Alexander Canizares

Alexander Canizares is a Partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and Co-head of the firm’s Government Contracts Practice Group. Alex draws on almost two decades of experience in the government and private practice to assist clients in high-stakes litigation, internal and government investigations, enforcement actions, and counseling spanning all phases of federal procurement. A former trial lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division, Alex represents clients in False Claims Act (FCA)/qui tam whistleblower actions and investigations involving fraud allegations. He also helps clients navigate mandatory and voluntary disclosures to federal agencies and mitigate risks involving the FCA and misconduct.

Alex serves as lead counsel in litigation related to bid protests, contract claims, and prime-subcontractor disputes. He has first-chaired dozens of cases at both the trial and appellate levels involving federal agencies. His experience includes litigating in U.S. district courts, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the Government Accountability Office, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and arbitral tribunals. Alex conducts internal investigations involving government contracts compliance matters. He represents clients of all sizes in the aerospace and defense, information technology, healthcare, professional services, and other industries.

In his counsel to clients, Alex advises on a wide range of government contracting matters with a focus on mitigating compliance risks and avoiding disputes. He helps contractors address cybersecurity and supply chain security requirements, including those related to safeguarding controlled government data involving Department of Defense and civilian agencies. He provides practical guidance to contractors across a variety of industries on the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), agency FAR supplements, and federal procurement laws. Additionally, Alex’s counseling practice extends to commercial products/services contracting including related to software, procurement integrity/ethics issues, the Anti-Kickback Act, subcontracting, suspension and debarment issues, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), intellectual property/data rights, domestic sourcing requirements in procurements, and diligence in corporate transactions.

Alex writes and speaks frequently regarding government contracting issues. He is a co-chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Public Contract Law Section Procurement Fraud and False Claims Committee. He is also a contributing editor of the second edition of The False Claims Act and Government Contracts published by the ABA Public Contract Law Section.