Government Contracts Attorney - AMA Forum

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mi-chan17

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Government Contracts Attorney - AMA

Post by mi-chan17 » Fri Sep 13, 2019 9:32 am

I've noticed over the years that this is an area of practice that is not frequently mentioned, so I thought I'd put myself out there to answer any questions anyone might have about the government contracts practice area. AMA.

DarrowsLawyer

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Re: Government Contracts Attorney - AMA

Post by DarrowsLawyer » Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:27 am

Hey Mi-chan17,
Thanks so much for doing one of these. I’ve lurked here for a while looking for info on this track and I have a ton of questions. I’d love to hear your thoughts on any/all of them. In no particular order—

1. Are you public sector or private? Either way, can you do a ‘day in the life?’
2. I’m a DoD KO starting at GULC and looking for a transition to Biglaw with a Public Contracting area of practice after graduation. To what extent is this a thing?
3. How does this AoP differ from other practices in Biglaw in terms of slots, opportunities, hours, etc.?
4. What are the entry-level BigFed options here? Is DOJ honors the only path?
5. How are exit options from either BigFed or BigLaw 3-5 years after graduation? In-house at a federal contractor seems logical?
6. How real (v. hyperbolic) is the bump with employers in this AoP when the applicant is from GW v. GULC or other? I perceive GW grads to have a fairly dominant share of the market.
7. How valuable, sought after are Federal Claims clerkships in this AoP?

Thanks!

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mi-chan17

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Re: Government Contracts Attorney - AMA

Post by mi-chan17 » Mon Sep 16, 2019 3:48 pm

Happy to help! I know when I was a law student and looking for jobs in this area there was a dearth of information on this board that was applicable to this specific area. Taking your questions in order:

1) I've been both, though I am currently in the private sector. My day right now goes something like this -
8:00 am - wake-up, shower, dress, make sure my kid will be entertained for a bit so my spouse can sleep, head to work
8:30 am - get to work, drink coffee, read the news, shudder at presidential tweets about ignoring various federal laws to build walls
9:00 am - begin work on whatever is most time-sensitive (typically bid protest litigation, as that moves fast)
9:45 am - get interrupted by request from partner to go over some sub-contractor flowdown questions
10:30 am - get back to drafting litigation documents
11:10 am - find out client is being investigated by some agency's OIG, review relevant documents
12:00 - 1:00 pm - Lunch
1:05 pm - continue work on litigation documents
2:15 pm - switch over to work on whatever the OIG investigation is
3:00 pm - draft opinion letter to address a sub-contractor/prime contractor dispute
3:45 pm - back to figuring out what OIG wants to how to respond to it
4:15 pm - revise litigation documents
5:00 pm - send litigation stuff to partner
5:00-5:30 pm - do some more research and analysis on what to do about OIG/work on miscellaneous stuff that came in during the day
5:30 pm - go home, spend time with my family
10:30 pm - log back on, learn that apparently there's new litigation, begin preparing debriefing stuff
12:00 am - bed

Obviously that's a composite day, and not what my each and every day looks like. Some times are extremely busy and I work more, other times I can mess around on TLS or work on some client development stuff.

2)This is absolutely a thing, and being in DC makes you well-positioned to take advantage of your KO background. Most government contract attorney jobs are in DC or, to a lesser extent, in Denver. Being a KO is definitely something you can leverage in your favor. One thing to be wary of though - as someone who has sat on the employer side in interviews - is sounding as though you think you know everything about being a government contracts lawyer thanks to your KO experience. You undoubtedly know a lot about the FAR/DFARs/etc. and may be a great KO who knows the ins and outs of the actual practice of soliciting and awarding contracts, but that's not the same thing as being the attorney advising/representing those KOs and agencies.

3) In terms of biglaw practice hours, the hours work out to being similar to most other niche-area lit groups. The only difference is that when bid protest season starts in earnest, which is a predictable time frame, it can be insane just due to the very short deadlines to file protests. In terms of opportunities? DC is flush with them. I was not hurting for options either as a law student interest in govcon or as a lateral when I left the government. It's a niche area, but one there is massive need for in DC, and if someone has the interest and some background knowledge (as you clearly do) it can go a long way (assuming grades are good, etc.).

4) There are a few different entry-level BigFed options. DOJ Honors is one, but so are: USACE Honors, DHS Honors, CIA Honors, Navy Civilian, AF Civilian, and DoD Honors, to name a few.

5) Exit options from BigFed to BigLaw are good between year 3 and 6, post-graduation. For BigLaw to in-house, I'd say 5-8 years is the sweet spot, though I've seen some positions seeking someone even more senior. BigFed to in-house is harder due to the lack of exposure to the ins and outs of bid preparation and sub-contractor issues. But yes, people absolutely go in-house to large (or even mid-size) federal contractors with some regularity.

6) All else being equal, GW does have something of an edge over GULC in govcon specifically. In my career I've worked with or against over a dozen GW grads, and never with a GULC grad. This mostly has to do with GW's robust govcon program and the fact it is one of the only (or only) law school with multiple classes specifically about federal procurement and their robust alumni network in govcon. THAT SAID, things are not all equal, and a lot of that class-knowledge GW students get is something that your KO experience will more than make up for and GULC has a more robust OCI, so I don't think it would be the determining factor for you.

7) A federal clerkship of any kind never hurts, and certainly firms and the parts of main DOJ that litigate in front of COFC would find a COFC clerkship extremely valuable. That said, it's not like anyone is going to throw a CBCA/ASBCA clerkship out of bed either. I'd probably say FedCir > COFC > Art. III > CBCA/ASBCA > no clerkship. That said, plenty of practitioners never clerked so it's not a requirement, it's just a boost.

Definitely here to answer more questions if you or any one else has them.

DarrowsLawyer

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Re: Government Contracts Attorney - AMA

Post by DarrowsLawyer » Tue Sep 17, 2019 9:12 am

Thanks! That was pretty comprehensive.

acr

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Re: Government Contracts Attorney - AMA

Post by acr » Wed Sep 18, 2019 9:34 am

How can I get into this?

On the job hunt and could use some advice.

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mi-chan17

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Re: Government Contracts Attorney - AMA

Post by mi-chan17 » Wed Sep 18, 2019 11:34 am

That depends on part on where you are in the process. Are you a 1L/2L or are you looking for post-graduation work? Do you have much exposure to govcon or are you newer to the area?

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mi-chan17

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Re: Government Contracts Attorney - AMA

Post by mi-chan17 » Mon Nov 23, 2020 11:26 am

Bumping my nerdy niche practice area for a new academic and (federal) fiscal year.

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Re: Government Contracts Attorney - AMA

Post by anonymoose444 » Sat Oct 08, 2022 5:05 pm

Hello, I'll be practicing in DC and I had some practical questions.

I was told that the Government Contracts at the firm is more like a regulatory practice than anything else. Is this accurate?

Also, how would you evaluate the work-life balance Gov Contracts compared to Healthcare regulatory group?

I'm looking into regulatory practices because I read that they arguably had the best quality of life and predictable hours. Would you say Government Contracts is better off than a lot of the other practice areas?

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Re: Government Contracts Attorney - AMA

Post by pavementfan » Tue Oct 11, 2022 9:52 am

What would you say is the top gov con firm?

Prioritize general firm brand (vault) or specialty Chambers rankings?

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