David Panzer

Career

• Deputy General Counsel, DynCorp International LLC

• Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

• Judicial Law Clerk, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, The Honorable Senior Judges

• Judicial Law Clerk, The Circuit Court for Charles County Maryland, The Honorable Christopher C. Henderson

Experience

David Panzer is a Partner at Fluet and serves as the Chair of the firm’s Government Contracts Practice. Mr. Panzer’s practice focuses on crisis management, high-stakes litigation, government enforcement, challenges to government action and expert witness services. He has particular experience with negotiations, compliance and disputes that have an international component – especially in a contingency environment. With extensive experience as both in-house and outside counsel, Mr. Panzer brings a unique perspective not only to matters to be tried in court but also to the business of law.

Before joining Fluet, he led the Government Contracts Group based in the Washington, DC office of a midsize firm, and expanded the practice of a Government Contracts boutique in Tysons, VA. Mr. Panzer assembled a team of professionals with deep industry experience who design practical, business-oriented solutions for their clients’ legal problems.

He previously served as the Deputy General Counsel for a multi-billion-dollar government services contractor that operates around the world. In that role, he managed the day-to-day operations of the Legal Department and was responsible for serving as both the chief advisor on all Government Contracts issues and the lawyer responsible for virtually all significant litigation, investigations, bid protests, Claims and REAs. As a result, he was responsible for negotiating and managing the vast majority of the legal budget and managing the relationships with most of the law firms engaged by the company. During the time that the company was an SEC public filer, Mr. Panzer served as the legal representative on the disclosure committee. As an essential advisor to the C-Suite, he was asked to project-manage the diligence process that led to a successful sale of the company. Mr. Panzer then integrated the company into the new parent and served as the last remaining lawyer in the legacy company post-closing.

Prior to his seven-year stint as in-house counsel, Mr. Panzer spent more than a dozen years at one of the largest law firms in the country (five of which as a partner), where he had a wide-ranging litigation practice.

Practice Areas

• Aviation + Aerospace

• Battlefield + Contingency Operations

• Business Litigation for GovCons + the National Security Industry

• Congressional Investigations

• Contractor Disputes, Claims, + Requests for Equitable Adjustments (REAs)

• Default + Convenience Terminations

• Expert Witness Services

• False Claims Act

• Federal Agency Investigations + Inquiries

• Government Contractor Due Diligence + Acquisitions

• Internal Investigations + Audits

• Internal Investigations + Government Inquiries

• Mediation, Arbitration, + Other ADR

• Neutral Services

• Space

• Strategic Arrangements

Publications

• Law360, “How Anthropic’s Mythos May Upend Defense Cyber Rules,” May 2026

• Bloomberg Law, “Battlefield Contractors Confront Risks After High Court Ruling,” April 2026

Work Highlights

Recruiting Fluet Team: In two and a half years, David took a team of two and a half people, and built a government practice group of roughly two dozen experienced government and industry lawyers all devoted to the national security space. This team has “been there, and done that,” and is ready to serve those companies that support DOW, DOS, DHS, the IC and friendly foreign governments, all in support of U.S. national security.

International Arbitration: In 2023-2026, David served as lead counsel for a government contractor, successfully resolving a prime-sub dispute covering numerous legal issues, involving the law of multiple jurisdictions, and hundreds of millions of dollars in claims. David’s team outmatched an international law firm (roughly 100 times the size of Fluet), that was aided by two additional law firms.

Government Contracts Expert Witness: In 2025, David served for the first time as an expert witness, addressing organizational conflicts of interest, the Procurement Integrity Act and contractor responsibility determinations as they related to a dispute between major government contractors, each represented by Chambers-ranked law firms.

Litigation + Investigations: David successfully resolved a complex prime-sub dispute that involved a DOJ criminal investigation, DOD IG investigation, Army CID investigation, and qui tam lawsuit, involving labor and ODC charges on a unique aviation contract performed OCONUS.

Litigation + Insurance Coverage + Indemnification: David successfully resolved a mass tort action involving thousands of plaintiffs, suing over injuries allegedly caused by a government contractor in the course of its performance. The matter involved a federal appeal; a bellwether trial; a state court trial against some of the most sophisticated insurance companies in the world; post-acquisition indemnities; and rarely obtained contractual indemnities from the federal government.

Education

Awards