Jennifer A. Short

Jennifer A. Short
Partner
White Collar Defense & Investigations

Biography

Jennifer Short has broad experience in the public and private sectors with government and internal investigations, particularly related to government contractors and healthcare providers. Jennifer advises clients about how best to manage the risks of government enforcement, whether through disclosures, compliance counseling, or litigation, and always with an eye towards the client’s overall business objectives and needs.

From her years as a criminal defense and commercial litigator, and serving as a partner at Am Law 100 firms, Jennifer has learned the importance of responding to client demands, questions, and concerns—particularly when a business’s financial well-being and reputation are threatened by a government investigation or prosecution. She has defended numerous complex commercial and civil fraud matters, led internal investigations, responded to government investigations, prepared disclosures, negotiated settlements, and tried disputes on behalf of corporations and C-level executives.

Jennifer is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia (2010–2018), where she investigated and litigated civil False Claims Act matters as an Affirmative Civil Enforcement prosecutor. Her government experience provided Jennifer with insights into how the Department of Justice and other agencies operate. During her government tenure, Jennifer was responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries, through settlements and judgments that addressed nationwide healthcare and procurement fraud schemes.

During law school, Jennifer was editor-in-chief of the University of Virginia School of Law’s Journal of Law & Politics. After graduation, she was a judicial law clerk for the Honorable James C. Turk, U.S. District Judge (W.D. Va.). In 2008, Jennifer served as Special Impeachment Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, during the impeachment investigation of federal district court judge Thomas Porteous.

In addition to serving on committees for numerous professional and community associations, Jennifer speaks frequently at professional conferences on the False Claims Act and related compliance and enforcement issues.

Outside the Firm

Jennifer enjoys running, hiking, and biking in the D.C. area and elsewhere (when travel permits). She is involved in voter protection and get-out-the-vote efforts, and has served as an elections official in Fairfax County, Virginia. A supporter of the Kennedy Center, Jennifer looks forward to the return of live theater and music events. 

Experience

  • Represented a CEO during the investigation of an alleged conflicts and gifts scheme involving contractor and government personnel.
  • Represented a disadvantaged small business in internal investigation and subsequent administrative disclosure proceedings.
  • Defended an individual implicated in a Federal Trade Commission false advertising and telemarketing enforcement action.
  • Defended the parent company of a manufacturer alleged to have violated the civil False Claims Act in product sales to federal, state, and local governments.
  • Tried a False Claims Act case alleging violations of a contractor’s organizational conflict of interest representations to government agencies.
  • Represented the CFO of a healthcare system in a multi-defendant criminal healthcare fraud investigation.
  • Defended a government contractor against allegations of bribery, gratuity, and conflict of interest.
  • Responded to a New York Attorney General criminal investigation into Medicaid billing fraud.

Select Government Representative Matters:

  • Tried a False Claims Act case against corporate and individual defendants, resulting in a $117 million judgment.
  • Negotiated a $350 million settlement in a case involving kickbacks and other conduct that defrauded the Veterans Affairs, Medicare, and other federally funded healthcare programs.
  • Settled claims of defective pricing and price reduction violations related to a General Services Administration schedule contract.
  • Recovered the largest civil penalty settlement to date under the reporting requirements of the Lobbying Disclosure Act.

News & Views

See all News and Views

Recognitions

  • 2023–2026, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Washington, D.C., listed in Best Lawyers in America®
  • 2020–2025, listed in Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers
  • 2022, listed in Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll
  • 2006–2010, Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations in Virginia, listed in Chambers USA

Affiliations

Memberships

  • District of Columbia Bar Association
  • Virginia State Bar
Professional Activities

Jennifer is a member of numerous professional and community associations and committees, notably serving as a board member of the Federal Bar Association’s Qui Tam Section and co-chair of the FBA’s 2021 Qui Tam Conference. Jennifer is also a member of the board of directors for the Council for Court Excellence, and a member of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association, and The Barristers. She is a member of the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section and the Public Contract Law Section, where she serves as a co-chair of the Procurement Fraud & False Claims Committee and a vice chair of the Debarment & Suspension Committee.

Credentials

Admissions

  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Virginia
  • U.S. District Court - Western District of Virginia
  • United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • Virginia

Education

  • Duke University, AB
  • University of Virginia School of Law, JD

A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.

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