Mark J. Blando

Mark J. Blando, a founding partner of Eckland & Blando, has dedicated his 25 years of practice to serving companies who do business with government entities. Focusing on contract claims against the Federal Government, he has represented clients across the nation in a variety of industries, including defense, manufacturing, housing, real estate, and construction. His practices areas include:

• Government Contract claims and disputes
• False Claims Act
• Internal compliance investigations
• Bid protests
• State and local procurement
• Fifth Amendment takings
• Federal Tort Claims Act
• General commercial litigation

Mr. Blando stands alone in having taken part in the only two U.S. Supreme Court cases addressing efforts by the Government to avoid its contractual obligations through legislation, having represented housing owners in Franconia Associates v. United States, 536 U.S. 129 (2002), both before the Supreme Court and at trial, and thrift institutions in United States v. Winstar Corp., 518 U.S. 839 (1996). His clients have since recovered nearly $800 million through litigation and settlement proceedings following the landmark Franconia decision.

A magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a B.A. in English, Mr. Blando obtained his Juris Doctor degree with honors from The George Washington University Law School, where he served as Managing Editor of the journal The Environmental Lawyer. He is licensed to practice in the state courts of Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., as well as the U.S. Court of Federal Claims , the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Blando is asked to speak and write regularly on a variety of topics related to contracting with the Federal Government.