Government Contracts

  • January 27, 2025

    Feds May Trim $2B In Leases Over Trump's Term, Trepp Says

    Following President Donald Trump's order on Inauguration Day that federal workers return to the office, a Trepp report finds more than a third of all office space leased by the federal government could potentially be terminated during Trump's second term.

  • January 27, 2025

    Judge Grants Bid For Docs, Code In EPassport Fight

    A Court of Federal Claims judge partially granted a German company's bid to secure discovery materials from the U.S. government and a French cybersecurity firm for its suit accusing the government of infringing on patents related to electronic passport readers.

  • January 27, 2025

    VA To Nix $6.1M In Contracts Under Trump's DEI Order

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that it has placed dozens of employees on paid leave and will cancel $6.1 million worth of contracts as part of efforts to root out diversity, equity and inclusion activities.

  • January 27, 2025

    General Atomics Asks Musk Team To Reform Arms Acquisitions

    General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.'s CEO published an open letter Monday to the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, urging leader Elon Musk to refine the defense acquisition processes to bolster global security, making it the second letter sent to the newly created agency by a defense contractor proposing suggestions on reducing bureaucracy.

  • January 27, 2025

    Contractor Seeks DC Circ. Approval Of $200M Arbitral Award

    A toll road contractor asked the D.C. Circuit to approve a $200 million arbitral award against the Peruvian city of Lima over a failed construction contract, saying the city's argument that the contract was obtained through corruption had already been rejected by two arbitration panels and a federal judge.

  • January 24, 2025

    Companies Risk White House Wrath By Keeping DEI Programs

    For companies pushing forward with their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives amid a torrent of attacks from President Donald Trump and his allies, there are myriad potential risks ahead — and murky questions about the legal parameters of Trump's anti-DEI agenda.

  • January 24, 2025

    DOL Ends All Contractor Bias Probes Following Trump Order

    The U.S. Department of Labor on Friday halted all investigations and enforcement in the wake of President Donald Trump's executive order earlier this week pulling a longstanding, core legal authority used to prevent federal contractors from discriminating against workers.

  • January 24, 2025

    Pfizer To Pay $59M Over Unit's Migraine Drug Kickbacks

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that Pfizer has agreed in New York federal court to pay $59.7 million to resolve allegations that one of its subsidiaries caused false Medicare claims by paying kickbacks to physicians to induce prescriptions of migraine drug Nurtec ODT.

  • January 24, 2025

    Boeing Takes $1.7B Hit On Fixed-Price Defense Deals

    The Boeing Co. said it will take a further $1.7 billion hit on fixed-price space and defense programs that have already caused the company years of losses, citing issues such as increased production costs and disruptions from a recent strike.

  • January 24, 2025

    Protest Over '11th Hour' VA Bid Change Too Late, GAO Says

    A North Carolina company missed its window to challenge a late-night modification to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs solicitation for groundskeeping services, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said, denying a protest over the company's exclusion from competition for the contract.

  • January 24, 2025

    5th Circ. Upholds Tossing Medicare Rate Policy Challenge

    A Fifth Circuit panel said it agrees with a Texas federal judge that a lawsuit brought by four anesthesia practices claiming a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services policy will cost them $4 million in reduced reimbursements is statutorily barred.

  • January 24, 2025

    GSA Taps Ex-BlackRock Atty As New GC

    The General Services Administration has tapped Russell McGranahan, the former general counsel of Focus Financial Partners who held legal roles at BlackRock and in private practice for almost 30 years, as its next general counsel, according to a Friday announcement.

  • January 23, 2025

    Limits On Biden's Contracting Power Could Also Hinder Trump

    A Trump administration order barring federal contractors from engaging in diversity, equity and inclusion programs could face court challenges, following the path of decisions rejecting the Biden administration's arguments it had statutory authority for minimum wage and vaccine requirements.

  • January 23, 2025

    4th Circ. Reads Kickback Law Broadly In Loss For Big Pharma

    The Fourth Circuit on Thursday affirmed a Virginia federal judge's ruling against a pharmaceuticals industry-backed charity looking to weaken the Anti-Kickback Statute, holding that a proposed program for helping patients cover the cost of drugs could indeed constitute a quid pro quo.

  • January 23, 2025

    Fox Raises Specter Of Corruption In LA's Smartmatic Contract

    Fox News has filed a public records lawsuit suggesting that Los Angeles County officials may have taken bribes to award a 2020 election contract to Smartmatic, the voting technology company currently pursuing a $2.7 billion defamation suit over Fox's coverage of that election.

  • January 23, 2025

    DOD Watchdog Finds Audits Didn't Follow Required Standards

    A U.S. Department of Defense watchdog has said a limited review of incurred-cost audits completed by commercial, nonfederal auditors brought on to help clear a backlog found the auditors did not fully comply with federal government auditing standards in about two-thirds of the audits.

  • January 23, 2025

    GAO Says DOD Should Improve Modular Open Systems Use

    The U.S. Department of Defense is not properly considering a modular open systems approach to designing weapons systems, despite recent legislation requiring it do so "to the maximum extent practicable," the Government Accountability Office said Wednesday.

  • January 23, 2025

    Ex-Police Chief Defamed Protester With Gang Claim, Suit Says

    Atlanta's ex-police chief faces a renewed defamation suit over comments he made during a 2020 press conference to address arrests made at a Black Lives Matter protest, in which he allegedly accused one arrestee of being a violent gang member.

  • January 23, 2025

    Home Health Agency Operator Gets 12 Years For $100M Fraud

    The former operator of a Massachusetts home healthcare agency convicted of fraud last summer has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $100 million in restitution to the state's Medicaid program.

  • January 23, 2025

    FTC Chair's 1st Act: Ending 'Scourge' Of DEI

    Andrew N. Ferguson made his first public act as the Federal Trade Commission's new Republican chairman Wednesday by ordering the end of all agency diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and declaring that the "scourge" of DEI is over at the FTC.

  • January 23, 2025

    Senate Energy Committee Greenlights Energy, Interior Picks

    A U.S. Senate energy panel on Thursday advanced President Donald Trump's nominees to lead the U.S. Departments of Energy and the Interior, setting them up for confirmation by the full Senate.

  • January 23, 2025

    Calif. Appeals Court Backs Apprentice Work Regulations

    A California appeals court refused to reinstate a challenge from several employer associations seeking to strike down new regulations governing how apprentices can spend their time working, saying the California Apprenticeship Council was in the clear to promulgate the new rules.

  • January 22, 2025

    'Unicorn Prosecution' Could Upend Legal Practice, Court Told

    Brown & Connery LLP partner William Tambussi told a New Jersey state judge Wednesday that the entire practice of law in the Garden State rests on his impending decision on the charges against him in the state's sweeping racketeering case targeting power broker George E. Norcross III, arguing that a lawyer has never been prosecuted for routine legal work.

  • January 22, 2025

    Vanda Loses Takings Clause Arguments In Trade Secret Fight

    A Court of Federal Claims judge has held that specifications on how fast Vanda Pharmaceuticals' drugs dissolve do not count as property interest under the Fifth Amendment, handing a loss to the pharmaceutical company in its trade secrets case against the federal government.

  • January 22, 2025

    GAO Says Army Corps Reasonably Rejected Contractor's Bid

    The Government Accountability Office has rejected a Georgia-based construction contractor's challenge to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' denial of its building repair contract proposal, saying the agency reasonably deemed the contractor's project labor agreement to be insufficient.

Expert Analysis

  • Philly Project Case Renews Ongoing Fraud Theory Tug-Of-War

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    In its upcoming term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Kousisis v. U.S., a case involving wire fraud convictions related to Philadelphia bridge repair projects, and may once again further rein in prosecutorial attempts to expand theories of fraud beyond core traditional property rights, say Jonathan Halpern and Kyra Rosenzweig at Holland & Knight.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process

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    Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.

  • Whistleblowers Must Note 5 Key Differences Of DOJ Program

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently unveiled whistleblower awards program diverges in key ways from similar programs at other agencies, and individuals must weigh these differences and look first to programs with stronger, proven protections before blowing the whistle, say Stephen Kohn and Geoff Schweller at Kohn Kohn.

  • What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires

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    Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.

  • Foreign Threat Actors Pose Novel Risks To US Tech Cos.

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    A recent bulletin jointly issued by several U.S. intelligence agencies warns technology startups and the venture capital community about national security risks posed by foreign threat actors, so companies interested in raising foreign capital should watch for several red flags, say Robert Friedman and Jacob Marco at Holland & Knight.

  • Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support

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    A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.

  • Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where

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    During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • Series

    Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.

  • Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing

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    Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 3 High Court Rulings May Shape Health Org. Litigation Tactics

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    Three separate decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court's most recent term — Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy — will likely strengthen healthcare organizations' ability to affirmatively sue executive agencies to challenge regulations governing operations and enforcement actions, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

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    As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Why DOJ's Whistleblower Program May Have Limited Impact

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new whistleblower pilot program aims to incentivize individuals to report corporate misconduct, but the program's effectiveness may be undercut by its differences from other federal agencies’ whistleblower programs and its interplay with other DOJ policies, say attorneys at Milbank.

  • Takeaways From Virginia's $2B Trade Secrets Verdict Reversal

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    The Virginia Court of Appeals' recent reversal of the $2 billion damages award in Pegasystems v. Appian underscores the claimant's burden to show damages causation and highlights how an evidentiary ruling could lead to reversible error, say John Lanham and Kamran Jamil at Morrison Foerster.

  • How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act

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    In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.

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