Eric S. Montalvo, a Founding Partner of the Federal Practice Group, has earned an international reputation as an aggressive, thorough, and respected trial attorney. He is familiar with the overwhelming nature of complex litigation and associated media strategies. Mr. Montalvo currently maintains a Top Secret/SCI security clearance. He has been recognized as a national leader in military law.

Mr. Montalvo, a “Mustang”, retired from active duty after serving 21 years in the United States Marine Corps which included combat tours during Desert Shield/Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, deployments to Afghanistan and duties which ranged from prosecution, defense, command advisor, representing the U.S. Department of Justice as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney for Parris Island before the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, and service before the Military Commissions.

Mr. Montalvo focuses his practice on complex litigation matters, government contracts, military law, and international dispute resolution.

Mr. Montalvo undertakes work in Afghanistan and abroad, navigating language and cultural barriers, interpreting complex international law and unprecedented issues, working directly with members of Congress, foreign embassies, foreign governmental ministries, Department of Justice attorneys, and Former President Obama’s Guantanamo Bay Task Force and Detainee Review team.

After graduating with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of South Carolina, Mr. Montalvo received his Juris Doctor degree from Temple University School of Law with honors. While pursuing his law degree, he served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro and interned with the Legal Clinic for the Disabled, the Camden Public Defender’s Office, and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Montalvo also participated in Temple University’s study abroad program in Greece, where he focused his studies on international law.

Ms. Thompson is a partner with the Federal Practice Group. Her practice is focused on criminal and civil litigation, military defense, national security law, FOIA litigation, and government contracting. Within these fields, she represents active duty, reserve and guard, former servicemembers, and federal employees and contractors, with her representation ranging from assistance with adjudication of security clearances, administrative matters, disciplinary action, courts-martial, appeals, and contract disputes. 

Ms. Thompson’s representation includes assistance with applications for, and responses to denial or revocations of, security clearances with all respective agencies. She also assists with appeals of courts-martial and federal convictions; she has successfully over-turned convictions in both the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. As a judge advocate in the Marine Corps and former Special Assistant to the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, she has a first-hand working knowledge of the unique administrative and legal systems within the intelligence communities, military, Department of Defense, and federal systems, and knows how to navigate each system respectively. Ms. Thompson has extensive experience with wrongful discharge claims before the various military correction boards and the Court of Federal Claims and has successfully petitioned for the removal of adverse documentation from servicemembers’ personnel files and for the upgrade of less than honorable characterizations of service. 

Ms. Thompson is a graduate of The University of Tulsa College of Law and Texas A&M University and has a Masters in the Study of Law with a focus on Government Contracting and Procurement Law from the University of Dayton’s School of Law. She is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Federal Claims, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals. She is admitted to practice in Washington, D.C., Ohio, and Oklahoma.

Laura Berry is a Senior Counsel at Federal Practice Group with adept experience as a counselor and litigator delivering results when the stakes are high and the issues complex.  Her skills in developing a company’s litigation strategy, the preparation and defense of witnesses, expert testimony, and expert cross examinations help direct the course of trials to favorable results.

She focuses her practice on complex privacy, consumer protection, commercial, and IP litigation, representing leading business clients in complex and multistate actions and governmental litigation and investigations.  She is a national leader in benefit corporation formation and conversion, and related non-profit funding.  She is deeply familiar with privacy and cybersecurity litigation, advising clients on the potential impact of civil litigation, mitigating associated risks, and state and federal governmental investigations.  Her clients include multinational corporations, government contractors, sports and entertainment, and health care.  She consults and assists in the Firm’s federal litigation and proceedings across the nation.  Ms. Berry is experienced in advocating for U.S. and global clients, effectively representing them in all phases of critical business operations and disputes.

Before joining the Federal Practice Group Ms. Berry formed the first benefit corporation ever, and since then has formed as many as or more benefit corporations than any other attorney in the nation.  She also pioneered a ground-breaking relationship between a benefit LLC and a non-profit designed to create a new model for non-profit funding.  She has been instrumental in benefit corporation legislative efforts including testifying by invitation before state legislatures and committees, and has been named a B Corp Champion by B Labs.

Ms. Berry has gained international recognition through her thought leadership imparted before the United Nations, Yale Law School, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of State, and other national and international institutions.  Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, the BBC World News, Bisnow, and other media.  Ms. Berry also worked on Capitol Hill for a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ms. Berry is a member of the US-Afghan Women’s Council, a public-private partnership established by Presidents George W. Bush and Hamid Karzai that connects the U.S. and Afghan governments, the private sector, and civil society to develop and implement initiatives in support of Afghan women.

Mr. McMillan is a Senior Associate with the Federal Practice Group. Mr. McMillan is experienced in civil and criminal litigation, military law, government investigations, and government contracting.

Mr. McMillan retired from active duty after serving 20 years in the United States Marine Corps which included two combat deployments to Iraq and duties which ranged from prosecution, defense, legal assistance, command advisor for operational and installation commands, and service before the Military Commissions. Mr. McMillan further provided command legal advice during a historic period of transition to a gender-integrated training environment at Parris Island, South Carolina, and also delivered experienced legal counsel while operating in a pandemic environment which presented novel legal issues pertaining to courts-martial litigation, installation access, federal/state jurisdiction, media inquiries, congressional inquiries, and religious accommodation requests. After retirement from active duty in 2021, Mr. McMillan entered private practice in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Mr. McMillan is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Campbell University School of Law. He also received a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) from the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School with a specialty in International and Operations Law.

Mr. McMillan is admitted to practice before the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the Supreme Court of the United States, and the state of North Carolina.

Mr. Hargreaves is an associate attorney with the Federal Practice Group. His practice focuses on government contracts and civil litigation. In this role Mr. Hargreaves counsels and represents government contractors in solicitation reviews, bid protests, terminations, constructive change claims, multiple award schedule contracts, suspension and debarment proceedings, mandatory disclosures, alternative dispute resolution, base debarments, False Claims Act (FCA) action, and other issues under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Contract Disputes Act (CDA).

Prior to joining the Federal Practice Group as an associate attorney, Mr. Hargreaves served as a law clerk for FPG while attending law school. He also served as a legal intern in the chambers of the Honorable Marian Blank Horn at the United States Court of Federal Claims.

Mr. Hargreaves is a graduate of Virginia Tech and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies, with a focus in World Politics, and a Bachelor of Arts in German.  He received his Juris Doctor, with a concentration in Government Procurement, from the George Washington University Law School.

Ms. Koneru is an Associate with the Federal Practice Group. Her practice is focused on government contracting and complex litigation.

Prior to joining the Federal Practice Group, Ms. Koneru worked at the General Services Administration, Office of General Counsel as a Legal Intern in both the Personal Property Division and Acquisition Policy Division where she researched and drafted memorandum on government contracts related issues, including default termination, CICA stays, and bid protests. She also drafted and amended rules for the agency’s internal regulations manual.

Prior to the GSA, Ms. Koneru worked as a legal assistant within the Federal Judicial Center where she researched, compiled, blue-booked, and synthesized sources on shadow banking and Chapter 14 of the Bankruptcy Code for the upcoming Dodd-Frank Report and co-authored Appendix B of the Dodd-Frank Report.  Prior to the Federal Judicial Center, Ms. Koneru worked as a Research Assistant at The George Washington University Law School where she researched, coded, and compiled data on wrongful conviction statistics and compensation in the U.S. and assisted in cases within the Public Justice Advocacy Clinic.

Ms. Koneru’s other experience includes interning for a D.C. law firm specializing in family and probate law, where she assisted in research and drafted client documents including wills, trusts, power of attorney agreements and litigation documents, including complaints and answers.

Ms. Koneru earned her Juris Doctorate from The George Washington University Law School. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics, with Minors in Criminal Justice and Public Health from The George Washington University