Aerospace and Defense | Industries

Industry Contacts

Shaping the Industry
The aerospace and defense industry is in continual flux. Suppliers and subcontractors must keep pace with technological advances, global market forces, and regulatory hurdles. Taft meets that pressure with attorneys in the markets where the work gets done: Colorado’s “Aerospace Alley,” where space and national security technology is built; Dayton, home to the Air Force acquisition and research community at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; and Washington, D.C., where federal procurement and enforcement decisions are made.

Taft serves startups, prime contractors, subcontractors, manufacturers, suppliers, and launch service providers worldwide. Our Government Contracts practice group supports these clients from pre-solicitation through closeout and handles the disputes, investigations, and compliance issues that arise along the way. Our experience also spans the telecommunications and high-tech industries, which often intersect with aerospace and defense.

Our robust multidisciplinary team includes:

Multiple attorneys with more than 30 years of experience representing aerospace and defense prime contractors, subcontractors, and public buyers in matters involving their government contracts.
A former general counsel of divisions within one of the world’s largest aerospace contractors.
Former Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps attorneys, including a former member of the Air Force Contracts Litigation Office.
Former in-house counsel to government contractors and a former senior intellectual property counsel at GE Aerospace.
A former Navy senior contracting officer who worked on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program.
A former senior vice president of risk management, chief ethics and compliance officer, and deputy general counsel in the telecommunications and technology sector.
A former engineer who designed missile and satellite systems.

Focused Insight and Guidance
Taft attorneys stay at the forefront of legal developments and sector-specific concerns. We provide legal, transactional, and regulatory guidance in:

Negotiating government contracts, subcontracts, teaming agreements, and joint ventures.
Counseling on solicitations, bids, awards and compliance requirements.
Prosecuting and defending bid protests before the Government Accountability Office, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and procuring agencies.
Pursuing requests for equitable adjustment and defending claims, and appeals before the Boards of Contract Appeals and the Court of Federal Claims.
Navigating Other Transaction Authorities, Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, and General Services Administration Schedule contracts.
Protecting technical data rights and intellectual property.
Meeting cybersecurity requirements, including Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC).
Navigating export controls, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
Supporting facility clearances and employee security clearance matters.
Conducting internal and governmental investigations, including False Claims Act and qui tam matters.
Handling mandatory disclosures and suspension and debarment proceedings.
Facilitating mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships, including government contractor due diligence.
Planning, acquiring, and financing space assets, including satellite design and manufacturing contracts.
Advising on space law, launch licensing, launch service agreements, and on-orbit services.
Structuring satellite and transponder leasing arrangements.
Arbitrating and litigating space-related disputes.
Managing risk, insurance, and insurance recovery.