Woods Rogers

The Woods Rogers Labor & Employment Practice Group delivered their third, full-day seminar to a packed house in Roanoke this past Monday. The event at the Hotel Roanoke brings the group more than halfway through its five-city seminar tour. Thanks to everyone who came out to join the fun! Don’t miss your chance to attend one of the final two seminars: join us at The Westin Hotel in Richmond on Wednesday, November 13 or the Waterside Marriott in Norfolk on Thursday, November 14. #WoodsRogers #FromTensetoTranquil #HRSeminar Register here: https://hubs.la/Q02WdGfr0

Thank you to Dark Reading's Senior Editor Becky Bracken for interviewing Beth Burgin Waller recently as she continues to watch the fallout from the 2020 SolarWinds cybersecurity breach. Following the SEC’s decision to charge four companies in connection with disclosure practices and controls violations, Beth says it is clear that regulators want to see technically precise disclosures. She says, "The SEC is creating tension for many companies post-incident by forcing disclosure of details very early on in an incident investigation that will be cited back to the business in future litigation. CISOs need to be prepared to work closely with in-house and outside counsel on SEC cyber-incident materiality determinations, especially in light of the technical precision required of companies in these enforcement announcements." Read more about Beth’s perspective below. #WoodsRogers #cybersecurity https://hubs.la/Q02W88Wz0

Congratulations to Justin Simmons for taking home the prestigious honor of “Article of the Year” at last week’s VADA annual meeting in Williamsburg. Justin earned the award for his article “The Shifting Sands of Virginia’s Misnomer-Misjoinder Jurisprudence” which was published in the Summer 2024 issue of VADA’s Journal of Civil Litigation. The article examines how the Supreme Court of Virginia’s ruling in Hampton v. Meyer blurs the dividing line between between a misnomer and a misjoinder as previously understood. VADA members may access the Summer 2024 issue on their website. https://hubs.la/Q02W7WWv0 #WoodsRogers

Leah Stiegler and Anne Bibeau continue our Employment Law in Focus series in Today's General Counsel with a laugh-out-loud look at real-life stories from the HR trenches during the holiday season. “We all like to have fun, but when employees are let out to ‘play,’ it seems like all professionalism and good judgment go out the window,” the authors write in their column published this week. “So, we’ve made this easy for legal departments. We drafted an email that you can send to your front-line managers or, with a few tweaks, companywide as a reminder that employees can be disciplined up to and including termination for conduct that occurs at (or after) company-sponsored holiday events.” Read our guidance to legal departments for a stress-free holiday season here. #WoodsRogers #holidays #workplace #HR https://hubs.la/Q02VSZcF0

This week, we were thrilled to launch our 2024 Labor & Employment Seminars in Charlottesville on Tuesday and in Lynchburg today! A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for these engaging sessions! We can’t wait to welcome our next group in Roanoke on Monday. And if you haven’t signed up yet, it’s not too late! Join us for our upcoming seminars in Richmond, Norfolk, or virtually. #WoodsRogers #HRSeminar #FromTensetoTranquil Register here for Richmond, Norfolk, or virtual: https://bit.ly/3ND0472

Are you a Virginia business that uses employee photos to promote your organization or improve employee morale? Virginia Statute 8.01-40 provides a civil action for the unauthorized use of the name, portrait or picture of any person without their written authorized consent. Exceptions include “public interest” and “newsworthy” uses. In Fox v. Encounters Intern.,318 F.Supp.2d 279 (2002), the Court noted the exceptions do not include “items used for advertising purposes or in trade” confirming the Williams v. Newsweek, 63 F.Supp.2d 734 (1999). In Fox, the plaintiffs sued the defendant, operating a mail-order-bride service, claiming improper use of their images. Read the legal update below from Timothy Bechen, Leah Stiegler, and Emily Kendall Chowhan, or learn about it in their latest episode of "What's the Tea in L&E." #WoodsRogers #IP #employees #photos https://bit.ly/4eRicpW What's the Tea in L&E: https://lnkd.in/gUDJNHp2

Thank you to Stephanie Crain and Shaniqua Brown for inviting Woods Rogers management-side employment attorney Leah Stiegler to join them on their podcast From Illumination to Innovation. The trio discusses how leadership decisions and unseen corporate shadows affect workplace dynamics and success. Leah shares her perspective from counseling company leaders and HR professionals on various legal challenges today’s businesses face. Check them out on YouTube or your favorite podcasting platform. #WoodsRogers #workplace #HR #employmentlaw https://bit.ly/3UhJD3Y

What’s the Tea in L&E is a video series focused on the latest trends and updates in labor and employment law. In this segment, Woods Rogers Patent & IP Attorney Timothy Bechen joins the conversation with Leah Stiegler and Emily Kendall Chowhan. They discuss name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights for employees. Watch the latest episode to learn about the legal requirements to use photos or videos of your employees. #WoodsRogers #WhatstheTea #employees #photos https://bit.ly/48fyerc

Today is our final #WellnessWednedsay tip! We are grateful to everyone who participated in the comments over the past month. Comment below and share your favorite way to stay active during the workday! It’s not too late to register for our Annual Labor & Employment Seminars geared towards finding your HR Zen. Learn more and register for our seminar here: https://bit.ly/3XErEXl #WoodsRogersHRSeminar #FromTenseToTranquil

The time is now for defense contractors to get compliant. If you work for a defense contractor or subcontractor responsible for handling controlled unclassified information (CUI) and/or federal contract information (FCI), the U.S. Department of Defense posted the final rule for the highly anticipated Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 program (CMMC 2.0 or the Final Rule). Issuance of the Final Rule likely means DoD will begin implementing new, stringent cybersecurity standards for defense contractors at some point in early-to-mid 2025. In the legal update below, Woods Rogers attorneys Beth Burgin Waller, Tony Mazzeo, and Patrick Austin provide an overview of the CMMC 2.0 framework and offer compliance recommendations. #WoodsRogers #contractors #cybersecurity https://bit.ly/3Ns9qm7