Thomas (Tom) L. McGovern III

Tom McGovern entered the world of government contracts as a U.S. Air Force officer in 1979. He worked part time for Stanford's contracts and grants office while in law school from 1984 to 1987, then joined the firm shortly after graduation.

For his first 20 years at the firm, Tom remained active in the Air Force Reserve, retiring as a colonel in 2007; his last assignment was in the Air Force Senate Liaison Office. Today, Tom builds off that experience as he handles high-stakes cases for major defense and aerospace contractors, information technology companies, and research institutions.

A litigator and a leader in the firm's Government Contracts practice, Tom handles all types of government contract matters, including bid protests, disputes and claims, termination settlements, misconduct investigations, and suspension and debarment cases. He is well known for his bid protest work before the Court of Federal Claims, Government Accountability Office (GAO), and FAA Office of Disputes Resolution for Acquisition. He represents clients in contract dispute cases before the Court of Federal Claims and Boards of Contract Appeals, as well as in prime and subcontractor disputes before federal district and state courts.

In addition to litigating, Tom advises clients on numerous other procurement-related matters, including subcontracts, teaming agreements, suspension and debarment matters, schedule contract compliance issues, small and minority-owned business programs, personal and facility security clearances, information assurance obligations, and defense of qui tam lawsuits. He regularly teams with partners in the firm's white-collar practice on significant procurement misconduct cases.