Use AI to support your work—not to replace your professional judgment
As Artificial Intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT, Harvey, CoPilot, Claude, etc.) become more accessible, many attorneys have begun exploring how to best use AI tools in their practices. While such tools can streamline workflows, there are many recent examples showing that AI is not a substitute for professional judgment and its misuse carries real...
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Understanding the New Executive Order Targeting “Underperforming” Defense Contractors
In an Executive Order issued on January 7, 2026, entitled “Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting,” President Trump announced a new effort to identify suppliers of critical weapons and equipment that are underperforming on their contracts and, simultaneously, engaged in stock buy-backs or corporate distributions. According to the President, this new effort will focus...
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Corruption, Contracts, and Terrorism Financing: The D.C. Circuit Clarifies ATA Risk
Recent litigation in the D.C. Circuit highlights the growing legal risks facing companies operating in conflict-affected and high-corruption environments, particularly where commercial activity intersects with terrorist financing concerns. In Atchley v. AstraZeneca UK Ltd., the court revived claims under the Anti-Terrorism Act (“ATA”) alleging that pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies indirectly financed terrorist attacks...
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SBA Issues Suspension Notices to 8(a) Participants That Failed to Timely Respond to Data Call With Complete Responses: What 8(a) Participants Need to Know
SBA Acts Quickly and Issues Suspension Notices On January 21, 2026, just two days after the deadline for all 8(a) Participants to respond to a comprehensive audit (often referred to as the “8(a) Data Call”), the SBA issued Notices of Suspension to 8(a) firms for apparent failure to submit all required documentation in response...
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Protests Based on Impaired Objectivity Organizational Conflict of Interests (“OCI”) Continue to Find Success at GAO
In Solutions71, LLC: B-423671.2, GAO sustained the third impaired objectivity OCI protest within the last six months. GAO’s decision in Solutions71 joins Castro & Company, LLC: B- 423689 and DirectViz Solutions, LLC:B- 423366; B-423366.3; B-423366.4 in what has become an increasingly successful protest ground. What is an Impaired Objectivity OCI? An impaired objectivity OCI...
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GAO Sustains Protest Over CIA’s Faulty Cost Realism Evaluation
In a recent bid protest decision, Markon LLC, B-423767-.4, December 12, 2025, the Government Accountability Officer (GAO) delivered a pointed reminder about the limits of agency discretion in cost realism evaluations. In this case, which involved a solicitation for business operations, information technology engineering support, and business enterprise modernization services, the Central Intelligence Agency...
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