Bio

Thomas (Tom) Modeszto focuses his practice on government contracts, compliance, litigation, and suspension and debarment actions.  Tom’s extensive procurement experience with the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense provides insight to businesses searching for solutions on procurement matters ranging from acquisition strategy, formation, and administration of government contracts.  Throughout his career Tom has provided forethought and consideration regarding second and third order impacts on legal, business, and fiscal decisions facing his clients.  Tom’s approach is to collaborate with different sections of an organization, weigh their equities, and then execute a solution that addresses the short-term needs of the client, while implementing long-term solutions that mitigate vulnerabilities within the planning process.

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Prior to joining The Sander Group, Tom served as an Associate General Counsel, Headquarters, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), from October 2015 until his retirement from Federal Service in June 2023.  During that period, Tom also served in dual roles as Acting Senior Associate Counsel for the Acquisition Branch, as well as the Acting Team Lead for the Procurement Fraud Branch, where he presided as the Hearing Officer in DLA’s first ever Suspension and Debarment Fact-Finding Hearing.  Tom’s acquisition duties were extensive and involved several high visibility, high dollar procurements from the acquisition strategy planning stage, to resolving contentious post-award issues and interpreting regulations as it applied to fluid events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Prior to his civilian employment with DLA, Tom served as an Active Duty Colonel with the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps where he held numerous Acquisition-related positions within the Army.  During Tom’s uniform military career, he held numerous leadership positions within the Army JAG Corps including as a Staff Judge Advocate and Command Counsel.  After 24 years of service, Tom retired from the Army where he last served as the Division Chief of the Army’s largest Civil Litigation Branch – the Contract and Fiscal Law Division, which has since been renamed the Contract Litigation and Intellectual Property Division.   

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In addition to the aforementioned assignments, Tom served as the Chief, Contract and Fiscal Law, Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq and a Professor in the Contract and Fiscal Law Department at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School (TJAGLCS) in Charlottesville, Virginia.  For his military service to the Nation, Tom has been awarded the Legion of Merit (2 Awards), the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (5 Awards), the Army Commendation Medal (3 Awards), and the Iraq Campaign Medal, amongst other awards.  In his civilian capacity, Tom has been awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award and the Distinguished Career Service Award.

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Tom received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois (UoI) College of Law in 1989, and as part of a joint program also received his Masters of Business Administration in the same year.  He received his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Economics from Rutgers University in 1985.  Tom previously held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS-SCI) Security Clearance.