Terry L. Elling

Terry Elling is a litigation attorney in Holland & Knight's Government Contracts (GovCon) Practice Group in the firm's Tysons office. He is experienced in all principal aspects of government contracting.

Mr. Elling provides counsel and representation across the spectrum of government contract matters, including bid protests, claims, prime contractor-subcontractor disputes, small business contracting programs, suspension and debarment, as well as civil false claims.

Mr. Elling also has substantial experience in due diligence in connection with the merger and acquisition (M&A) of government contractors, as well as post-transaction matters such as novations. He also has extensive experience in compliance requirements associated with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) government contracting programs.

A significant portion of Mr. Elling's practice involves working with government contractors who perform in support of overseas/contingency and disaster-response operations and who market defense articles and services to foreign governments. In this regard, he also has extensive experience advising non-U.S.-based companies that compete for and perform government contracts and subcontracts. He also counsels contractors who work with non-U.S. team members to ensure compliance with U.S. export controls, the False Claims Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), industrial security and U.S. Combatant Command acquisition requirements.

Mr. Elling also has extensive experience in related areas such as:

• intellectual property rights in technical data and computer software developed under or used to perform federal contracts
• government ethics (conflicts of interest, gratuities and government post-employment restrictions)
• industrial and personnel security, including foreign ownership and investment issues relating to government contractors
• federal appropriations law
• Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act

Mr. Elling brings a broad, strategic perspective to government contracts matters. He advises clients on the impact legal issues will have upon planned and ongoing programs and helps them identify and implement efficient and cost-effective solutions. As an Army trial attorney in the 1990s, Mr. Elling was an early advocate of alternative dispute resolution to resolve disputes while maintaining a positive working relationship between the government and its contractors. His accomplishments included a successful resolution of a large defective pricing claim covering multiple years of the M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank program. Prior to his retirement from active military service in 2002, Mr. Elling held a number of government contract and litigation assignments, including chief of the Commercial Litigation Branch, U.S. Army Litigation Division and assistant general counsel (ethics and fiscal policy), Department of the Army.