Vienna, Virginia Government Contracts Lawyer :: Claude P. Goddard :: Employment - Attorney Wickwire Gavin

• Conducted an internal investigation for a client whose employees misappropriated company property and submitted false/inflated proposals to the government. The company made a voluntary disclosure that resolved all issues.
• Defended client in a state misappropriation of trade secrets case that settled on favorable terms to the client before trial.
• Represented large company before agency debarment officials in connection with the agency's determination whether to suspend or debar the company for financial and securities fraud. The agency did not initiate suspension or debarment proceedings and issued letters advising that the company had demonstrated that it was a presently responsible contractor.
• Successfully defended a client against agency efforts to obtain a suspension or debarment for use as leverage in defending against the contractor's affirmative claims.
• Successfully defended a client against government false claims allegations concerning submission of progress payment requests. The false claims allegations were resolved by settlement agreement after mediation. Under the settlement agreement, the client was released without liability, and the Government dismissed all false claims allegations.
• Hamilton Securities Advisory Services, Inc. v. United States, 60 Fed.Cl. 296 (2004), recon. den., 2004 U.S. Claims LEXIS 147 (2004). Obtained judgment in the client's favor on a claim for payment and defeated a government claim arising out of a financial advisory services contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Government alleged that it collected less money than expected because the client improperly ran a computer model in auctions of HUD-held mortgages.
• Appeal of Sanford Cohen & Associates, IBCA No. 4239-2000, -- BCA -- (2004). Won summary judgment on a negligent estimates theory involving a level-of-effort, cost reimbursement term type contract. The Environmental Protection Agency over-estimated the direct labor hours it intended to acquire for monitoring gaseous emissions.
• Appeal of RJO Enterprises, Inc., ASBCA No. 53434 (ADR). Successfully resolved a convenience termination claim and government counterclaim seeking recovery from the contractor based on application of the loss formula after a mini-trial proceeding. Successfully avoided the loss formula and negotiated a substantial recovery for the client. The claims arose out of a contract to develop Test Program Sets for avionics equipment on the Air Force's B-2 bomber.

Publications

"Business Ethics in Government Contracting - Parts I & II," Briefing Papers, Second Series, West, May and June 2003.

"Although It Looks Like a Duck, It May Be a Goose: FSS Buys and Competitive Procurement of Services," The Procurement Lawyer, 3-6, American Bar Association, Section of Public Contract Law, Spring 2002.

"Complying with the Service Contract Act," Briefing Papers, Second Series, West Group, August 2001 (co-authored with Daniel J. Donohue)

"Keys to Successful Teaming," Contract Management magazine, National Contract Management Association, March 2000 (co-authored with Daniel J. Donohue)

Speaking Engagements/Presentations

"Business Ethics in Government Contracting," presented September 2004, Cumberland School of Law, Huntsville, AL; May 2004, Vienna, Virginia; In-House for Various Clients, 2004-2005.

"Managing Indirect Rates, Legal Issues" Seminar (presented with Daniel J. Donohue) October 2003.

"Services Acquisition Reform Act" Seminar (presented with Daniel J. Donohue) June 2003.

"Crisis Management Strategies" Seminar for Grant Thornton Executive Roundtable, April 2001.

"Legal Issues in E-Commerce, Third Advanced Contract Law Course," the Judge Advocate General's School, U.S. Army, Charlottesville, Virginia, March 2001.

National Defense Industrial Association, Legal Subcommittee

District of Columbia Bar Association

American Bar Association: Public Contract Law Section (Vice Chairman, Bid Protests Committee 2003-Present)

New Hampshire Bar Association

Virginia State Bar Association

US Court of Federal Claims Bar Association (Board of Governors 2004 to present)

Bar Admissions

Virginia
District of Columbia
New Hampshire

Court Admissions

New Hampshire State Courts
Virginia State Courts
District of Columbia Courts
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
U.S. Court of Federal Claims
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

J.D., cum laude, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1979

B.S., with distinction, U.S. Naval Academy, 1974