The Library

From The Fee Simple. Published July 2023.

The Clean Water Act[1] (CWA) prohibits the discharge of pollutants into navigable water, which is defined in the CWA as “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). For decades, the definition of WOTUS has been a moving target. On May 25, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) may have settled this debate in its Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency decision where the Court narrows the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) jurisdiction to regulate wetlands under the CWA.[2] Sackett establishes that in order for the federal agencies to exercise jurisdiction over an adjacent wetland, a party […]

As we have reported over the past five months, read here, the Biden Administration is continuing to orchestrate a frontal assault on noncompete agreements, while at the same time trying to change the rules on a going forward basis.  This article provides a short update on the latest federal agency actions, including a new opinion released by the NLRB’s General Counsel and the status of the FTC’s Draft Rule, recent state law changes, and an important reminder that employment relationships are fiduciary in nature and are supposed be based on “integrity and fairness” which is a concept that swings both […]

As we enter the second full year of the Biden Administration, nearly every federal agency that regulates employment in the United States have begun to hit their stride and is hard at work with various initiatives and rulings which seek to expand worker protections and reverse guidance, regulations and decisions issued during the Trump era. This article highlights just a few of these developments. We have previously reported on the “crackdown” actions taken by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) to invalidate the noncompete provisions used by three companies that covered hundreds of employees, not all of whom were “low wage” […]

ROANOKE, Va. — Age is just a number, or so the old saying goes. Even when your law firm turns 100 years old. Gentry Locke is proud to mark a century of serving clients and being one of the most trusted law firms in Virginia. That kind of longevity is a testament to the firm’s skilled lawyers and staff and their ability to foster close relationships with clients and co-workers to deliver results. Tracing its roots to 1923, Gentry Locke has long been a valuable partner and leader for clients, businesses and the community. But in 2023, few people care […]

From Bloomberg Law. Published February 7, 2023. Click here to read this article on bloomberglaw.com.

While most commentary and handwringing has focused on the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released on January 5, 2023, many are unaware of the FTC actions taken the day before. On January 4, 2023, the FTC announced the successful launch of what it calls an enforcement “crackdown” against noncompete agreements by heralding forced settlements with three (3) different companies that made regular use of noncompete agreements with a broad range of employees, and not just with low-wage or low-skilled workers.[1] Each of the FTC Complaints alleged the “unfair use of noncompetes in violation of Section 5 of […]