Wiley Rein’s Scott McCaleb Named Government Contracts ‘MVP’ by Law360 for Two Years Running

November 23, 2015

Scott M. McCaleb, a partner in Wiley Rein’s top-rated Government Contracts Practice who was named a 2015 Government Contracts “MVP” by Law360, was recently profiled in the publication. The story cited two “high-profile wins” including a “precedent-setting challenge of a government payment practice” and the “defense of a $5 billion contract award,” which secured his placement on the highly competitive list. Mr. McCaleb was one of five attorneys recognized nationwide in government contracts, and he is the only attorney named to the MVP list in this field in both 2014 and 2015.

Law360 highlighted Mr. McCaleb’s case at the Federal Circuit in March, in which he represented incumbent contractor CGI Federal Inc. and won a ruling from a three-judge panel that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services must issue payments consistent with commercial practices. It also noted his win in January for the Boeing Company at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), when the GAO rejected Sierra Nevada Corp.’s bid protest over a $4.8 billion NASA contract.

Mr. McCaleb said that NASA attorneys helped him score the win for Boeing and that talented junior Wiley Rein associates were indispensable to his work. “One thing I will say on all of these cases is it’s far less a reflection on me than it is a reflection on the really great work by the really talented younger lawyers that worked on the teams,” he added.  When asked what advice he would give to less experienced government contracts lawyers, he advised to lead with the strongest points in an argument and concentrate on the minute details of the cases and contract law. “It’s often said that the devil’s in the details, and in litigation that’s often the case,” he concluded.