Counsel, Naval Air Systems Command

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), in combination with the Program Executive Offices, is responsible for the development, acquisition, management and maintenance of the Navy and Marine Corps’ aircraft and certain of its missiles. This responsibility includes a multitude of products—from cargo planes and helicopters to the latest fighter and attack aircraft to advance missile systems and unmanned aerial systems. Some of the major programs are the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the F/A-18, the V-22, the P-8A, the E-2D, the Presidential helicopters, Sidewinder missiles, Tomahawk Cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial systems. In these and related electronics, sensors, support, spare parts, and overhaul programs, NAVAIR deals with the major corporations in the aerospace and electronics industries, and with numerous foreign governments. NAVAIR, Headquarters is located in Patuxent River, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay and approximately sixty-five miles southeast of Washington, D.C.

The Office of Counsel provides legal advice to NAVAIR in all of its efforts. The office includes over 45 attorneys advising NAVAIR Headquarters clients, and over 35 attorneys providing advice to NAVAIR’s field activities, which included the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent River, Maryland and Lakehurst, New Jersey, with the Training Systems Division of NAWCAD at Orlando, Florida; the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake and Point Mugu, California; and the Fleet Readiness Center at Jacksonville, Florida; Cherry Point, North Carolina, and North Island (Coronado), California. New attorneys are assigned a variety of work, enabling them to establish a well-rounded background in OGC practice area and assisting them in career development. Each attorney is assigned to on-going programs or projects or practice areas under one of the nine Senior Supervisory or Field Office Counsels. New attorneys usually become involved in defending NAVAIR before the Government Accountability Office, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Merit Systems Protection Board. While the major focus of the Office of Counsel’s work is major weapon systems acquisition and procurement law, a significant amount of attorney time is spent in civilian personnel law, environmental law, fiscal law, intellectual property law, Freedom of Information Act issues, and ethics and standards of conduct questions. Attorneys involved in civilian personnel play an advocacy and advisory role in representing NAVAIR management, both as to formal litigation and as well as the informal grievance process. Attorneys assigned to intellectual property matters concentrate on data rights counseling, patent infringement claims and litigation, invention surveillance and patent prosecution. Attorneys assigned to environmental matters concentrate on NEPA issues and Clean Air and Water Acts issues, as well as base closure matters.

For additional information on NAVAIR and the Counsel for the Naval Air Systems Command, go to www.navair.navy.mil.