Leila S. George-Wheeler

Leila George-Wheeler is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice, and a member of the firm's Government Contracts and White Collar Defense and Investigations Teams. She focuses her practice on white collar defense, government and internal investigations, government contracts (GovCon) disputes and regulatory compliance, as well as complex civil litigation. She represents clients in heavily regulated sectors, including government contracts, healthcare, finance, information technology, transportation and infrastructure.

Government Enforcement and Internal Investigations

Ms. George-Wheeler represents clients facing administrative, civil and criminal enforcement actions by the government, as well as in government and internal investigations. She advises corporations responding to U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Inspector General (IG) investigations involving the False Claims Act (FCA), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), procurement fraud, healthcare fraud, public corruption, procurement integrity, kickbacks and gratuities violations, and whistleblower reprisal.

Ms. George-Wheeler also has advised corporations, nonprofit entities and individuals in regulatory, compliance and investigative matters involving the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the General Services Administration (GSA), the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Ms. George-Wheeler assists companies and individuals in responding to requests for testimony, information or documents made through Civil Investigative Demands (CID), IG subpoenas, grand jury subpoenas, regulatory audits or congressional inquiries.

With a background on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Ms. George-Wheeler also supports the Congressional Investigations Team and has experience assisting clients in responding to concurring agency and congressional investigations.

Government Contracts and Compliance

Ms. George-Wheeler represents government contractors in bid protests and disputes before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC), the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition (ODRA), and the U.S. Small Business Administration Office (SBA) of Hearings and Appeals (OHA). She advises clients on federal procurement law and compliance concerning Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and other agency-specific regulations, voluntary and mandatory disclosure rules, IG audits, and suspension and debarment risks.

Ms. George-Wheeler counsels government contractors on a variety of federal procurement matters, including entering and navigating the federal marketplace, negotiating terms and conditions for prime and subcontracts, teaming agreements, and Other Transaction Agreements (OTA). She also reviews purchase agreements, conducts due diligence, and advises on merger and acquisition transactions involving government contractors.

Complex Civil Litigation

Ms. George-Wheeler's litigation experience also includes the representation of companies and government contractors in commercial claims and business torts, including breach of contract, trade secret misappropriation, tortious interference, fraud, conversion, breach of noncompetition agreements and unfair competition. These disputes have involved prime and subcontractors, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), employment hiring and consulting agreements, contractor data rights and intellectual property, aircraft and marine equipment leasing, pharmaceutical manufacturing/distribution. Ms. George-Wheeler represents clients in all phases of litigation, from pre-dispute stages, discovery and dispositive motion practice through resolution. She has represented clients in state and federal litigation, as well as in International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration and private mediation.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. George-Wheeler worked on Capitol Hill for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, where she focused on criminal and civil rights legislation, appropriations for the DOJ and the Federal Judiciary, and she participated in three U.S. Supreme Court confirmations. Ms. George-Wheeler also served as a law clerk for the U.S. Attorney's Office Fraud and Public Corruption Section and for Citigroup's Global Transaction Services in London, England.