Attorneys establish government contracting boutique firm

Several government contracting attorneys and former government officials have created a new boutique law firm focused on contracting issues, including False Claims Act and international contracting cases.

The firm, called Nichols Liu, includes partners Robert Nichols, formerly co-chair of the government contracts group at Covington & Burling, and Andy Liu, former general counsel of the Social Security Administration. Also among the partners are Steven Shaw, who joined from Covington & Burling and previously served as deputy general counsel for the Air Force, and Derek Gilman, who was general counsel of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

Nichols told Inside Defense the smaller firm will be able to avoid the conflicts of interest larger firms sometimes encounter, while Gilman said its size enables agility.

"A smaller firm allows you to be more nimble to come up with creative solutions," Gilman said.

Nichols said the group would specialize in investigations, False Claims Act issues, suspension and debarment matters and compliance. Additionally, it has expertise in international contracting and can handle bid protests, audit claims and terminations.