Stephanie M. Harden

Stephanie M. Harden
Partner
Government Contracts

Biography

Stephanie M. Harden has extensive experience representing government contractors in litigation and counseling matters involving federal and state procurement law, including bid protests, mandatory disclosures, cost and pricing matters, and False Claims Act litigation. She has been recognized as a Law360 Rising Star in the area of government contracts. Stephanie's experience includes:

  • Bid Protests: Stephanie is a seasoned bid protest litigator, having litigated numerous protests before the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”), the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Stephanie’s protest experience includes both protesting and defending agency award decisions in procurements of all sizes, including numerous multibillion-dollar procurements. Stephanie’s significant protest wins include: Alisud-Gesac Handling - Servisair 2 scarl (Algese) v. United States, 2024 WL 3452957 (Fed. Cir. July 18, 2024) (Stephanie led the successful defense against a series of protests involving contracts for air terminal and ground handling services for the U.S. Navy); Hanford Tank Disposition All., LLC v. United States, 173 Fed. Cl. 269 (2024) (successful defense of $45 billion contract to manage and treat waste at the Department of Energy's Hanford site in conjunction with Blank Rome team); Lockheed Martin Corp. v. United States, 124 Fed. Cl. 709 (2016) (successfully defeating preliminary injunction alleging a range of protest allegations in $6.7 billion defense procurement for the Army’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Program) and 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).
  • Mandatory Disclosures: Stephanie assists clients in navigating the FAR’s Mandatory Disclosure Rule and other regulatory disclosure requirements.
  • Cost and Pricing Matters: Stephanie regularly counsels clients on responding to government audits (including by DCAA and DCMA ), the submission of Requests for Equitable Adjustments and claims, defective pricing matters, and claims litigation before the Boards of Contract Appeals , the Court of Federal Claims, and the Federal Circuit. Stephanie has helped clients recover millions of dollars of costs in these matters. Stephanie regularly speaks and writes on cost accounting and pricing issues and previously served as a Co-Chair on the American Bar Association’s Accounting, Cost and Pricing Committee.
  • False Claims Act (“FCA”) Litigation: Stephanie has extensive experience with FCA litigation, particularly cases involving complex government contracting principles.
  • Internal Investigations/Compliance: Stephanie has counseled clients on compliance matters and internal investigations involving all manner of federal regulatory requirements, including small business regulations, the Service Contract Act, the Cost Accounting Standards (“CAS”), the Anti-Kickback Act, and gift and gratuity regulations.

Stephanie writes and speaks regularly about issues facing government contractors, including the mandatory disclosure rule, CDA claims, and significant case law developments. In 2018, Stephanie 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).

Stephanie previously served as a law clerk to Judge Victor J. Wolski on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. She also worked as a summer associate at the GAO. While in law school, she was an editor of the Harvard Journal on Legislation.

News & Views

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Recognitions

  • 2026, Ones to Watch, Government Relations Practice, listed in Best Lawyers in America©
  • 2022–2025, listed in The Legal 500 United States
  • 2021, "Rising Star" in Government Contracts, listed in Law360
  • 2021, listed in Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll

Affiliations

Memberships

  • American Bar Association
  • Court of Federal Claims Bar Association
  • National Defense Industrial Association
Professional Activities

Stephanie is a member of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims Bar Association.

Stephanie serves as a vice chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Public Contract Law’s Accounting, Cost and Pricing Committee and is a member of its Bid Protest Committee.

Credentials

Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Georgia
  • Superior Court of Ware County GA
  • U.S. District Court - District of Columbia
  • United States Court of Federal Claims

Education

  • American University, BA, summa cum laude
  • Harvard Law School, JD, cum laude

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

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