John McAdams

John McAdams is a seasoned government contracts litigator and counselor in Holland & Knight's Tysons office. Mr. McAdams joined the firm following a decade of distinguished government service, both as a U.S. Army judge advocate and as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). He has extensive experience with litigation, dispute resolution, national security, and white collar defense and investigations. Mr. McAdams is a trusted adviser to senior executives, including general officers and officials at the secretarial level.

As a trial attorney in the DOJ's National Courts Section, Mr. McAdams litigated dozens of bid protests and government contract disputes before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He led and collaborated effectively on litigation teams of multiple attorneys, consultants and expert witnesses.

Following his tenure at the National Courts Section, Mr. McAdams gained extensive national security experience as an attorney in the DOJ's National Security Division's (NSD) Office of Intelligence. He led programs overseeing foreign intelligence, counterintelligence and other national security activities of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), including matters under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Mr. McAdams worked extensively with IC and law enforcement clients investigating sensitive matters and ensuring compliance with law, regulations, and executive branch policies across the IC.

Previously, as an active-duty Army judge advocate, Mr. McAdams litigated dozens of bid protests and contract disputes before the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA). During his early military assignments, he prosecuted felony-level courts-martial and civilian defendants as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA). As an active Army Reserve judge advocate, Mr. McAdams has held procurement fraud and higher-level headquarters counsel assignments.

Representative Experience

• Argued complex government contracts appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC)
• Served as first chair in a high-stakes, multimillion-dollar contract claim, and argued numerous dispositive and procedural motions before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC)
• Authored applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) for orders pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
• Successfully pursued several motions to the FISC and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review (FISCR) for various relief in sensitive matters
• Served as first chair in 10 criminal trials and adverse administrative board actions as an active-duty Army judge advocate