Practices:

• Economic Stimulus
• Government Contracts
  • Claims and Terminations
  • Commercial Products and Services
  • Compliance and Investigations
  • Cost Accounting
  • International Government Contracts
  • IP Rights and Technical Data
  • National Security Clearance
  • Procurement Fraud
  • Service Contracting
  • Suspension and Debarment
• International
  • International Dispute Resolution
• Litigation
  • Fraud and Criminal Investigations

Experience

Tom 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 from TINA to IP/data rights, to DPAS/DOHA/DSS national security to cost accounting issues. He has argued cases before California and Federal trial courts, the United States Court of Federal Claims, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the 9th 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, and successfully defended numerous False Claims Act/Qui Tam cases.

Mr. Abbott also has extensive involvement with construction, supply and service contract disputes including terminations, delay and defect claims. He is currently representing contractors with disputes related to the Katrina and Iraq/Afghanistan efforts. Mr. Abbott is active in the day-to-day counseling of contractors who supported the government’s move to privatization, outsourcing, and commercial contracting, and who are now facing the effects of "insourcing." His practice also includes the implementation of compliance and ethics training programs and internal investigations. Mr. Abbott assisted contractors with the DoD voluntary disclosure program and has been instrumental in the response to the development of the FAR mandatory disclosure program.

Mr. Abbott has played integral roles 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, Canadian and Japanese companies. He has also been extensively involved in counseling and litigation involving Foreign Military Financing (FMF), Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and USAID contracts. Additionally, Mr. Abbott has assisted more than 100 companies and individuals with classified facilities clearance and personnel clearance issues.  

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