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The Wait Is Over: Final DFARS Safeguarding Rule Published Today

Client Alert | 1 min read | 10.21.16

Almost three years after its first iteration was published, DoD has finalized the DFARS Safeguarding Rule and corresponding DFARS clauses regarding the protection of “covered defense information” provided to or generated by defense contractors. Effective today, the Final Rule by and large reflects the same requirements of its interim versions and FAQs but with a few notable exceptions, including the definition of “covered defense information” now encompasses all forms of “controlled unclassified information” and thus aligns with the National Archive’s recent final rule, external cloud services housing covered defense information must comply with certain FedRAMP security requirements, and subcontractors must notify their primes when requesting variances from the security controls of NIST Special Publication 800-171.

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Client Alert | 4 min read | 03.05.26

DOL’s Proposed Independent Contractor Rule Reverts to Prioritize Two Core Factors – Likely Limiting Misclassification Claims by Contractors

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed another revision to independent contractor regulations, one that would provide for more leeway in classifying workers as contractors. DOL’s proposed rule, published on February 26, 2026, would rescind the Biden DOL’s March 2024 independent contractor regulation and reinstate a framework substantially tracking the prior Trump rule of January 2021. The proposed rule would also apply the narrower analysis to worker classifications under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA). The comment period closes in late April 2026; until then, the 2024 rule remains in effect for purposes of private litigation....