Justin A. Chiarodo

CO-CHAIR, GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS PRACTICE GROUP
CO-CHAIR, AEROSPACE, DEFENSE & GOVERNMENT SERVICES INDUSTRY TEAM

For over two decades, Justin has represented leading and emerging aerospace, defense, and government services contractors and their investors in their most consequential matters and transactions. Recent engagements include the successful defense of a $3.1 billion contract award to replace the U.S. Postal Service’s vehicle fleet, managing the government contracts aspects of the $2.6 billion sale of a defense and intelligence solutions provider, and defeating a $10 million False Claims Act suit based on the public disclosure bar.

Justin’s experience extends to the full range of issues contractors encounter in the public sector marketplace, including bid protests, government investigations, contract claims and disputes, cost accounting and audit matters, regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions, suspension and debarment, and False Claims Act defense. In his role as co-chair of the Firm’s Aerospace, Defense & Government Services industry team, Justin leads a team of 60 professionals, with a strong focus on client service excellence and collaboration.

Justin has long been recognized among the nation’s preeminent government contracts lawyers by leading industry publications, including Chambers USA, Legal 500 (Leading Lawyer), Law360 (Government Contracts MVP), and BTI Consulting (Client Service All-Star). Clients note that Justin is “a terrific lawyer” and “true partner who brings together the resources we need to support our business at the highest levels” (Chambers USA), as well as “an outstanding advisor and leader” (Legal 500) who “just gets it” (BTI Consulting).

Bid Protests

Justin has represented contractors in more than 100 bid protests before all major protest forums, including procuring agencies, the Government Accountability Office, and the Court of Federal Claims, as well as in protests at the state and local level. Besides defending contract awards, he has a proven track record of obtaining injunctive relief, corrective action, favorable merits decisions, and significant settlements on behalf of clients. With more than 20 published protest decisions, Justin’s major protest wins include: Chronos Solutions, LLC, et al. (2020 CPD ¶ 306) (sustained protest challenging solicitation terms where the agency did not consider significant changes in the law, as well as the agency's policies and market conditions impacted by COVID-19); AllWorld Language Consultants, Inc., (2016 CPD ¶ 12) (sustained protest of GSA Schedule contract award where putative awardee’s FSS contract did not meet solicitation requirements); and Wyle Laboratories, Inc., (2014 CPD ¶ 16) (precedent-setting sustained decision regarding the impact of corporate transactions on proposal evaluations).

False Claims Act Investigations and Defense

Justin maintains a nationwide False Claims Act defense practice focused on counseling, claims avoidance, government investigations, and litigation. Justin has achieved favorable client outcomes in False Claims Act matters in the Eastern District of Virginia, District for the District of Columbia, Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois, Northern District of California, Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of New York, District of Massachusetts, and Western District of Washington. His work extends to the defense of both companies and individuals in qui tam litigation. Justin has successfully resolved False Claims Act matters implicating hundreds of millions of dollars in exposure. Among other issues, Justin has handled False Claims Act matters and investigations involving logistics contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, technology alliances, export control issues, labor mapping, defective pricing, Trade Agreements Act compliance, small business programs, cost allowability, and the General Services Administration Schedule.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Noted in Chambers USA as an “expert in government contracts M&A,” Justin has played a major role in over 100 aerospace, defense, and government services transactions, totaling over five billion dollars in enterprise value. He has represented leading strategic and private equity firms, as well as privately held and founder-owned businesses, across industry segments in both purchase and sale transactions. Justin’s experience extends to the fully panoply of issues arising in connection with investments and transactions involving government contractors and government contracts, including small business program eligibility, affiliation, intellectual property, cybersecurity, facility and personnel security issues, the mitigation of foreign ownership, control, and influence, and Anti-Assignment Act and novation matters. Notable transactions including ARKA Group LP’s sale to CACI for $2.6 billion, Avantus Federal LLC’s sale to QinetiqUS for $590 million, and NTC Group, Inc’s acquisition of Tenax Aerospace for $220 million.

Ethics, Compliance, and Contractor Responsibility

Complementing his False Claims Act and investigations work, Justin has helped clients develop and strengthen ethics, compliance, and training programs, and has worked to ensure (or reinstate) contractor eligibility for federal programs. Justin has represented contractors before a wide range of federal agencies in responsibility matters, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Interior, Department of Energy, Defense Logistics Agency, and Small Business Administration. He has represented contractors in suspension and debarment matters arising from civil and criminal investigations and works closely with members of the firm’s white collar criminal defense and investigations practice in criminal investigations involving government contracts.

In 2018, Justin co-authored the chapter “History and Development of Suspension and Debarment” in The Practitioner’s Guide to Suspension and Debarment, Fourth Edition (ABA Book Publishing, 2018).

Claims and Disputes

Justin has helped contractors recover millions of dollars under equitable adjustments and claims, and successfully represented contractors in a broad range of contentious civil matters, from breach of contract to business torts to federal takings actions. He has served as lead counsel in government contracts disputes in both state and federal courts, and before arbitral forums. Justin has appeared as lead counsel before the Civilian and Armed Services Boards of Contract Appeals, Court of Federal Claims, and Federal Circuit, and has considerable experience litigating government contracts disputes in the Eastern District of Virginia and Virginia State Courts. 

Counseling and Regulatory Matters

Justin counsels clients on a wide range of government contract and regulatory issues, including disclosure obligations under the Mandatory Disclosure Rule, unsolicited proposals, cybersecurity, mergers and acquisitions, domestic preference provisions under the Buy American and Trade Agreements Acts, export control issues, conflict of interest issues and “revolving door” restrictions, small business and socio-economic programs, cost accounting, government audits, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, procurement integrity issues, and the GSA Schedule.

• 2027, Government Contracts in Washington, D.C., listed in Best Lawyers in America©
• 2015–2016, 2019–2026, Government Contracts Law, listed in Chambers USA
• 2026, Government Contracts M&A, listed in Chambers USA
• 2021–2026, “Leading Partner,” listed in The Legal 500’s Guide to Outstanding Lawyers Nationwide
• 2027, Thought Leader – Government Contracts, listed in Lexology Index
• 2026, “Highly Recommended – Public Procurement,” listed in Lexology Index
• 2022, “Client Service All-Star MVP,” listed by BTI Consulting Group
• 2020 and 2022, “Client Service All-Star,” listed by BTI Consulting Group
• 2022, Global Leader in Government Contracts, listed in Who’s Who Legal
• 2020–2021, listed in Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll
• 2020, Government Contracts MVP, listed by Law360
• 2017–2023 and 2025–2026, Washington, D.C., “Super Lawyer” in Government Contracts, listed in Super Lawyers
• 2017–2020, “Next Generation Lawyer,” listed in The Legal 500’s Guide to Up-and-Coming Lawyers Nationwide
• 2013–2014 and 2017, “Rising Star,” listed in Law360
• 2015, “D.C. Rising Star,” listed in the National Law Journal