Contract Law Division Legal Staff

Richard Brown

Mr. Brown received his JD from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1977; and he received his undergraduate degree, a BA, from the University of Maryland in 1974. He is a member of the Maryland and DC bars. He has been involved in Government contracts since 1980, starting out as a contract specialist, and then as a contracting officer. For the last 15 years, he was an attorney in the Business Law Branch of the Office of the General Counsel for the US Department of Health and Human Services specializing in all aspects of Government Contracts. Send mail to Richard Brown

Diane Canzano

Contracts Attorney. J.D. George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, VA, 1990; B.A. English and Spanish, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 1985. Practicing for federal government since 1991. Experience includes: procurement law, including suspension and debarment, claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and appeals under the Freedom of Information Act. Send mail to Diane Canzano

Amy Kiger Crotts

Contracts Attorney. J.D. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 1997; B.A. History, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 1994. Admitted to practice in North Carolina and the District of Columbia. Prior experience as a prosecuting attorney for the District of Columbia and as a solo practitioner in North Carolina, practicing criminal and family law. Send mail to Amy Kiger Crotts

Fred Kopatich

Senior Contracts Attorney. J.D. Hastings College of Law, San Francisco, California, 1983; B.A. University of California, Berkeley, 1972. Practicing procurement law since 1985 for private firms and federal government. Other areas of practice have included commercial litigation and appeals. Send mail to Fred Kopatich

Mark Langstein

Acting Chief, Contract Law Division. Coming from a four-year litigation stint with GSA, Mark has been with the Commerce Department's Contract Law Division for over fifteen years, and is its senior line attorney and Deputy Chief. During this time, he has been involved with many of the thorniest procurement issues and most of the major contract litigation. Mark is an honors graduate of Boston College Law School, served on its Law Review and is a member of the Order of the Coif. Mark received his undergraduate degree from NYCÕs New School for Social Research.Send mail to Mark Langstein

Kenneth Lechter

Senior Contracts Attorney. University of Maryland,B.A. Economics, 1967, University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., 1971. Admitted to all State and Federal Courts in Maryland and the District of Columbia, the United States Supreme Court , and the Court of Federal Claims. Chief of Staff to the General Counsel, Department of Commerce, 1995-1996. Private practice of law from 1971-1991, specializing in civil litigation in state, federal, and administrative fora. Presently specializing in alternative dispute resolution and international procurement issues. Panel of Arbitrators of American Arbitration Association and selection for inclusion in "Who's Who in American Law" (3rd Ed.).Send mail to Kenneth Lechter

Terry Lee

Senior Contracts Attorney. Ms. Lee has nineteen years of experience as a trial attorney, practicing before various judicial and quasi-judicial tribunals in the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania. She handles cases with a concentration in federal procurement law and advises senior management in government contractual and finance matters. She has practiced, as well, in the areas of commercial law, equal employment opportunity law, federal personnel law and entertainment law. For three years, Ms. Lee was an appointed Administrative Judge, presiding over bid protests, appeals and other contractual matters brought before the District of Columbia Board of Contract Appeals. Ms. Lee received her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law (the first African-American female graduate) and her undergraduate degree from Boston University. She is member of the bars of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, United States Court of Federal Claims and United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She is also a member of the Federal Bar Association. She is a native of Philadelphia, PA. Send mail to Terry Lee

Susan Truax

Senior Contracts Attorney. JD University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 1992; B.S. Accounting, University of Wyoming, 1988. Admitted to practice in Wyoming, Colorado and the District of Columbia. Joined the Contract Law Division in October 2001. Prior Department of Commerce experience includes the Special Matters Unit, 1997-2000, where Ms. Truax provided representation to the Department and its employees during special investigations conducted by the United States Congress, Independent Counsels, or Department of Justice inquiries. Responsibilities included coordinating legal strategy, representation of employees during interviews and depositions and coordination, analysis, and delivery of numerous document productions. During FY2000, Ms. Truax was the supervisor of the unit, and managed three permanent staff and 15 contract employees who assisted with the document productions. Prior to the Special Matters Unit, Ms. Truax was an employee of the Federal Assistance Law Division from 1994 - 1997, where she provided counsel to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration regarding constitutional, property, appropriation, administrative, telecommunications law, and accounting standards and application of Office of Management and Budget Circulars. Ms. Truax was a law clerk for Judge Ronald M. Holdaway at the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals from 1992-1994. Send mail to Susan Truax

Edward Weber

Senior Contracts Attorney.Joined the Contract Law Division in August, 1997, from the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, where he was employed as Senior Attorney for Government Contract and Procurement Law from 1991-1997. Prior thereto, he specialized in Governement Contract Law matters with the U.S. Department of Energy-Office of the General Counsel (Procurement and Finance) and the Department of Defense-U.S.Army Corps of Engineers (Office of the Baltimore District Counsel). He also served as Judicial Clerk to the Hon. Paul E. Alpert , Maryland Court of Special Appeals and Circuit Court for Baltimore County (1980-1983). Admitted to Practice: Maryland, 1983. Graduate of: University of Baltimore Law Center (J.D. 1980); University of Texas School of Public Health (M.P.H. 1976); and University of Maryland-College Park (B.S. 1975). Send mail to Edward Weber

Jerry A. Walz

Jerry Walz retired from Federal service on October 2, 2002. He may be reached at jwalz@pubklaw.com