ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Kelsey M. Hayes, Holland & Knight / Tysons
Kelsey M. Hayes is a litigation attorney in Holland & Knight's Tysons office and focuses her practice on government contracts. She litigates bid protests, claims, and disputes before the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA), Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA), and U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Ms. Hayes advises and represents clients on a wide range of government contracts matters, including suspension and debarment proceedings, requests for equitable adjustment, and terminations. She also handles prime/subcontractor disputes and has experience in federal district court and alternative dispute resolution.
Ms. Hayes also regularly advises clients on matters related to the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) contracting assistance programs, including the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) program, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) program, Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) program, and All Small Mentor-Protégé program. In addition, she advises clients on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Vets First Verification Program and the Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE).
During law school, Ms. Hayes interned as a law clerk at the CBCA, the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of the Solicitor in the Procurement and Appropriations Law Division, and the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Office of Government-wide Policy in the Suspension and Debarment Division. She served as the editor-in-chief of the Public Contract Law Journal, which is published by the Section of Public Contract Law of the American Bar Association.
Prior to practicing law, Ms. Hayes competed as a Division I student athlete and worked for a SDVOSB managing information technology integration projects.
Christian B. Nagel, Holland & Knight / Tysons
Chris Nagel is a government contracts attorney based in Holland & Knight's Tysons office whose practice is focused on litigation and compliance matters. Mr. Nagel advises businesses on a broad range of legal issues involving their relationship with the government. His work includes a particular focus on companies that contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), as well as other aspects and matters that involve national security.
Mr. Nagel represents clients in bid protests, contract claims, suspension/debarment, False Claims Act (FCA) matters and disputes between contractors. He regularly guides corporations through compliance issues, including internal investigations and employee training.
In addition, Mr. Nagel’s litigation and compliance practice includes matters related to faith-based and other non-profit entities.
Mr. Nagel served for 12 years on active duty and as a reservist in the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). While on active duty, he was deployed to Afghanistan, where he adjudicated claims against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the U.S. government. His previous tours include stints as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, officer-in-charge of the Quantico Legal Assistance Office and as a military prosecutor.