Nikole Snyder

Nikole Snyder is an associate in the Governmental Practice in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. She is a lead associate of the firm’s Aerospace, Defense & Government Services Team.

Areas of Practice

Nikole represents government contractors in various government contracts litigation and counseling matters, including in the following areas:

• Civil False Claims Act litigation defense;
• Cybersecurity counseling;
• Internal investigations;
• Small business issues under the Small Business Administration regulations, including issues of size status and affiliation;
• Transactional due diligence; 
• Bid protests before the U.S. Government Accountability Office; and
• Bribery, gratuities, and kickbacks.

Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Nikole spent five years working for a defense contractor in Arlington, VA, supporting a Department of Defense agency. During her time as a contractor, Nikole spent three years supporting the agency’s Office of General Counsel as a Law Clerk, and gained valuable experience with litigation, defending bid protests, contract negotiation, intellectual property issues, Other Transactions Agreements (OTAs), and ethics compliance.

Honors

Top Read Article Award for “Executive Order 14042: Survival Guide for Federal Contractors (An Analysis of What We Know, What We Think, and What We Don’t Know About President Biden’s COVID-19 Executive Order for Federal Contractor," 2022

Top Author, JD Supra Readers' Choice Awards, 2022

Articles

• Jurisdiction over Federal Procurement Disputes: The Puzzle of Other Transactions Agreements, 48 Pub. Cont. L. J. 3, 515 (Spring 2019)

Corporate & Securities Law Blog Posts

• "Sheppard Submits Comments to Main Street Loan Program," April 17, 2020

• "UPDATED: Checklist for CARES Act Assistance to Companies," April 7, 2020

• "Checklist for CARES Act Assistance to Companies," April 1, 2020

Eye on Privacy Blog Posts

• "Defense Department Outlines Its Future Cybersecurity Program," January 25, 2024

• "Updated Timeline for DoD’s Cybersecurity Certification Program," June 23, 2022
• "White House Focuses on Improving the Cybersecurity of National Security Systems," February 15, 2022
• "2021 Cybersecurity Recap for Government Contractors (and What to Expect in 2022) – Part 4 of 4: Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) 2.0," December 22, 2021

• "2021 Cybersecurity Recap for Government Contractors (and What to Expect in 2022) – Part 3 of 4: Cyber Incident & Ransomware Payment Reporting Legislation," December 21, 2021

• "2021 Cybersecurity Recap for Government Contractors (and What to Expect in 2022) – Part 2 of 4: Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil-Cyber Fraud Initiative," December 20, 2021
• "2021 Cybersecurity Recap for Government Contractors (and What to Expect in 2022) – Part 1 of 4: Biden’s Cybersecurity Executive Order (EO 14028)," December 17, 2021

• "Updates Announced to Department of Defense Cybersecurity Certification Program," November 10, 2021
• "CISA Releases “Cyber Essentials” to Assist Small Businesses," November 12, 2019
• "Interim Rule Solidifies Cybersecurity Requirements for Defense Industrial Base," October 9, 2020

Global Trade Law Blog Posts

• "“Sanctions Are The New FCPA”: DOJ Increases Focus on Sanctions and Export Control Enforcement," March 13, 2023

Government Contracts & Investigations Blog Posts

• "Update – Penn State to Pay Up for Cyber-Related FCA Case," October 30, 2024

• "Navigating the New Cybersecurity Regulatory Landscape Post-Chevron," July 31, 2024

• "Latest Cyber-Related FCA Settlement Underscores the Breadth of DOJ’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Focus," June 26, 2024

• "The Next Frontier: Key Takeaways from the New U.S. Government Commercial Space Strategies," April 29, 2024
• "Governmental Practice Cybersecurity and Data Protection, 2023 Recap & 2024 Forecast Alert," February 8, 2024

• "For Limited Use Only: Guidance on National Security Delay Determinations under the SEC Cyber Reporting Rule," January 19, 2024
• "DoD IG Report Provides Insight Into Common Missteps When Protecting CUI," January 19, 2024

• "New Year, New Rules: The CMMC Proposed Rule is Here," January 2, 2024

• "Updated Timeline for CMMC Implementation," June 29, 2022
• "Well, That Didn’t Take Long – DOJ Announces its First Settlement of a Civil Cyber-Fraud Case," March 10, 2022
• "Executive Order 14042 – Update 15.0: U.S. District Court “Clarifies” Its Injunction Applies Only To The Vaccine Mandate," January 25, 2022
• "Supreme Court Enjoins OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard; Keeps CMS Rule Alive," January 18, 2022
• "Executive Order 14042 – Update 12.0: U.S. District Court Issues Nationwide Injunction," December 8, 2021
• "What We Know And Don’t About The Federal Court Order Enjoining EO 14042," December 3, 2021
• "DOD Updates Its Cybersecurity Certification Program – CMMC 2.0: What Contractors Need to Know," November 10, 2021
• "DOJ Announces Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative To Enforce Contractor Cybersecurity Compliance," October 28, 2021
• "Executive Order 14042 Survival Guide," October 11, 2021

• "COVID-19 Oversight and Enforcement: President Biden’s COVID Executive Order," September 15, 2021

• "At a Glance: White House 100-Day Supply Chain Report," June 29, 2021
• "Right on Time – NIST Releases Definition of “Critical Software” Per Biden’s Cybersecurity Executive Order," June 29, 2021
• "Biden’s Cybersecurity Executive Order," May 17, 2021

• "Finding the Weak Links – President Biden Executive Order Demands Review of Critical U.S. Supply Chains," March 31, 2021

• "Key Provisions You Should Know From FY 2021 NDAA," January 27, 2021

• "The NISPOM is Becoming a Regulation & Contractors Have Six Months to Comply," January 27, 2021

• "DoD’s Long Awaited Rule on CMMC – Plus a New Cybersecurity Assessment Methodology for Contractors to Start Right Now," September 29, 2020

• "GSA’s Take on Implementation of Section 889," September 29, 2020

• "Interim Rule Confirms Section 889 Part B Restriction on Contractor Use of Chinese Telecom Will Go Into Effect August 2020," July 14, 2020

• "DOD CMMC Update – Third Party Auditors Gear Up and COTS Providers Get a Pass," May 28, 2020

• "CMMC Version 1.0: Enhancing DOD’s Supply Chain Cybersecurity," February 27, 2020

• "Let the Seller Beware – NASA’s Proposed Rule Seeks to Limit the Presence of Counterfeit Electronic Parts," January 31, 2020

White Collar & Government Enforcement Blog Posts

• "DOJ Sues Georgia Tech Entities for Cybersecurity Failures in the Latest Civil Cyber Fraud Initiative (CCFI) Activity," August 23, 2024

• "Update – DOJ Declines to Intervene in Penn State Cyber-Related FCA Case," October 2, 2023

• "Recent Cyber-Related False Claims Act Activity Signals Contractors and Universities Should Examine Their Cybersecurity Practices and Brace for an Uptick in Enforcement," September 11, 2023

Media Mentions

Events