Category: General

Northern Virginia and the D.C. Metro region are preparing to return to work, at least in stages. If you are an employee returning to the workplace, there are a number of COVID-19-related rights that you have.   First, under federal law and rules from the U.S. Dept. of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),… Continue reading Know Your Rights as You Return to Work

Cook Craig & Francuzenko is pleased to announce that partners John C. Cook and Broderick C. Dunn were named to the Super Lawyers® 2020 list.   Super Lawyers® is a rating service by Thomson Reuters, selecting outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and personal… Continue reading John C. Cook and Broderick C. Dunn Named to 2020 Super Lawyer’s List

When was the last time your reviewed your will, Trust, Power of Attorney and Advanced Medical Directive? Last year? Five years ago? Was it 10 years? Not since signing them? Or maybe you don’t have estate planning documents? When our clients execute their estate planning document they often ask that question: “When should I review them?”… Continue reading Reviewing Your Estate Planning Documents

On April 11, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam signed yet another bill which fundamentally changes the employment law landscape in the Commonwealth of Virginia. HB798 is a comprehensive whistleblower protection law which prevents an employer from discharging, disciplining, threatening, discriminating against, or penalizing an employee because he or she:   Reports a violation of any federal or state law or… Continue reading Virginia Enacts Sweeping Whistleblower Protection Law

Saturday April 11 was a great day for employee rights in Virginia as Governor Northam signed the SB 868, the Virginia Values Act, into law.   The Virginia Values Act not only prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sexual identity in employment and public accommodations, it also creates a state court cause of action for discrimination on… Continue reading Huge Day for Employee Rights in Virginia

The Virginia State Bar and the Virginia Bar Association have confirmed our firm’s reading of Governor Northam’s Stay at Home Order, which is that law offices may stay open under certain restrictions. Governor Northam’s Executive Orders 53 and 55 provide that professional services, including law firms, are permitted to remain open during the Stay-At-Home Order in effect until June… Continue reading Professional Services and Law Firms Permitted to Operate During Stay at Home Orders

The best estate plans includes the adoption of a robust Advanced Medical Directive (AMD). AMDs are legally binding documents that provide direction into your personal healthcare decisions and often focus on end of life decisions – when you cannot make those decisions yourself. An AMD is a Living Will and a Health Care Power of… Continue reading Should Your 18 Year Old Have an Advanced Medical Directive?

These are unprecedented times for both employers and employees. To provide some clarity, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recently provided guidance on common workplace issues that employers and employees face when responding to COVID-19 and its effects on wages and hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and job protected… Continue reading COVID-19 and the Workplace

Many African American people have been rejected from jobs, punished at school and called out in other public places because of the texture and style of their hair. Several states and localities including California, New York and Montgomery County, Maryland, have passed or proposed laws banning policies that penalize diverse people from wearing natural curls,… Continue reading Natural Hair, Don’t Care!