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White House Will Screen Appointees Seeking Outside Employment

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 01.20.04

The White House recently instructed all federal agencies that the Counsel to the President must now screen all requests by Senate-confirmed Presidential appointees seeking approval to leave the government for employment in the private sector. The White House said that the new rule is required to balance senior appointees' financial interests with the integrity of the appointees' service to the President, which agency ethics officials are not always able to do because they lack an “administration-wide perspective.”

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Client Alert | 8 min read | 12.11.25

Director Squires Revamps the Workings of the U.S. Patent Office

In March 2025, President Trump nominated John A. Squires for the positions of Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). After being approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 20-2, Squires was confirmed by the Senate on September 17, 2025, by a vote of 51-47 after anti-filibuster measures were invoked. During and after the confirmation process, Squires emphasized several goals for the USPTO during his time as Director. Such goals included:...