Verified profile

Philip J. Davis

Government Contracts | Partner at Wiley Rein LLP

Philip J. Davis's profile photo
LocationWashingtonDistrict of Columbia, United States
Current rolePartnerWiley Rein LLP · since Jan 1983
Government service1yrU.S. District Court

About

Philip serves as senior counsel to Wiley. A former clerk on the Federal District Court, Philip represents clients on a broad range of government contracts and related litigation matters, including bid protests, contract disputes, claims preparation and litigation, suspension and debarment proceedings, and internal investigations and audits. Most recently, Philip was lead counsel in prosecuting some 30 separate and consolidated claims at the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) seeking more than $2.4 billion and defending against a Government request that the ASBCA declare the contract void ab initio on grounds of fraudulent inducement, conflict of interest and first material breach, and order the contractor to pay back all the money paid under the contract. This is the single largest claims litigation involving the ASBCA. Prior to these appeals, Philip represented another contractor in the then-largest claims litigation at the ASBCA involving 15 consolidated claims and a Government counterclaim that, after approximately 100 depositions and extensive motion practice, were made subject to the ASBCA Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program and eventually resolved.

Besides litigation matters, Philip has participated in several due diligence reviews in mergers and acquisitions, focusing on government contracts and litigation issues, and regularly taught a course on that subject. He served as a Vice Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Public Contract Law’s Committee on Professional Responsibility and Contracting Ethics, from which perspective he counseled clients on and conducted reviews of ethics/compliance programs, and drafted ethics/compliance policies.


Roles

Jan 1983–Present
Current role

Partner

Wiley Rein LLP

Washington, District of Columbia

Civil LitigationGovernment Contracts

Currently representing major defense contractor as lead counsel in more than 30 claims before the ASBCA totaling in excess of $2.4 billion, variously alleging breach of contract, failure to cooperate, and constructive changes in which the parties are engaged in vigorous deposition, discovery, and motion practice, and, in the same appeals, defending against Government's allegations that the underlying contract is void ab initio on grounds of fraud, conflict of interest and first material breach and seeking return of all monies paid by the Government under the contract.

Represented major defense contractor as lead counsel in successfully-resolved litigation before the ASBCA that involved 15 consolidated claims, including a Government counterclaim, alleging breach of contract, delay and disruption, and constructive changes, in which the firm successfully pursued and defended 18 substantive and procedural motions, including motions to dismiss and for summary judgment, took and defended 100 depositions and, thereafter, engaged in a customized Alternative Dispute Resolution process, involving additional requests for equitable adjustment and fact-finding, submission of 18 position papers, and oral presentations and mediation.

Lead counsel in multi-faceted representation of an Afghani contractor in litigating appeals and negotiating settlements of tens of millions of dollars'​ worth of claims at the ASBCA, resulting in recovery of 96% of claimed quantum; reaching settlement of civil False Claims Act allegations of false and forged documents prior to Department of Justice filing court action; persuading military department's Suspension and Debarment Official to lift a proposed debarment on grounds that record did not support allegations of false and forged documents and theft; and successfully protesting military department's non-responsibility finding against client in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Jan 1973–Jan 1974
Former role

Law Clerk

U.S. District Court

(appointed)Illinois Northern District

Law ClerkResearchLegal Assistant

Served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable Bernard M. Decker, Researching and drafting opinions, orders, and bench memoranda.

Representative matters

Experience

May 2025

Represented a major defense contractor as lead counsel in more than 30 claims before the ASBCA totaling in excess of $2.4 billion, variously alleging breach of contract, failure to cooperate, and constructive changes in which the parties engaged in vigorous deposition, discovery, and motion practice, and, in the same appeals, defended against the Government's allegations that the underlying contract was void ab initio on the grounds of fraud, conflict of interest and first material breach and seeking return of all monies paid by the Government under the contract. The team defeated the Government’s claims in their entirety, received a judgment of approximately $140 million and continues to litigate other claims. Represented a major defense contractor as lead counsel in successfully-resolved litigation before the ASBCA that involved 15 consolidated claims, including a government counterclaim, alleging breach of contract, delay and disruption, and constructive changes, in which the firm successfully pursued and defended 18 substantive and procedural motions, including motions to dismiss and for summary judgment, took and defended approximately 100 depositions and, thereafter, engaged in an ADR process which involved additional requests for equitable adjustment and fact-finding, submission of 18 position papers, and three-week long oral presentations and mediation. Lead counsel in multi-faceted representation of an Afghani host nation contractor in (i) litigating appeals and negotiating settlements of tens of millions of dollars' worth of claims at the ASBCA, resulting in recovery of 96% of claimed quantum, (ii) reaching settlement of civil False Claims Act allegations of false and forged documents prior to Department of Justice filing court action, (iii) persuading military department's Suspension and Debarment Official to lift a proposed debarment on grounds that record presented by Government did not support allegations of false and forged documents and theft made against the client, and (iv) successfully protesting military department's non-responsibility finding against client in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Lead counsel in successful representation of leading electrical, design build and systems integration firm in bid protest before the District of Columbia Contract Appeals Board (CAB) in a challenge to the DC Department of Transportation award of eight-figure contract for upgrade and maintenance of the DC street lighting assets, and in subsequent appeal of the CAB decision to the DC Superior Court. Lead counsel in intervention on behalf of major defense contractor in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to defend against protest of award of eight-figure contract for integrated security systems at the Department of Defense facilities in the Washington, DC area. Lead counsel in numerous bid protests on behalf of professional services contractor before U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and Federal agencies, including hearings and oral arguments. Represents clients in suspension and debarment proceedings before agencies' Suspension and Debarment Officials (SDO), including making written submissions and oral presentations. This has included lead counsel role in obtaining no action letter from military department SDO for client that had been debarred by a major international organization and persuading another military department SDO not to debar a client that had pled guilty to a Sherman Act felony.

Recognition

Honors

America's Leading Lawyers for Business

Chambers USA

January 2019

Listed by Chambers USA as one of "America's Leading Lawyers for Business" in Government Contracts (2016-2019)

Recommended Lawyer

The Legal 500 US

January 2018

Named by The Legal 500 US as a “recommended lawyer” in Government Contracts (2015-2018)

Publications & speeches

Tackling the Four-Headed Monster of Cost Accounting

Bloomberg BNA Federal Contracts Report

October 2016

This year, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals issued a decision holding that the government could recover increased costs caused by a contractor’s voluntary accounting practice change only if the contracting officer (CO) affirmatively determines the amount of those costs is material. Raytheon Co., Space & Airborne Sys., ASBCA No. 58068, 2016 WL 4764637 (Aug. 9, 2016). The contracting officer in this case had attempted to sidestep the materiality requirement in two ways: (1) the government argued that the contracting officer was not required to consider whether the amount was material; and (2) the contracting officer asserted that she deemed the costs to be material simply because they would increase the cost to the government.

Link

Federal Circuit Rejects “Narrowly Tailored” Standard of Review for Corrective Action

Wiley.law

October 2018

Link

View from Wiley Rein: The Federal Circuit’s (Accidental?) Expansion of Interested Party Status in Tinton Falls Lodging Realty, Inc. v. United States

Bloomberg BNA's Federal Contracts Report

October 2015

Link

COFC Suggests a Possible Exception to the Axiom Standard for Supplementing the Administrative Record

Bloomberg BNA's Federal Contracts Report

January 2013

Link

DoD Issues In-Sourcing Guidance

Wiley.law

June 2009

Author

Link

Due Diligence in Government Contractor Mergers and Acquisitions

Federal Publications Seminars — Washington, DC

May 2014

Due Diligence in Government Contractor Mergers and Acquisitions

Federal Publications Seminars — Arlington, VA

November 2013

Due Diligence in Federal Contractor Mergers & Acquisitions

Federal Publications Seminars — Arlington, VA

May 2013

Private Sector Careers in Government Contracts

George Washington University School of Law Panel Discussion — Washington, DC

March 2012

Panelist

Due Diligence in Federal Contractor Mergers & Acquisitions

Federal Publications Seminars — Due Diligence in Federal Contractor Mergers & Acquisitions

May 2011

Speaker