News

07.07.2003

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton is proud to announce that John W. Chierichella, Louis D. Victorino, Douglas E. Perry, Anne B. Perry and Jonathan S. Aronie have joined the Firm's Government Contracts and Regulated Industries Practice Group, in Washington, DC. The Washington, DC office has grown to 23 attorneys and offers expertise in corporate, finance, litigation, government contracts, antitrust, and real estate.

The new group, which practiced together for more than a decade at New York-based Fried Frank, brings to bear, collectively, a century of experience in the practice of government contracts law and related litigation. Their practice serves a wide range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies operating in the aerospace, shipbuilding, and other strategic defense and energy-related spheres; emerging technology companies and international concerns seeking to enter or expand their role in the federal marketplaces; and companies that sell, or seek to sell, commercial products and services under the auspices of the General Services Administration's Multiple Award Schedule Contract Program.

The group's area of practice includes counseling and litigation, both classified and unclassified in nature, with respect to contested contract awards; federal cost accounting; defective pricing; internal investigations and compliance reviews; False Claims Act litigation; claims and appeals; rights in patents, technical data and computer software; teaming agreements; subcontract disputes; export controls; multiple award schedules; and due diligence reviews in support of corporate transactions involving federal contractors.

Guy Halgren, Chairman of the Firm's Executive Committee, said, "One of our main goals for our Washington, D.C. office was the establishment of a premiere government contracts practice to better serve our government contracts clients on a national basis. With the addition of this world-class group, we offer first-class government contracts representation from coast to coast." Added Bob Magielnicki, Administrative Partner in the Washington, DC office, "The ability to provide our clients with the high-caliber government contracts and litigation experience and expertise of this outstanding group of attorneys will be of tremendous benefit. The group's presence enhances the Washington office and will contribute significantly to our continuing expansion in DC."

Commented Chierichella, "We are very excited at the prospect of merging our practice with that of Sheppard Mullin. Quite apart from the obvious enhancement of our ability to bring greater resources to bear in a more economical fashion to support clients on both coasts, we believe the inter-practice synergies will be extraordinary. Our ability to continue our group practice in this setting is powerfully attractive to all of us."

Joe Coyne, also a leading government contracts attorney and Executive Committee member focused on the Firm's strategic growth, added, "Like the transcontinental railroad of yesteryear, we are pleased to link these two strong bi-coastal practices into one. We now have strong government contracts assets available on both coasts to our national clients. This association continues the Firm's ongoing effort to attract strong and complementary practice groups that can help us better serve our clients."

John W. Chierichella, joining the Firm as partner, brings to Sheppard Mullin over 30 years of experience in government contracts matters. Chierichella received his law degree from Columbia University Law School in 1972, where he was a James Kent Scholar, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a member of the Law Review (Notes and Comments Editor), and his undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1969. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, California and New York. Early in his career, Chierichella served as an attorney/advisor to the Secretary, Office of the General Counsel, Department of the Air Force, in the area of procurement law. In addition to being a member of the American Bar Association's Sections of Public Contract Law, Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice (for which he chairs the Public Contracts Committee), and Litigation, Chierichella is a member of the National Defense Industrial Association, and on the Advisory Board of the Government Contractor. He is a prolific writer and lecturer on a variety of topics relating to the federal procurement process, and, with Jonathan Aronie, co-authored the leading treatment of Multiple Award Schedule contracting, which was published last year.

Louis D. Victorino, joining the Firm as special counsel, has specialized in public contract law for over 30 years. He received his law degree from UCLA School of Law 1n 1970, where he was an Editor of the Law Review, and his undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1967. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and California. He is a member of the Public Contract Law Section of the American Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association, as well as former member of the Board of Editors of the Public Contract Law Journal, and the Advisory Board of The Government Contractor. Victorino has authored books and articles, as well as lectured on topics relating to intellectual property rights under government contracts, federal audits, Civil False Claims Act, and teaming agreements.

Douglas E. Perry, joining the Firm as partner, received his law degree from Cornell University Law School in 1988, and his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Kenyon College in 1985. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Public Contract Law Section of the American Bar Association. He has written a number of articles and lectured frequently on the federal procurement process.

Anne B. Perry, joining the Firm as partner, received her law degree, with honors, from the National Law Center of George Washington University in 1989, and her undergraduate degree from Dickinson College in 1986. She is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania. Perry is a frequent lecturer and author in government contracts law. Early in her career, Perry worked as an attorney/advisor at the U.S. General Accounting Office.

Jonathan S. Aronie, joining the Firm as partner, received his law degree from Duke University School of Law in 1993, where he served as a law clerk with the United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of North Carolina. He received his undergraduate degree, with honors, from Brandeis University in 1990. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Aronie has authored more than 30 articles focusing on a range of legal topics and co-authored a book with Chierichella, on Multiple Award Schedule contracting. He is a frequent lecturer on the federal procurement process and writer of a column for Federal Computer Week. He also serves under former Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Bromwich as the Deputy Independent Monitor for the Metropolitan Police Department.

Sheppard Mullin has more than 380 attorneys among its eight offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara, West Los Angeles, and Del Mar Heights. The full-service firm provides counsel in Antitrust and Trade Regulation; White Collar and Civil Fraud Defense; Business Litigation; Construction, Environmental, Real Estate and Land Use Litigation; Corporate; Entertainment and Media; Finance and Bankruptcy; Financial Institutions; Government Contracts and Regulated Industries; Healthcare; Intellectual Property; Labor and Employment; Real Estate, Land Use, Natural Resources and Environment; and Tax, Employee Benefits, Trusts and Estates. The Firm celebrated its 75^th anniversary in 2002.

# # #