Mark J. Blando
Top rated Government Contracts attorney in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Eckland & Blando LLPPractice Areas: Government Contracts, Administrative Law, Business Litigation; view more
Licensed in Minnesota since: 2001
Education: The George Washington University Law School
Eckland & Blando LLP
10 South Fifth Street800 Lumber Exchange Building
Minneapolis, MN 55402-3901 Phone: 612-236-0160 Email: Mark J. Blando Visit website
Details
Mark J. Blando, a founding partner of Eckland & Blando, has dedicated his 28 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 over $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 inaugural issue 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.
Practice areas
Government Contracts, Administrative Law, Business Litigation, State, Local & MunicipalFirst Admitted: 1995, Maryland
Professional Webpage: http://www.ecklandblando.com/attorneys/mark-j-blando/
- State of Maryland, 1995
- District of Columbia Washington, D.C., 1996
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 1999
- United States Court of Federal Claims, 1999
- State of Minnesota, 2000
- United States Supreme Court, 2002
- Harvard Mediation Project, Harvard Law School, Mediator, 1991
- National Contract Management Association, Twin Cities Chapter: National Director (2003-2004); Chapter President (2002-2003); V.P., Education (2001-2002, 2006-2007); Board Member (2001- 2007); Member (1999-Present)
- Federal Circuit Bar Association (2020 - present)
- National Defense Industrial Association (2021 - present)
- American Bar Association, Public Contracts Law Section (2023)
- Association of the United States Army (2023)
- Section 515 Claim Settlements against the United States (over $92,000,000 in 2023)
- Franconia Associates v. United States, 536 U.S. 129 (2002)
- Callaway Manor Apts. v. United States, 940 F.3d 650 (Fed. Cir. 2019)
- Airport Road Associates, Ltd. v. United States, 866 F.3d 1346 (Fed. Cir. 2017)
- Kvaerner ASA and J.A. Jones, Inc. v. Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, 210 F.3d 262 (4th Cir. 2000)
- Ramona Investment Group v. United States, 115 Fed. Cl. 704, 707 (2014)
- Carpenter v. United States, __ Fed. Cl. __ No. 04-1740C (2006)
- Chancellor Manor v. United States, 67 Fed. Cl. 434 (2005)
- Grass Valley Terrace v. United States, 69 Fed. Cl. 341 (2005)
- Franconia Assoc. v. United States, 61 Fed. Cl. 718 (2004)
- Allegre Villa v. United States, 60 Fed. Cir. 11 (2004)
- Chancellor Manor v. United States, 331 F.3d 891 (Fed. Cir. 2003)
- Grass Valley Terrace v. United States, 51 Fed. Cl. 436 (2002)
- Cooley v. United States, 46 Fed. Cl. 538 (2002)
- Eastover Ridge, LLC v. Metric Constructors, Inc., 533 S.E.2d 827 (N.C. App. 2000)
- Open Window Theatre, Board of Directors: President (2019 - Present); Member (2013 - Present)
- Unity Catholic High School, Teacher, Constitutional Law (2023)
- North Star Lawyer (2017 to 2022), Minnesota State Bar Association
- The George Washington University Law School, 1995
- B.A., English, magna cum laude, Boston College, 1992
- Suing the Government: Federal and State Contract Claims, Presenter, Minnesota CLE, 2023
- The False Claims Act in Government Contracting, Presenter, Minnesota SADBOC, 2023
- State and Local Bid Protests for Federal Practitioners, Moderator, ABA Public Procurement Symposium, Austin, TX, 2022
- Guide to State Procurement: A 50-State Primer on Purchasing Law, Processes and Procedures, ABA Section of Public Contract Law (2022, 2016, and 2011 editions), contributor to outlines for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, North Dakota and South Dakota
- The Section 515 Claim Settlement Process, Presenter, Rural Rental Housing Association of Texas, 2022
- Suing the Sovereign: Claims and Disputes in Public Procurement, Presenter, Minnesota CLE, 2022
- The False Claims Act: Past, Present and Future, University of Minnesota National Seminar on Government Contracts, Minneapolis, MN (2018)
- Past Performance in Government Contracting, NCMA World Congress, Orlando, FL (2016)
- Commercial Item Acquisitions, 20 Years After FASA, NCMA World Congress, Dallas, TX, 2015
- SADBOC Annual Government Procurement Fair (various presentations), 2014 – Present
- Lost Prepayment Rights: A Litigation and Settlement History, Wisconsin Council for Affordable Rural Housing (Madison, WI, November 2012)
- Suing Uncle Sam: Claims, Disputes and Protests in Government Contracts, Minnesota CLE (Minneapolis, MN, 2011 and 2012)
- Minnesota Procurement Technical Assistance Counsel, Advanced Contracting Series, various presentations (including Past Performance in Government Contracting; Commercial Item Acquisitions; Opportunities Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; Understanding and Winning Government Contracts; State and Local Procurement in Minnesota), 2009-2012
- NCMA Greater Iowa Spring Seminar (Cedar Rapids, IA, April 2010) Disputes, Claims and Appeals in Government Contracts Commercial Item Acquisitions: A Simpler Way To Do Business with the Government?
- Public Contracts and Procurement Regulations: Keeping Pace in the Federal Marketplace, Lormen Education (Bloomington, MN, June 2008) Doing Business with the Government: An Overview of Federal and State Procurement Selling to the World’s Largest Customer 24/7/365: GSA Schedule Contracting
- Litigation Against the Federal Government in the Court of Federal Claims, California Council for Affordable Housing (Lake Tahoe, CA, June 2006)
- Litigating a Regulatory Taking Claim: A Practitioner’s View, ALI-ABA (Boston, MA, Sep. 2005)
- Prepayment Litigation: A Progress Report, National Leased Housing Association (Miami, FL, Jan. 2005)
- E-Procurement: Electronic Contracting with the Federal Government, University of Minnesota, National Seminar on Government Contracts (St. Paul, MN, Oct. 2003)
- Public Contracting in the Information Age, National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (Bloomington, MN, May 2002)
- Doing Business with the Federal Government, Faegre & Benson Construction Seminar (Minneapolis, MN, March 2002)
- Government Contractors & Environmental Liability, ABA Section of Environment, Energy & Resources (2002)
- E-Sign’s growing Impact on Government Procurement, Contract Management Magazine (2001)
- Attention Contractors: You Will Be Graded, Faegre & Benson (2001)
- Hot Topics in Government Contract Law, National Contract Management Association (Minneapolis, MN, April 2001)
- Past Performance: Past, Present and Future, University of Minnesota, National Seminar on Government Contracts (St. Paul, MN, Nov. 2000)
- Government Contracts, Minnesota Project Innovation (Minneapolis, MN, Sept. 2000)
- Commercial Pricing: Doing Business with the Federal Government, National Contract Management Association (Denver, CO, Feb. 2000)
- Past Performance: Whither Are We? National Contract Management Association (Minneapolis, MN, Nov. 1999)
- Minnesota Construction Law: Payment and Performance Bonds, Lorman Education Services (Minneapolis, MN, Oct. 1999)
- Direct and Cross-Examination of Scheduling Experts, in Judging the Scheduling Experts, ABA Public Contract Law Section, Construction Claims Committee Conference (1998)
- International Arbitration in Bermuda, ABA Litigation Section, Insurance Coverage Committee (1999)
- Note, Land Exchanges Under the Federal Land Exchange Facilitation Act, The Environmental Lawyer 327 (1994)
- Affordable Housing
- Construction
- Healthcare
- Manufacturing
- Real Estate
- Technology
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