Kevin is a trusted advisor to government contractors of all sizes, helping companies navigate the complex regulatory scheme imposed on contractors and helping contractors defend their rights through the bid protest and claims processes.

Kevin has significant experience litigating bid protests and tailors each bid protest strategy to the case, which has led to victories in agency-level, GAO, Court of Federal Claims and Federal Circuit protests. After award, Kevin has helped contractors respond to performance issues, defend against terminations and assert claims against the government. He has helped file scores of requests for equitable adjustments and helped several clients negotiate terminations for default into terminations for convenience. When agreement cannot be reached, he has extensive experience litigating such matters before the Court of Federal Claims, Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals.

As a full-service government contracts attorney, Kevin helps companies build the necessary systems and infrastructure to ensure success. He has helped countless companies expand into the federal marketplace with a solid foundation for their compliance obligations. Kevin has also been called on to conduct internal investigations when questions are raised about the adequacy of a company’s existing compliance systems. He has been involved in numerous such investigations ranging from questions about proper time charging and badging disputes to the correct handling of sensitive government information. He has also built ethics and compliance programs for long standing federal contractors who identified gaps in their systems.

More recently, Kevin has spent an increasing amount of time advising contractors on the evolving cybersecurity requirements imposed on government contractors. Beyond merely advising clients on their obligations, Kevin has presented webinars on compliance with DOD’s cybersecurity requirements and the development of its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) rule as well as the more recent analogs from other federal agencies, like the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Homeland Security. He has represented clients in connection with their reporting obligations after data breaches and helped investigate cybersecurity and data handling practices.

Kevin also counsels companies on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). He has helped scores of clients file records requests and works with the agency to ensure prompt and complete responses. Kevin has litigated many FOIA cases on both sides. He is a fierce advocate for companies battling the government for records and has used this aggressive approach in parallel to companies involved in or anticipating disputes with the government, such as possible False Claims Act matters or potential claims. These tactics allow companies to build their arguments and affirmative defenses earlier in the litigation process. On the other hand, Kevin has defended companies whose information is being sought. He has successfully intervened in a Ninth Circuit appeal on behalf of a biotechnology trade association and in a district court case for another technology company—in both cases preventing the information from being disclosed. He has also worked behind the scenes with the government to support its case to withhold certain contractor records and defend his client’s interest without becoming a party to the litigation.

In addition, Kevin advises clients on complex attorney-client privilege matters, including the structuring of cross-border investigations to preserve the privilege for a large technology company, ability to assert privilege over forensic investigations accompanying data breaches and the organization of the legal department at a Fortune 10 company. He is a contributing author to the leading treatise on the attorney-client privilege, Attorney-Client Privilege in the United States, which is routinely cited by federal appellate courts and state supreme courts.

As Co-Chair of the firm’s national Government Contracts team, Todd Canni is entrusted by government contractors to resolve their most
important “bet-the-company” government contracts matters and unexpected “crisis” events. Indeed, his success for clients earned
him national Chambers recognition, Law360’s prestigious “Most Valuable Player” for Government Contracts lawyers in 2024, a designation given to only five lawyers nationally, and Legal500 (2024) to call him “a heavyweight in crises matters, high-profile bid protests, white collar defenses and fraud allegations ….” Where others fear the U.S. Government, Todd helps his clients “triumph over the Goliaths” as recognized by Chambers (2024).

Todd is widely known as one of the nation’s preeminent suspension and debarment lawyers and one of only a few debarment lawyers who previously served as a Department of Defense debarring official (Director, Suspension & Debarment Operations). Among his accomplishments: in 2022, Todd served as lead trial counsel in successfully challenging a DoD debarment in federal court, thus saving the client’s business and the jobs of its valued workforce. Due to Todd’s two decades of experience in the government contracts and debarment spaces, including as a debarring official and as defense counsel, and his involvement in several dozen administrative agreements involving monitoring, he is well positioned to serve as an Independent Monitor under agency Administrative Agreements. Indeed, Todd served as Chair and Vice Chair of the ABA Suspension and Debarment Committee, and he authored the chapter on administrative agreements in the ABA’s Practitioner’s Guide to Suspension & Debarment.

As Co-Leader of both the firm’s Government Contracts and Aerospace and Defense Industry teams, Stephen Ruscus has more than 30 years of experience and a wealth of knowledge about the rules and regulations that drive the government contracts industry. Stephen provides exceptional day-to-day counseling and advice to clients from multiple industries, including defense, technology, life sciences, healthcare and manufacturing.

Representing clients in government contracts procurements, and in litigation before the Boards of Contract Appeals, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the Government Accountability Office, Stephen also advises in protest practice before the Small Business Administration and in matters relating to federal procurement of commercial items and services, including those under Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts.

His work encompasses a broad range of contracts and policy matters, including negotiations, compliance, claims and disputes. Issues addressed include country of origin and domestic sourcing, supplies and services indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) task order contracts, fixed price and cost reimbursement contracts, government-funded research and related FAR, DFAR and other CFR provisions, subcontract negotiations and disputes and federal debarment and suspension.

Stephen counsels clients on federal procurement with respect to the Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), Defense and Health and Human Services. He also advises on government pricing laws and regulations governing pharmaceutical manufacturer participation in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicaid Drug Rebate, Medicare, the 340B drug pricing, TRICARE retail pharmacy and Veterans Healthcare Act programs; VA FSS contracts; DOD DAPA and ECAT; and public policy affecting these programs.