Wiley Rein’s John Prairie Profiled by Law360 as a ‘Rising Star’ for Government Contracts

July 24, 2017

Washington, DC —John R. Prairie, a standout partner in Wiley Rein’s highly rated Government Contracts Practice, was profiled as a 2017 “Rising Star” by Law360, which named him one of the nation’s top five government contracts attorneys under 40.

Mr. Prairie was cited in a July 21 article as a “go-to attorney” for a wide range of federal contractors in “high-stakes litigation.” One such case, an long-running dispute with the Pentagon over a contract to provide food, water, and other supplies to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, involves claims collectively worth $10.6 billion and is believed to be the largest case ever before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals.

“That has been an incredibly interesting matter, because it started out as just a very straightforward contract dispute – what is the appropriate price for services our client provided to the government?” Mr. Prairie told Law360. “Since then, it has expanded into a wide array of fraud counterclaims, allegations of criminal conflicts of interest, and all kinds of other issues that have been raised by government in defense. That stands out in my mind as one of the bigger cases and most interesting cases I’ve worked on.”

Mr. Prairie noted the diversity of clients represented by the Government Contracts Practice. “The government buys literally everything, so our clients span virtually every industry out there – and I find it very interesting getting to understand how certain industries and businesses work,” he said. “I also like that we deal with a wide array of sizes of clients. We do a lot of work for sophisticated in-house counsel at top-five defense contractors, and then two hours later you’re on a phone call with the CEO of a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, who has a very different perspective on the types of issues they’re dealing with.”

Asked what advice he would offer to young attorneys, Mr. Prairie said it’s important to understand the industry as a whole. “My advice to junior government contracts attorneys is to get involved in the industry, understand how the industry works so you can have a better appreciation of where you fit in the grand scheme of things,” he said.

Law360’s profile of Mr. Prairie can be found here (subscription required).