Stinson Partner Eric Whytsell Elected Secretary of the ABA Public Contract Law Section

08.18.2020

Stinson LLP Partner Eric Whytsell was elected this August to serve as Section Secretary of the American Bar Association's (ABA) Public Contract Law Section.

The secretary position is the first step on the "leadership ladder" of the Public Contract Law Section, the preeminent professional association of lawyers engaged in public contracting, including federal, state, local government contracting, research and development, grants, and agreements, as well as contingency, battlefield and host nation contracting. The section includes attorneys from all segments of the public contracting community. 

This position further expands Whytsell's involvement as a leader within the section. He will continue to co-chair the section's Publications Board, and will also sit on the section's Finance Committee and serve as liaison to other procurement organizations such as the National Defense Industry Association (NDIA) and the National Contract Management Association (NCMA). In addition, he will become a member of the ABA's Section Officers Council, which is comprised of the officers from all ABA sections, divisions and forums. 

He aspires to collaborate with other section leaders to improve public procurement and grant law at the federal, state and local levels; promote the national security interests of the United States through cybersecurity and supply chain integrity; and drive membership, diversity and inclusion throughout the public contracting community.

Whytsell has been actively involved with the Public Contract Law Section for more than a decade, serving as co-chair and vice chair of various section committees, including State and Local Procurement, Intellectual Property, Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection, and Subcontracting, Teaming and Strategic Alliances. He has also co-edited two books published by the section relating to subcontract terms and conditions.

In his practice, Whytsell helps clients assess, understand, and develop and implement practical strategies to address complicated issues throughout the government contract life-cycle. He helps contractors and subcontractors navigate a wide variety of complex compliance issues and represents them in bid and size protests, government and contractor claims, and audits and internal investigations. A significant portion of his work involves negotiating contracts, subcontracts, teaming and joint venture agreements, and joint IP development and license agreements. He assists client in a range of sectors, including technology and IT services, R&D, defense, cybersecurity, construction, transportation, manufacturing, financial services, education, health care, and biotech. Whytsell co-chairs Stinson’s Government Contracts and Investigations practice group and is a frequent presenter and contributor to Stinson’s Government Contracting Matters blog.