On September 5, the whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto (KKC) announced that former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement attorney Andrew Feller was joining the firm as Senior Special Counsel.
According to KKC, Feller will “be a key advocate for whistleblowers under the Dodd-Frank Act” and “will focus on those who report violations of securities and commodities laws, as well as major regulatory violations in banking and capital markets to the SEC, CFTC and other whistleblower programs.”
Feller served for fifteen years at the SEC including twelve years as Senior Counsel in the SEC Division of Enforcement, three years as a Senior Counsel and Policy Advisor to SEC Commissioner Allison Herren Lee.
Feller was Commissioner Lee’s primary enforcement counsel, advising the Commissioner on matters relating to the Commission’s enforcement and whistleblower programs, including amendments to the Commission’s whistleblower rules and significant legal policy matters, in addition to more than 3,000 recommendations from the Division of Enforcement.
In 2023, Lee joined KKC as Of Counsel.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Andrew again as he now joins the team at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto,” said Lee. “Andrew brings a depth of invaluable securities and commodities experience to our practice. From our time together at the SEC, I know firsthand Andrew’s expertise in these areas, as well as his deep commitment to furthering accountability and protecting both investors and whistleblowers.”
“I have long admired KKC’s work as passionate advocates for their whistleblower clients and champions for strong and effective whistleblower programs and policies,” said Feller. “Along with my colleague and friend, former SEC Commissioner Allison Herren Lee, I look forward to continuing that work and building the preeminent practice to advance the interests of whistleblowers seeking to expose financial frauds.”
The SEC Whistleblower Program, established in 2010, has become a critical component of the SEC’s enforcement efforts. According to the program’s 2022 report, “Enforcement actions brought using information from meritorious whistleblowers have resulted in orders for more than $6.3 billion in total monetary sanctions, including more than $4.0 billion in disgorgement of ill-gotten gains and interest, of which more than $1.5 billion has been, or is scheduled to be, returned to harmed investors.”
The SEC Whistleblower Program had a record setting year in the 2023 Fiscal Year. The program issued nearly $600 million in whistleblower awards, the most ever in a fiscal year, including a $279 million award, the single largest award in program history. The whistleblower program also received a record 18,000 whistleblower tips over the course of the fiscal year.
Further Reading:
Former SEC Enforcement Attorney Andrew Feller Joins Whistleblower Firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto