Washington, DC, September 23, 2019 – Miller & Chevalier Chartered today announced that leading government contracts attorney Alejandro "Alex" Sarria joined the firm as a Member in the Government Contracts Counseling and Litigation Practice. Sarria comes to the firm from Covington & Burling LLP and previously spent seven years at multinational law firm McKenna, Long & Aldridge LLP (now part of Dentons), then home to one of the world's marquee government contracts practices.

"We're excited to welcome Alex to the firm and about the potential his partnering with our existing government contracts litigators presents," Litigation Department Chair Andrew Wise said. "Alex perfectly fits what we aim to provide our clients – deep, substantive subject-matter expertise combined with savvy, business-driven legal judgment. Miller & Chevalier has a long history in the government contracts space, and our recent additions really strengthen and diversify the range of services we can provide companies that do business with the federal government."

Sarria has devoted his extensive career to working with government contractors and has wide-ranging expertise in the many legal issues they face. Sarria represents contractors in complex contract disputes with federal and state governments and in mass tort lawsuits arising out of military operations, national security programs, and environmental remediation projects. In his counseling practice, he advises clients on an array of federal procurement issues, including matters involving cost allowability, cost or pricing data requirements, battlefield contracting, subcontract pricing and flowdowns, commercial item contracting, the General Services Administration Schedules program, organizational conflicts of interest, cybersecurity laws and regulations, and business ethics and code of conduct requirements.

One of Sarria's most noteworthy cases, Secretary of the Army v. Kellogg Brown & Root Services (KBR), was a multi-year collaboration with Miller & Chevalier Government Contracts Practice Member Jason Workmaster that resulted in a groundbreaking July 2019 decision. In that case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit put an end to the long-running contract dispute regarding the use of private security contractors by the U.S. Army's principal logistical support contractor, KBR, and its subcontractors during the height of the Iraq War. In doing so, the Federal Circuit affirmed a 2017 decision finding that KBR was entitled to reimbursement of $44 million, plus interest, in costs the government had initially paid but later recouped under a cost-reimbursement contract. The decision resolved (in KBR's favor) important questions regarding jurisdiction over affirmative defenses and contractors' entitlement to interest, which promise to have a long-lasting positive impact for contractors engaged in contract disputes with the federal government.

Sarria's addition simultaneously deepens and expands Miller & Chevalier's already strong government contracts team. In addition to his broad-based government contracts practice, Sarria has unique expertise in helping companies identify and mitigate their liability exposure when performing in dangerous areas of the world or on high-risk government programs, including in contingency contracting environments, major weapons systems programs, and environmental and nuclear remediation projects. He brings to the team a specialty in the SAFETY Act, a post-9/11 statute that incentivizes companies to develop and deploy innovative anti-terrorism products, services, and internal security programs in exchange for powerful liability protections from lawsuits that claim they failed to detect, prevent, or respond to an act of terrorism.

"I've personally partnered with Alex for more than a decade and know him to be a thoughtful and creative practitioner with a reputation for excellence," noted Workmaster. "He is unquestionably a great fit for our firm and someone who will immediately provide value to our clients across the government contracting spectrum."

"I am thrilled to join Miller & Chevalier because of its stellar reputation for delivering first-class legal services and results for its clients. The firm is very well-positioned to handle the most complex government contracts matters without the logistical impediments our clients often encounter when dealing with larger firms. That provides an optimal platform to continue the momentum I'm seeing in my practice," Sarria said. "I am particularly excited to partner with Jason Workmaster and Abigail Stokes; we have highly complementary areas of expertise, and I am confident we can deliver the very best service and value to our clients for many years to come." 

Sarria serves as a Vice Chair of both the ABA Section of Public Contract Law, Contract Claims and Disputes Resolution Committee, and the Battlespace and Contingency Procurements Committee. He is a member of the National Defense Industrial Association, Procurement Division & Legal Committee, the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the Cuban American Bar Association.

Sarria earned his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School, where he was the Senior Articles Editor for The Public Contract Law Journal, and his B.S. in Journalism, with high honors, from the University of Florida.

About Miller & Chevalier

Founded in 1920, Miller & Chevalier is a Washington, DC law firm with a global perspective and leading practices in Tax, Litigation, International Law, Employee Benefits (including ERISA), White Collar Defense and Internal Investigations, and Government Affairs. Miller & Chevalier is a top-ranked firm sharply focused on targeted areas that interact with the federal government. Over the past three years, the firm's lawyers have represented more than 40 percent of the Fortune 100, one-quarter of the Fortune 500, and approximately 30 percent of the Global 100. Based in Washington, DC, a significant number of firm lawyers have held senior positions in the U.S. government and have written many of the regulations they currently help clients navigate. For more information on the firm, visit www.millerchevalier.com.

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Laura Miller, Media Relations, Greentarget, 312-252-4104