Partner, Washington DC
1900 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006-1108

TEL: 202.496.7574
FAX: 202.496.7756
EMAIL: jclerici@mckennalong.com

PROFILE

John Clerici is a Partner in the firm's government contracts practice and government affairs group. He also serves as chair of the Firm’s Life Sciences and Public Health practice. John's practice centers on working with new entrants to the government marketplace and assisting existing government contractors to develop effective government affairs strategies for selling goods and services to the Federal, state and local governments, particularly in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and public-private partnership arena. These strategies involve all aspects of government affairs, including providing targeted legislative and regulatory solutions, public relations strategies, legal advice regarding appropriate contract vehicles and corporate structures to maximize business opportunities.  In addition, John is a recognized expert on the topic of liability reform policy.  

John has represented a number of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients to impact significantly the legislation implementing Project BioShield, President Bush's initiative to promote and  fund the development of biomedical countermeasures.  John has negotiated the numerous contracts for clients selling stockpiles of countermeasures to the Federal government, including the majority of the awards made under Project Bioshield.  In 2005, John played a substantial role in the drafting and passage of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act), landmark legislation that provides substantial liability protections for makers and distributors of pandemic, epidemic, and bio-terrorism countermeasures.  John testified as an expert in support of this legislation on four occasions before the United States Senate Appropriations Committee, HELP Committee, and Judiciary Committee.  In 2006, John was instrumental in the passage of legislation creating the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA), which builds upon and improves Project BioShield.  John's expertise in the area of biodefense has been recognized by leading news outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, the Associated Press, the Boston Globe, and The Hill. He has also appeared live on the Fox News Channel as a bioterrorism expert.

John also has extensive experience advising clients engaged in public-private partnerships with the Federal government, including representing one of the largest and most successful military housing privatization contractors in the nation.

John played a significant role in developing the legislative strategy and drafting key provisions of the SAFETY Act, a major component of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. John has testified on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce before the U.S. House of Representatives on the SAFETY Act's implementation and has represented a number of entities that have successfully received SAFETY Act certification. John's political involvement spans more than a decade, having worked on campaigns for the United States Senate, House of Representatives, and state offices.  In 2001, John was a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates.  John was elected as a member of the Virginia delegation to the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City that re-nominated President George W. Bush.  Since 2006, John has served on the Virginia Finance Committee for McCain 2008

Prior to joining the firm, John was a judge advocate with the U.S. Air Force where, among other assignments, he advised the Air Force Research Laboratory on the procurement of technology from research institutions throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.  John has appeared as a military law analyst for the Fox News Channel and MSNBC before national audiences.