Perkins Coie has expanded its government contracts practice with the addition of two attorneys, the firm announced Wednesday.
Andrew Shipley, formerly of Northrop Grumman Corporation and John Henault, formerly of Cooley, join as partner and of counsel, respectively. Shipley served as an assistant general counsel for the defense contractor. Henault was an associate in Cooley’s commercial litigation group.
Shipley has experience handling national and international litigation related to the False Claims Act, government contracts, bid protests, ERISA class actions, patent infringement, environmental, employment, securities, product liability, bankruptcy and commercial cases.
Henault focuses his practice on government contract and fraud litigation related to the False Claims Act and anti-corruption laws.
In an interview, Shipley said that he and Henault had previously worked together. He said that working in house at the government contractor enabled him to understand the duality of marrying business and legal needs and strategies. He said that more and more companies are finding themselves dealing with the government, which requires increased legal advice.
“Whether you’re making T-shirts or tank systems or aircraft systems, you’re dealing with the government,” Shipley said. “There is no question that we are moving into an era of increased regulatory oversight.”
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