Michael H. Payne

Mr. Payne is a Senior Partner in the firm and he is an experienced trial lawyer who has represented contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers in all aspects of federal contract and construction law. His efforts have included assistance in the preparation of bids and proposals, interpretation of contract provisions, filing of protests, negotiation of contracts, and the litigation and settlement of contract claims and appeals. He has represented contractors on numerous types of projects, including those involving military and civil works construction, federal supply contracts, dredging, hazardous waste remediation, highway construction, and public projects for state and local agencies. He has represented clients before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, the Government Accountability Office, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and a number of Federal District and Appellate Courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Mr. Payne was formerly the Chief Trial Attorney for the North Atlantic Division of the Army Corps of Engineers. In that capacity, he was responsible for approximately sixty-five to seventy appeals per year and hundreds of contract claims throughout the North Atlantic region. As a result, Mr. Payne gained invaluable experience in the negotiation of contract claims, and the preparation of administrative reports on protests, claims, and environmental matters. He has lectured extensively throughout the United States before contractors and government agencies regarding government contract matters and, in his capacity as a course instructor for the Federal Highway Administration-National Highway Institute, Mr. Payne presented extensive training courses on the prevention, negotiation and litigation of construction contract disputes to state highway departments nationwide and to the Canadian government. Mr. Payne co-authored Bidding and Managing Government Contracts, published by R. S. Means Co., Inc. In 1994, Mr. Payne developed a computer program, FEDCON, which provides federal construction contractors with a hypertext-linked database of information about federal procedures and regulations. Mr. Payne also developed the Federal Construction Contracting Blog, the only blog devoted exclusively to federal construction contracting. He currently presents several seminars each year on a variety of federal government contracting topics including ethics in government contracting.

Mr. Payne is a 1969 graduate of The Dickinson School of Law where he received a Juris Doctor degree. He is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Federal Claims, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Mr. Payne is a member of the American Bar Association, Public Contract Law Section and the Construction Industry Forum, the Society of American Military Engineers, and the Associated General Contractors of America. He is also the founder and President of Legal Information Systems, Inc., a company involved in providing electronic information for federal government contractors.