Karen D. Walker

Karen D. Walker is a partner in the Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., offices of Holland & Knight, where she leads the firm's Government Section and oversees the provision of government affairs and regulatory services to firm clients.

Ms. Walker represents clients in all aspects of state and local government procurement, including analyzing potential contracting opportunities, assisting clients in responding to competitive solicitations, contract negotiations, bid protests, contract implementation and performance issues, contract disputes and compliance matters. She has extensive experience in bid protests and other state and local government procurement matters throughout the United States. Ms. Walker also represents clients in civil litigation and appellate matters relating to state and local government procurement and contracting issues. She has long been active in the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Public Contract Law State and Local Committee and has twice chaired the Section's Annual State and Local Procurement Symposium.

Ms. Walker's practice representing clients in matters involving state and local governments often involves work relating to public records and open meetings laws. She has particular experience assisting clients seeking to prevent disclosure of their trade secrets or confidential and proprietary information in response to public records requests made to various state and local governmental entities throughout the country. Ms. Walker has litigated public records disputes in state trial courts, and has also represented clients in appeals relating to public records and open meetings laws.

In addition, Ms. Walker represents clients in various administrative law and regulatory matters, including rulemaking, rule challenges, licensing and disciplinary proceedings, before state and local regulatory agencies. Additionally, her work includes providing advice and counsel regarding state and local ethics laws and Florida's campaign finance laws.

Ms. Walker's representative matters include:

• successfully representing a Medicaid managed care company in protest proceedings and related public records litigation in connection with the largest-ever state procurement for California's Medicaid managed care program worth tens of billions of dollars
• successfully representing an insurance technology company in defending a bid protest challenging its award of a contract by Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, which is Florida's carrier of last resort
• successfully representing a food and beverage services provider in resolving a contract dispute relating to services at a visitor venue owned by a governmental entity
• successfully defending a Medicaid-managed care contract award valued at more than $1 billion in Florida bid protest litigation before the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings
• successfully defending a contract award for processing and disbursing child support payments through bid protest administrative litigation, open meetings law litigation in state court and two appeals
• successfully representing a red light camera company in local government bid protests before local governments in Florida and Virginia
• successfully representing a managed care company in protesting a Medicaid-managed care contract award in Nebraska, and then defending the new award through bid protest proceedings and litigation in Nebraska federal court
• successfully representing a provider of educational contracts and services in defending a bid protest in New Mexico and subsequent appeal in New Mexico state court relating to a contract award for a multistate educational assessment procured through a multistate cooperative purchasing consortium
• successfully representing numerous property insurers in protecting their trade secret information required to be filed with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation from disclosure under Florida's public records laws through litigation and one appellate proceeding

Ms. Walker currently serves on Holland & Knight's Practice and Operations Committee and has held numerous other leadership positions at the firm, including serving as executive partner of the firm's Tallahassee office, the liaison for the executive partners of all of Holland & Knight's offices to the firm's senior management, and two terms on the firm's Directors Committee. She is also active in her community, where she has long been involved with the United Way of the Big Bend, Kids Incorporated of the Big Bend and legal services organizations.