Government Contract Lawyer Joins Jenner & Block

WASHINGTON, DC, May 4, 2015 – Jenner & Block LLP is pleased to announce that experienced government contract lawyer Mark J. Nackman, a former general counsel for a business unit of a Fortune 100 aerospace and defense company, is joining the firm’s nationally acclaimed Government Contracts Practice in the Washington, DC office.  With ties to national and regional contractors based in the National Capital Region and extensive knowledge of the aerospace and defense sector, Mr. Nackman will add substantial experience to the firm’s longstanding capabilities in this arena.  With his cybersecurity and intelligence community credentials, Mr. Nackman will also allow us to better serve our clients confronted with sensitive issues regarding classified contracts, and his experience will enhance the firm’s growing cybersecurity counseling within the Privacy and Information Governance Practice.

“We have a stellar group of lawyers who understand the intricacies and practicalities of doing business with the government,” said Jenner & Block Managing Partner Terrence J. Truax.  “We are excited to have Mark join the team and continue the firm’s longstanding tradition of representing some of the largest defense contractors, as well as small businesses and start-ups, with their most pressing matters and business opportunities.”

Before joining Jenner & Block, Mr. Nackman served as vice president and general counsel for General Dynamics - Advanced Information Systems, General Dynamics Corporation’s multi-billion-dollar ISR and cybersecurity government business unit as well as General Dynamics Fidelis Cybersecurity Solutions, General Dynamics Corporation’s commercial cybersecurity business unit.  In that role, he was responsible for the units’ legal, export controls, contracts and subcontracts and oversaw all legal, contracts and compliance matters including international and commercial transactions, litigation, labor and employment, mergers and acquisitions due diligence and negotiations, and divestiture activities.  He managed a department of 140 people and seven lawyers.

“Mark is a well-suited and valuable addition to our team,” said David A. Churchill, co-chair of Jenner & Block’s Government Contracts Practice.  “His government contracts experience and legal acumen will help clients effectively address their contentious matters, navigate today’s complex regulatory landscape and pursue transactional opportunities.”

Before joining General Dynamics in 2011, Mr. Nackman served as vice president and associate general counsel at Alliant Techsystems (ATK), where he provided counsel to executive leadership on all phases of government contracts and international trade compliance.  He was previously a civilian attorney-advisor and active-duty judge advocate (JAG) with the US Air Force, including serving as staff judge advocate for an airbase in Iraq in 2005. From 2000 to 2002, he served as a special assistant US attorney in the District of New Mexico.

“Jenner & Block has one of the pre-eminent government contracts practices,” Mr. Nackman said. “I am very pleased to join the practice’s deep bench of lawyers who are committed to helping clients respond to ever-changing regulatory requirements. The firm’s overall litigation and corporate capabilities provide an ideal platform for expanding our reach to a broad cross-section of government contractors.”

In 2014, Mr. Nackman was appointed jointly by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to serve as a member of the International Trade Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property Rights, a Federal Advisory Committee.  He  earned his B.A. in Political Science from Purdue University, his J.D. from Valparaiso University School of Law and his LL.M in Government Procurement Law (with the highest honors) from The George Washington University Law School.  Mr. Nackman is an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Law School, where he teaches in the scholarly writing program and serves as a faculty advisor to the Public Contract Law Journal.  He serves on the board of directors for SourceAmerica, an organization that provides employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities.  Mr. Nackman is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and former chair of the American Bar Association’s Aerospace & Defense Industries Committee.

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK’S GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS PRACTICE

Representing companies from the largest defense contractors to small businesses and start-ups, our attorneys draw on a wealth of industry and litigation experience to help clients successfully avoid or resolve contract disputes with the US government.  Our attorneys understand the intricacies and practicalities of doing business with the government, as well as the real-world challenges clients face when those contracts break down or the government investigates them.  We know the judges in the specialized tribunals; we know the government decision makers; we know the investigators and auditors; and we know what works, whether the issue is advanced aircraft, copying machines or Medicare claims.

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK

Jenner & Block is a law firm with international reach, with approximately 450 attorneys and offices in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC.  Now entering its second century of service, the firm is known for its prominent and successful litigation practice and experience handling sophisticated and high-profile corporate transactions.  Firm clients include Fortune 100 companies, large privately held corporations, financial services institutions, emerging companies and venture capital and private equity investors.  In 2014, The American Lawyer magazine named Jenner & Block as the number one Pro Bono Law Firm for the fifth time in seven years.