Blando, Mark J.

Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Mark Blando has dedicated his career to pursuing all forms of litigation against the federal government. He acted as counsel in two of the most prominent pieces of litigation in the country involving attempts by the government to avoid its contractual obligations through legislation, having represented subsidized 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). Mark also has litigated a wide variety of traditional government contract cases at the federal and state level, including bid protests, performance disputes, termination actions, and False Claims Act litigation. He also advises contractors and subcontractors on a wide range of transactional matters, including Federal Supply Schedules, asset purchases, intellectual property issues, and internal compliance investigations.

Mark has also pursued numerous other types of government claims, including Fifth Amendment takings claims, Federal Tort Claims Act cases, and actions under the Administrative Procedures Act. Mark writes and lectures frequently on a variety of government contract topics.

Areas of Practice

• Government Contracts
• Construction
• Commercial Litigation
• Federal Claims Litigation
• Fifth Amendment Takings
• Trial Practice
• Appellate Practice

Representative Cases

• Franconia Associates v. United States, 536 U.S. 129 (2002)
• Chancellor Manor v. United States, 331 F.3d 891 (Fed. Cir. 2003)
• Kvaerner ASA and J.A. Jones, Inc. v. Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, 210 F.3d 262 (4th Cir. 2000)
• Allegre Villa v. United States, 60 Fed. Cir. 11 (2004)
• 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)
• Protest of JCN Construction Co. , (1996)

West Practice Categories

Business & Commercial Law, Constitutional Law, Construction Law, Government Agencies & Programs, Government Contracts, Litigation & Appeals

Bar Admissions

• Maryland, 1995
• Minnesota, 2000
• U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit, 1999
• U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 1999
• U.S. Supreme Court, 2002

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Harvard Mediation Project, Harvard Law School, 1991 (Mediator)
• National Contract Management Association, Twin Cities Chapter, 2003 - 2004 (National Director)
• National Contract Management Association, Twin Cities Chapter, 2002 - 2003 (Chapter President)
• National Contract Management Association, Twin Cities Chapter, 2001 - 2002 (V.P., Education)
• National Contract Management Association, Twin Cities Chapter, 2006 - 2007 (V.P., Education)
• National Contract Management Association, Twin Cities Chapter, 2001 - 2007 (Board Member)
• National Contract Management Association, Twin Cities Chapter, 1999 - Present (Member)
• American Bar Association, Section of Public Contract Law
• Association of the United States Army

Classes and Seminars

• Litigation Against the Federal Government in the Court of Federal Claims, California Council for Affordable Housing, Lake Tahoe, CA, 2006
• Litigating a Regulatory Taking Claim: A Practitioner's View, ALI-ABA, Boston, MA, 2005
• Prepayment Litigation: A Progress Report, National Leased Housing Association, Miami, FL, 2005
• E-Procurement: Electronic Contracting with the Federal Government, University of Minnesota, National Seminar on Government Contracts, St. Paul, MN, 2003
• Public Contracting in the Information Age, National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Bloomington, MN, 2002
• Doing Business with the Federal Government, Faegre & Benson Construction Seminar, Minneapolis, MN, 2002
• Hot Topics in Government Contract Law, National Contract Management Association, Minneapolis, MN, 2001
• Past Performance: Past, Present and Future, University of Minnesota, National Seminar on Government Contracts, St. Paul, MN, 2000
• Government Contracts, Minnesota Project Innovation, Minneapolis, MN, 2000
• Commercial Pricing: Doing Business with the Federal Government, National Contract Management Association, Denver, CO, 2000
• Past Performance: Whither Are We?, National Contract Management Association, Minneapolis, MN, 1999
• Minnesota Construction Law: Payment and Performance Bonds, Lorman Education Services, Minneapolis, MN, 1999

Past Employment Positions

• Faegre & Benson LLP, Minneapolis, MN, 1999 - 2004
• Spriggs & Hollingsworth, Washington, D.C., 1995 - 1999
• U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, 1994
• District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1994

Education

• George Washington University National Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia, 1995
  J.D.
  Honors: With Honors
• Boston College, 1992
  B.A.
  Honors: magna cum laude
  Major: English

Published Works

• 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
• 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, 1 The Environmental Lawyer 327, 1994

Address

1020 Lumber Exchange
10 South 5th Street
Suite 1020
Minneapolis, MN 55402

Phones

(612) 236-0161

Faxes

(612) 236-0179

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.ecklandblando.com