Practices:

• Compliance and Investigations
• Economic Stimulus
• Government Contracts
  • Claims and Terminations
  • Commercial Products and Services
  • Compliance and Investigations
  • Cost Accounting
  • Health Care
  • International Government Contracts
  • IP Rights and Technical Data
  • National Security Clearance
  • Procurement Fraud
• International
  • Canada-U.S. Practice
• Litigation
  • Fraud and Criminal Investigations

Experience

Thomas M. Abbott currently serves as the Chairman of the Government Contracts practice, the largest such practice in the United States. Since joining the firm in 1983, he has worked on a wide variety of complex administrative, international, civil and criminal government contract issues. During the 25 years of his career, he’s argued cases before California and Federal trial courts, the United States Court of Federal Claims and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals. Several of his cases have involved claims in excess of $100 million.  Mr. Abbott has also successfully pursued claims under Public Law 85-804.

Mr. Abbott has extensive involvement with construction contract disputes involving governments, including terminations, delay and defect claims. He is currently representing construction contractors with disputes related to the Katrina rehabilitation effort and the Iraq reconstruction efforts. Mr. Abbott is active in the day-to-day counseling of contractors supporting the government’s move to privatization, outsourcing, and commercial contracting. His practice also includes the implementation of compliance and ethics training programs and internal investigations. Abbott participated in the voluntary disclosure program at DOD since its inception and has been heavily involved in the development of the FAR mandatory disclosure program.

Mr. Abbott was directly involved in the resolution by international arbitration or mediation of contract disputes involving NATO, and the governments of Canada, Spain, Greece and Egypt, as well as commercial disputes with French, Korean and Japanese companies. He has been extensively involved in counseling and litigation involving FMF, FMS and USAID contracts. Abbott routinely assists clients on classified contract, facilities clearance, and personnel clearance issues.

Mr. Abbott has in-depth knowledge of government procurement law, including actions under the False Claims Act; bid protests; rights in data; product liability issues involving the "government contractor defense;" subcontract disputes; and contract claim and termination issues. He is highly skilled in cases involving alleged defective pricing and cost accounting standards violations and has comprehensive experience in handling complex claims involving technology questions, including software design and development, system engineering, test and inspection, quality assurance and configuration management.

Mr. Abbott graduated from the United States Naval Academy and served as a Surface Warfare Officer for seven years, including tours as a manager of a DDG shipyard overhaul, and as an Executive Support Officer for Secretaries of Defense Harold Brown and Casper Weinberger.

Chambers USA 2009 has recognized Mr. Abbott as one of the leading government contracts lawyers in the nation. 

Education

• J.D., The George Washington University Law School, 1984
• B.S., United States Naval Academy, 1976

Admitted

• California