The U.S. Department of Justice recently expanded and clarified its Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy (CEP), significantly strengthening incentives for corporations to report misconduct to the government. The policy is part of a broader effort to standardize corporate enforcement practices and reward companies that promptly disclose wrongdoing, cooperate with investigators and remediate misconduct.
In basketball there is a shot clock. Once a team has the ball, it must shoot within 30 seconds. We’re obviously talking about college basketball since its March, but the NBA has a similar 24-second shot clock. Failure to shoot within the required time automatically gives the ball back to the other team. The law’s
Most legally enforceable contracts are formed the old-fashioned way: offer and acceptance. Courts will sometimes enforce promises without traditional offer and acceptance where one party has justifiably relied on the other party’s promise. This alternative route to contract formation is called promissory estoppel. While the law varies from state-to-state, prevailing on promissory estoppel theory normally requires
As in years past, the government continued to pursue False Claims Act (FCA) investigations and lawsuits against contractors in 2025. With over $6.8 billion in recoveries in 2025 and an increased number of cases filed, 2025 also saw the creation of a cross-agency Trade Fraud Task Force to begin instituting FCA actions as a customs
A suspension notice from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) can have immediate and significant consequences for a participant in the 8(a) Business Development Program. While a suspension is not the same as a final termination, it typically halts a firm’s ability to receive new 8(a) contract awards and may jeopardize its continued participation in
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a jury verdict finding that a developer and its founder defrauded a contractor by misrepresenting the availability of construction funding. See Selective Ins. Co. of Am. v. Heritage Const. Cos. et al, Case No. 24-2333, 2026 WL 263591 (D. Minn. Feb. 2, 2026). The case involves construction of a
We previously published an update on the bid protest procedures in the state of Alabama, discussing the revised statutory and regulatory processes and procedures implemented effective October 1, 2022. Certain of these statutes have since been updated again, effective June 1, 2025. This article provides a brief update on those revised statutory processes and procedures
A contract is an exchange of promises that the law will enforce. Contract law provides that promises are enforceable, under what circumstances, and the available remedies. Although application may vary by jurisdiction, there are some principles of contract law that have been widely adopted. One of those is the principle of “first material breach.” Generally, under this principle
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced recently that settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act (FCA) exceeded $6.8 billion in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 — the highest single-year total in the statute’s history. The announcement underscores the continued centrality of the FCA in the federal government’s fraud-enforcement arsenal.
Since Congress substantially
On January 7, 2026, the Trump administration issued Executive Order 14372 entitled “Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting.” The order marks a decisive shift in federal defense procurement policy: Production performance and readiness now take precedence over shareholder returns for major contractors. It introduces prohibitions on stock buybacks and dividends during periods of underperformance, accelerates