Alston & Bird has expanded its government contracting capabilities with the addition of Jeniffer De Jesus Roberts as partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Roberts arrives from Dentons, where she had been a partner since 2015.
“Jeniffer has an ideal mix of law firm and in-house experience that allows her to bring an informed perspective to all aspects of the government procurement process,” said Jeff Belkin, Alston & Bird partner and leader of the firm’s Government Contracts Practice. “Having served a diverse clientele of government contractors and been a sophisticated buyer of legal services herself, Jeniffer’s legal and business acumen will be a boost to clients navigating the highly regulated world of government contracting.”
Roberts has a multidisciplinary practice advising government contractors across a broad range of industries, including biotechnology/health care, global management consulting, technology, and outsourcing. She has deep experience in developing and reviewing compliance and ethics programs, contract administration counseling, mergers and acquisitions, bid protests, and internal investigations.
In addition to her law firm experience, Roberts is former senior in-house counsel for two large public companies: Accenture Federal Services, LLC, and MedImmune, LLC, a global biologics research and development subsidiary of AstraZeneca.
Roberts is regularly quoted in the media and is a frequent writer and speaker on issues facing government contractors, including global anti-human trafficking regulations, developing effective ethics and compliance programs, public-private partnerships, and managing supply chain and other third-party risk.
Active in various national legal and other organizations, Roberts is a 2017 Fellow in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and a member of the Hispanic Bar Association. She has served as a member on Law360’s Government Contracts Editorial Board for the past two years and is active in pro bono activities, serving as the pro bono general counsel for FAIR Girls, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that provides intervention and holistic care to survivors of human trafficking who identify as girls or young women.
“D.C. is the center of the government contracting world and offers myriad opportunities for civilian and defense contractors alike but also pitfalls for the unwary,” said Dennis Garris, partner in charge of Alston & Bird’s Washington, D.C., office. “Jeniffer excels in identifying solutions to complex contracting issues and adds a significant complement to our regulatory offerings, including antitrust, securities, international trade, health care, and other federal regulatory law, as well as legislative and public policy.”
Roberts is the latest addition to the firm’s D.C. office. Since January 2016, the office has welcomed senior policy advisor Shannon Campagna, former director of federal government affairs at Mars Inc.; partner Dominic DeMatties, former U.S. Treasury Department attorney; partner Leslie Overton, previously a senior U.S. Justice Department antitrust official; partner Jackie Baratian, a past senior counsel in the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; partner Tom Feddo, a former official in Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control; and counsel Ted Schroeder, a former senior aide to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
In addition to Roberts, Alston & Bird further expanded its government contracting capabilities with the recent arrival of Jeremy Silverman, a new partner in the firm’s Atlanta office who has a significant M&A practice focused on federal contractors. Silverman, who also joined from Dentons, worked closely with Roberts when the two were partners there.
“Jeniffer has an ideal mix of law firm and in-house experience that allows her to bring an informed perspective to all aspects of the government procurement process,” said Jeff Belkin, Alston & Bird partner and leader of the firm’s Government Contracts Practice. “Having served a diverse clientele of government contractors and been a sophisticated buyer of legal services herself, Jeniffer’s legal and business acumen will be a boost to clients navigating the highly regulated world of government contracting.”
Roberts has a multidisciplinary practice advising government contractors across a broad range of industries, including biotechnology/health care, global management consulting, technology, and outsourcing. She has deep experience in developing and reviewing compliance and ethics programs, contract administration counseling, mergers and acquisitions, bid protests, and internal investigations.
In addition to her law firm experience, Roberts is former senior in-house counsel for two large public companies: Accenture Federal Services, LLC, and MedImmune, LLC, a global biologics research and development subsidiary of AstraZeneca.
Roberts is regularly quoted in the media and is a frequent writer and speaker on issues facing government contractors, including global anti-human trafficking regulations, developing effective ethics and compliance programs, public-private partnerships, and managing supply chain and other third-party risk.
Active in various national legal and other organizations, Roberts is a 2017 Fellow in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and a member of the Hispanic Bar Association. She has served as a member on Law360’s Government Contracts Editorial Board for the past two years and is active in pro bono activities, serving as the pro bono general counsel for FAIR Girls, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that provides intervention and holistic care to survivors of human trafficking who identify as girls or young women.
“D.C. is the center of the government contracting world and offers myriad opportunities for civilian and defense contractors alike but also pitfalls for the unwary,” said Dennis Garris, partner in charge of Alston & Bird’s Washington, D.C., office. “Jeniffer excels in identifying solutions to complex contracting issues and adds a significant complement to our regulatory offerings, including antitrust, securities, international trade, health care, and other federal regulatory law, as well as legislative and public policy.”
Roberts is the latest addition to the firm’s D.C. office. Since January 2016, the office has welcomed senior policy advisor Shannon Campagna, former director of federal government affairs at Mars Inc.; partner Dominic DeMatties, former U.S. Treasury Department attorney; partner Leslie Overton, previously a senior U.S. Justice Department antitrust official; partner Jackie Baratian, a past senior counsel in the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; partner Tom Feddo, a former official in Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control; and counsel Ted Schroeder, a former senior aide to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
In addition to Roberts, Alston & Bird further expanded its government contracting capabilities with the recent arrival of Jeremy Silverman, a new partner in the firm’s Atlanta office who has a significant M&A practice focused on federal contractors. Silverman, who also joined from Dentons, worked closely with Roberts when the two were partners there.