Government Contracts

  • October 24, 2024

    Broadband Co. Says $168M Peruvian Award Suit Is Valid

    A broadband corporation has urged a D.C. federal judge not to toss its lawsuit seeking enforcement of a $168 million arbitral award against telecom service Pronatel, saying the Peruvian state-owned entity is recycling arguments the court has already rejected.

  • October 24, 2024

    SBA Proposes 'Rule Of Two' For Multiaward Contract Orders

    The U.S. Small Business Administration on Thursday proposed that federal agencies give preference to small businesses on orders under multiple-award contracts, a move it estimated could boost small business contracting by up to $6 billion each year. 

  • October 24, 2024

    DOJ Pushes Justices To Revive Bid-Rigging Conviction

    Federal prosecutors told the U.S. Supreme Court that the Fourth Circuit got it wrong last year when it vacated the bid-rigging conviction of aluminum pipe maker Contech's former executive, arguing Wednesday that agreements between firms can be per se unlawful even when they have a vertical relationship.

  • October 24, 2024

    DOJ Reaches $102M Deal In Baltimore Bridge Collapse Suit

    The owner and the manager of the cargo ship that slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in March has agreed to pay $102 million to settle the U.S. Department of Justice's civil lawsuit alleging gross negligence on their part killed six people and destroyed a vital transportation corridor.

  • October 24, 2024

    Conn. Bar Committee Wants Software Crash Suit Tossed

    The Connecticut Bar Examining Committee says a test-taker's federal lawsuit linking her failing grade to computer malfunctions or software crashes must be dismissed, because two different statistical analyses showed her tech woes "likely had no impact on her ultimate score."

  • October 24, 2024

    Biden Issues Guidelines For National Security Uses Of AI

    President Joe Biden issued a memo Thursday on the development and use of artificial intelligence for national security, directing actions such as shoring up the security of computer chip supply chains and ensuring AI is not used to commit human rights violations.

  • October 23, 2024

    Conn. Judge Rejects Utility's Defenses In Site Cleanup Battle

    An Avangrid Inc. unit hasn't sufficiently rebutted the Connecticut government's claims that it's taking too long to clean up the long-defunct English Station power plant site in New Haven under a partial consent order, a state court judge has ruled.

  • October 23, 2024

    DOD Could Exclude Generator Deal Bidder Over Conflict

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has backed the Defense Logistics Agency excluding a company from a solicitation for deployment of disaster relief generators, saying the DLA reasonably found conflicts of interest involving the company's work on a related contract.

  • October 23, 2024

    ICE, Nonprofits End FOIA Row Over Alleged Sterilization Docs

    Three nonprofits dismissed their Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seeking records related to unnecessary and "nonconsensual" gynecological procedures performed on immigrant detainees at an ICE detention center in Georgia, according to a notice filed Wednesday in D.C. federal court.

  • October 23, 2024

    Southwest Union Wants 2nd Look At Colo. Sick Leave Deal

    A Transport Workers Union affiliate urged a Colorado court to rethink its recent decision dismissing the union's claims against the state challenging a settlement with Southwest Airlines over a sick leave law, arguing the judge wrongly analyzed the statute's exemption for workers covered by a labor contract.

  • October 23, 2024

    Penn State To Pay $1.25M To Resolve FCA Cybersecurity Suit

    Pennsylvania State University will pay $1.25 million to settle a False Claims Act suit accusing it of failing to comply with cybersecurity requirements for defense and NASA contracts, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

  • October 23, 2024

    Del. Judge Won't Yet Revisit $242K Atty Sanctions In Ch. 7

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge said Wednesday that he won't, for now, set aside more than $242,000 in legal fees he ordered a lawyer representing the owners of an insolvent government contractor to pay in a clawback lawsuit, saying that since the sanctions order was appealed to the district court, he doesn't have jurisdiction.

  • October 23, 2024

    Atlanta VA Doctor Abused Power And Patients, Jury Told

    Federal prosecutors told a Georgia federal jury Wednesday that in the coming days, they'll hear from "four women who served their country," who placed their trust and care into the hands of a longtime physician with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and in return were sexually assaulted by him.

  • October 22, 2024

    10th Circ. Rebuffs GEO's Early Appeal In Forced-Labor Suit

    The Tenth Circuit said Tuesday that GEO Group Inc. jumped the gun by appealing a Colorado federal judge's ruling that the private prison operator can't be shielded by derivative sovereign immunity from human-trafficking claims brought by immigrant detainees.

  • October 22, 2024

    Calif. Official Cops To Taking Bribes For $10M In Contracts

    A member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors has admitted to steering $10 million worth of COVID-19 relief funds to a charity affiliated with his daughter in exchange for more than $500,000 in bribes, California federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

  • October 22, 2024

    Ga. Tech Says No Basis For Feds' Cybersecurity FCA Suit

    The Georgia Institute of Technology has urged a Georgia federal judge to toss a False Claims Act suit accusing the university of knowingly failing to comply with U.S. Department of Defense cybersecurity standards, saying those rules didn't apply to its research contracts.

  • October 22, 2024

    Feds Granted More Time For New Gulf Drilling Review

    A Maryland federal judge has agreed to delay the date by which she will vacate a National Marine Fisheries Service review of the effects of oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico after the agency explained that it would not be able to complete a new review by the original Dec. 20 deadline.

  • October 22, 2024

    No Bad Faith Found In Early Termination Of Air Force IT Deal

    An Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals judge has ruled that the U.S. Air Force's decision to terminate an information technology contract early was not made in bad faith, rejecting the contractor's bid for $630,000 in lost profits.

  • October 22, 2024

    Feds Partner With Osage, Navajo To Tackle Orphaned Wells

    The U.S. Department of Energy said it's inked agreements with the Osage Nation and the Navajo Nation that are aimed at identifying undocumented orphaned wells on tribal lands and addressing their harmful impacts.

  • October 22, 2024

    LA-Based Wound Group Hits Ch. 11 After Medicare Pay Pause

    A Los Angeles-based multistate wound care practice has filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Texas bankruptcy court, saying it can't pay nearly $156 million in charges from its management company after its Medicare payments were suspended last month.

  • October 22, 2024

    Madigan Ally's Favors Were '100% Legal,' Not Bribes, Jury Told

    Counsel for an ex-lobbyist standing trial on public corruption charges alongside former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan told an Illinois federal jury Tuesday that the government is treating legal lobbying activity as bribery, and that his client did "100% legal favors" for Madigan to establish trust and maintain access to the powerful politician.

  • October 22, 2024

    The 2024 Prestige Leaders

    Check out our Prestige Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their financial performance, attractiveness to attorneys and law students, ability to secure accolades and positive legal news media representation.

  • October 22, 2024

    How Law Firms Get And Keep Elite Status

    For decades, a handful of New York-based law firms thoroughly dominated the national consciousness when it came to power, profitability and prestige. But in today's legal market, increased movement of partners and clients from one firm to the next has begun to shake things up and create opportunities for go-getters to ascend the ranks.

  • October 21, 2024

    9th Circ. Judge Slams 'Reprehensible' Policy In Jail Death

    A Ninth Circuit judge on Monday blasted a healthcare contractor's policy that denied hospital treatment for a woman in a Washington jail who died from a ruptured intestine, but nevertheless questioned if a $24 million punitive damage jury award was excessive.

  • October 21, 2024

    Madigan Part Of 'Corruption At The Highest Levels,' Jury Told

    Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his loyal right hand Michael McClain engaged in an eight-year "campaign of bribery," leveraging his public office and leadership roles to steer business to Madigan's property tax law firm, enrich his allies with do-nothing jobs and maintain his considerable political power, prosecutors told an Illinois federal jury Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Wiretap Use In Cartel Probes Likely To Remain An Exception

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    Although the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division has recently signaled interest in wiretaps, the use of this technology to capture evidence of antitrust conspiracies and pursue monopolization as a criminal matter has been rare historically, and is likely to remain so, say Carsten Reichel and Will Conway at DLA Piper.

  • The OIG Report: DOD Review May Cause Contractor Dilemmas

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    Given a recent Office of Inspector General report finding that the U.S. Department of Defense awarded billions of dollars in contracts without performing the requisite financial responsibility reviews, contractors should prepare for a lengthier, more burdensome process and the possibility of re-review, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Biden Admin Proposals May Facilitate US, UK, Australia Trade

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    Recent proposals that create exceptions to U.S. export licensing requirements for defense trade with Australia and the U.K. would remove hurdles that have hindered trade among the three countries, and could enable smaller companies in the sector to greatly expand their trade horizons, say Keil Ritterpusch and Grace Welborn at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Shows Lies Must Go To Nature Of Bargain

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Milheiser decision, vacating six mail fraud convictions, clarifies that the key question in federal fraud cases is not whether lies were told, but what they were told about — thus requiring defense counsel to rethink their strategies, say Charles Kreindler and Krista Landis at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Adopting 7 Principles May Improve Voluntary Carbon Markets

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    The Biden administration's recently issued joint policy statement on improving the integrity of voluntary carbon markets may help companies using carbon credits to offset their emissions withstand scrutiny by government agencies, the public and investors, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 5 Steps For Gov't Contractor Affirmative Action Verification

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    As the federal contractor affirmative action program certification deadline approaches, government contractors and subcontractors should take steps to determine their program obligations, and ensure any required plans are properly implemented and timely registered, say Christopher Wilkinson at Perkins Coie and Joanna Colosimo at DCI Consulting.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

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    The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

  • To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

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    To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

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