U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Washington, D.C.
Overview
Understanding This Court
The United States Court of Federal Claims is an Article I federal trial court, meaning its judges do not hold the life tenure or constitutional status of Article III judges. The court traces its lineage to the U.S. Court of Claims, established in 1855. In 1982, Congress split that court and moved its trial-level jurisdiction into a new Article I court, the United States Claims Court, which was renamed the United States Court of Federal Claims in 1992.
The court is headquartered in the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building in Washington, D.C., on Lafayette Square across from the White House, but its jurisdiction is nationwide: judges may hear and sit on cases anywhere in the United States, not only in Washington.
Jurisdiction
The court's jurisdiction is nationwide rather than territorial. It hears money claims against the United States government regardless of where the underlying claim arose, drawing its core authority from the Tucker Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1491. Claims exceeding $10,000 fall under the court's exclusive jurisdiction, while claims of $10,000 or less may be heard concurrently by the Court of Federal Claims or a U.S. district court.
What the court hears
The court's docket centers on monetary claims against the federal government, including:
- Government contract disputes
- Bid protests
- Fifth Amendment takings claims
- Tax refund suits
- Military and civilian pay claims
- Indian tribal claims
- Vaccine injury claims under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
- Certain patent and copyright claims against the federal government
- Congressional reference cases
Practicing before the court
Attorneys appearing before the Court of Federal Claims must be admitted to the court's bar, a step separate from admission to any state bar. Because the court's jurisdiction is nationwide, attorneys from any state may seek admission and appear in matters that have no connection to Washington, D.C.
Attorneys
Counsel Admitted to the Court of Federal Claims
Appearing before the Court of Federal Claims requires more than familiarity with government contract disputes, bid protests, takings claims, or tax and vaccine matters; it requires the formal credential to stand before it. The attorneys listed below hold that admission. Each arrived at it the same way the firm approaches every court it appears in: by preparing for the matters this court hears long before a specific case calls for it, and by giving clients a plain account of what a claim against the United States actually involves. Admission here is a credential, not a claim of experience in a particular matter; select an attorney below to see their background in full.
Matters
Before This Court
Admission establishes standing before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. What follows is the practice behind it: matters the firm has actually carried in this court, built with the same preparation it brings to every forum. Each entry reflects work already completed, not a forecast of how a future matter here might go. A shorter list reflects a docket still being built; a longer one reflects years of sustained work in this forum. Either way, it is a record of what has been done.
Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a similar outcome in any future matter. Every engagement is unique and must be evaluated on its own facts and circumstances.
Built into the record early
Prepared for This Court
Matters before this court often turn on a record built well before the hearing. If a claim is headed here, we welcome the conversation. See how that same discipline carries across our broader litigation work.