Kerry is senior counsel in Akin’s government contracts practice, advising defense, technology and research‑driven clients on complex federal acquisition requirements and high‑stakes enforcement matters. He brings more than 20 years of experience across major defense acquisitions, bid protests, internal investigations, fraud matters and national security‑related issues.

Kerry counsels clients throughout the full lifecycle of federal procurement, including FAR and DFARS compliance, acquisition strategy development, complex indemnification and risk‑allocation issues, major systems contracting and FCA investigations. He is a trusted advisor to senior government and industry leadership and has handled high‑visibility matters involving nuclear and strategic weapons, major weapons systems, space systems, IT modernization initiatives, emergent research programs and other mission‑critical national security efforts.

Before joining Akin, Kerry spent more than 15 years in progressively senior roles at the Department of the Navy. Most recently, he served as Counsel for Strategic Systems Programs (SSP), leading a 25‑person, multi‑site legal team supporting one of the Navy’s most complex weapons portfolios and advising three‑star flag officer. He previously served as the Navy’s Suspension and Debarment Official, overseeing anti‑fraud and compliance efforts across a $130 billion procurement enterprise and managing one of the federal government’s most active suspension and debarment programs. Earlier in his career, Kerry advised on major weapons systems acquisitions, litigated bid protests before the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Court of Federal Claims and led internal investigations into significant procurement fraud matters.