Blank Rome Government Contracts: 2021 Year-in-Review and Look Ahead for 2022
WELCOME
As 2022 shifts into high gear, Blank Rome’s Government Contracts practice is pleased to share our 2021 Year-in-Review, covering key government contracts issues, recent practice news and recognitions, and our look at the year ahead.
Thanks to the continued trust and support of our clients and colleagues and our dedication to our Client Service Principles, we helped guide our clients through an unprecedented past two years, and look forward to partnering with them (and seeing more of them in person!) in 2022. We were particularly excited to welcome Partner Elizabeth Jochum and Associate Samarth Barot to our team.
We look forward this year to deepening our collaboration across our law firm through a new Blank Rome industry group dedicated to serving clients in Aerospace, Defense & Government Services (“ADG”). Leveraging technology to drive seamless collaboration, our ADG team brings together professionals with in-depth knowledge of the industry from across the firm to stay at the forefront of emerging trends, including government relations, human capital, cybersecurity & data privacy, insurance recovery, export controls, government enforcement, and mergers & acquisitions.
We continued to share our perspectives on the industry last year in many forums, from COVID-19 vaccine mandates to developments in cybersecurity regulations to M&A trends. Click here for our thought leadership from the past year.
Finally, if you have not already, we invite you and your team to subscribe to our Government Contracts Navigator blog, where we cover issues of importance to our government contracting community. Unlike other blogs out there, we keep a strong focus on the practical, with our clients’ day-to-day business considerations in mind. Interested in the greatest hits? We have included below a list of the top 10 most read posts in 2021. You can also follow us on Twitter @GovConBR.
Thank you for reading. We look forward to helping you succeed this year and beyond.
Justin A. Chiarodo
Chair, Government Contracts
202.420.2706 | justin.chiarodo@blankrome.com
OUR CLIENT SERVICE PRINCIPLES
Our decades-long record of achievement for our clients is built upon an unwavering commitment to our client service principles: fostering strong client relationships; excellence; engagement and collaboration; and investing in diverse teams. Learn more about our practice and our client service principles here.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Over the past year, we produced more than 100 pieces of thought leadership, including speaking engagements, interviews, podcasts, byline articles, and blog posts. We are proud to sponsor and speak at PubK’s Government Contracts Annual Review, the Thomson Reuters Government Contracts Year-in-Review Conference, the Federal Procurement Institute, and the Annual DCAA & DCMA Cost, Pricing, Compliance & Audits Conference, among others.
Government Contracts Navigator Blog – Subscribe Today!
Our Government Contracts Navigator blog provides timely posts with practical analysis on breaking issues for government contractors.
To subscribe to our blog and be notified of timely new posts instantly, please e-mail Alena Leon who will assist you. You may also click “Follow blog via E-mail” on the right side of the blog front page and follow prompts (including responding to a confirmation e-mail from the WordPress blog platform to activate your subscription).
Top 10 Read Blog Posts in 2021:
- Who Is a Subcontractor under a Federal Government Contract?
- What Is the Christian Doctrine and Why Should You Care?
- 5 Tips for Complying with New Section 889 Supply Chain Regulations
- New Department of Defense Regulations Clarify Contractors’ Responsibilities to Comply with NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC Requirements
- Does Your State Contract Prohibit Offshore Outsourcing?
- Critical GAO Bid Protest Deadlines and Timeline
- Will Federal Contractors Be Required to Certify Employee COVID Vaccinations?
- Where Are We Going with Section 889 Part B?
- GSA’s Big Changes in 2020, Part 4: DUNS to UEI
- Government Provides New Compliance Flexibility under Contractor Vaccine Mandate
RECENT GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS PRACTICE NEWS
Get to Know Our Newest Partner, Elizabeth Jochum
In late 2021, we were thrilled to welcome Elizabeth N. Jochum to our Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the Government Contracts practice. A skilled litigator and counselor with a significant background in white collar defense and investigations matters, Elizabeth joined Blank Rome from Smith Pachter McWhorter PLC where she was a partner.
Elizabeth advocates for government contractors in bid protests before the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims as well as handles appeals before the Armed Services and Civilian Boards of Contract Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She also represents contractors in size protests, determinations, and appeals before the Small Business Administration. Elizabeth advises prime contractors and subcontractors on a range of matters, including regulatory compliance, contract negotiation, due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, and change and claim preparation.
Now that she has settled in at Blank Rome, we took a few minutes to chat with Elizabeth to find out more about her background, interests, and approach to client service. Here are the highlights, so that you can get to know her!
We Welcomed New Associate Samarth Barot
Samarth Barot joined our Government Contracts Practice in Washington, D.C. last September, and has hit the ground running, working on client matters and authoring thought leadership. Samarth joined us from Hollingsworth LLP, and has more than four years of experience in bid protests, regulatory compliance and ethics, M&A and corporate transactions, and suspension and debarment. An alum of George Mason University School of Law, Samarth is a big fan of the sport of cricket; he loves watching it and plays it every weekend in the D.C. metro area.
RECENT GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS PRACTICE RECOGNITIONS
Our practice group and attorneys received significant recognition by leading industry publications and organizations in 2021. For a full list of recent honors and awards, please click here.
Government Contract Practice and Attorneys Recognized in Chambers USA 2021
Our practice was nationally ranked in the “USA - Nationwide Government Contracts: The Elite Legal Rankings,” and Justin A. Chiarodo and David M. Nadler were again ranked as “leaders in their fields.”
Government Contract Practice and Attorneys Highly Ranked in the Legal 500 United States 2021
Our practice was nationally ranked, and Scott Arnold, Dominique L. Casimir, Justin A. Chiarodo, Luke W. Meier, and David M. Nadler were individually recommended.
To learn more about our Government Contracts practice, experience, team, and thought leadership, please visit our practice page, which is updated regularly with our latest news and views.