liability incurred by another.”[1] The familiar melancholic tune begins to play, but it doesn’t […]