Jenner & Block has brought on David Robbins from Crowell & Moring to co-chair its government contracts practice.

Robbins joined Jenner's Washington, D.C., office this month just ahead of a shift in focus in government contract disputes. He represents clients in litigation matters such as False Claims Act defense, requests for equitable adjustment and whistleblower reprisal defense.

In the short term, Robbins said in an interview, he and the firm's priority is focusing on existing clients' day-to-day needs. But as the economy begins to reopen in the coming months, he said his practice area's focus will shift to helping government contractors at the federal, state and local levels recover from stay-at-home orders and terminated contracts.

And, eventually, Robbins said there will be increased audits and investigations work resulting from stimulus funding. "We're getting people ready for the inevitable audits and investigations, which is a medium- to long-term trend," he said. "We're preparing clients to meet government auditors' and investigators' needs quickly and efficiently."

Robbins said most of his clients would make the move with him to Jenner while other conversations were ongoing. He declined to name specific clients. He will co-lead Jenner's government contract practice with co-chair Marc Van Allen.

Before joining Jenner, Robbins was a partner at Crowell & Moring for four and a half years and a shareholder at Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, where he chaired the government contracts practice. He also spent more than a decade with the United States Air Force, where he was a senior lawyer in its general counsel's office.

Early in his legal career, Robbins was a Jenner associate, from 2004-2009. Robbins said his work in government as well as in private practice has given him a holistic view of how government contracts work.

"My time in the government was foundational: knowing what happens on the other side helps clients be more efficient, effective and less costly," he said. "None of that is possible without my time in the government. Before, I understood the theory behind it while doing assignments as an associate, but understanding the practice group broadly and strategically didn't happen until I was in the government."

Jenner's co-managing partners, Randy Mehrberg and Katya Jestin, called Robbins a "highly sought-after practitioner" and "an authority for clients through the ever-changing government contracts and regulatory landscape."

A representative at Crowell wished Robbins well.