• AML
  • Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Qui Tam, Compliance and Anti-Corruption News.
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home Corporate SEC

Leading Whistleblower Attorney Analyzes WNN’s Big Law Revelation

Geoff SchwellerbyGeoff Schweller
September 29, 2022
in SEC
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Big Law whistleblowers
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

In an exclusive article, Whistleblower Network News (WNN) recently revealed, for the first time, that large corporate defense firms have represented whistleblowers who have received awards through the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Whistleblower Program. In a new piece for the National Law Review, leading whistleblower attorney Stephen M. Kohn examined the implications of this shift in legal representation for whistleblowers.

“Whistleblower representation is entering a new world,” writes Kohn, a founding partner of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto. “The ‘iron curtain’ that formerly separated law firms that represent corporate crooks from those that represent whistleblowers has fallen. This new reality is not without serious risks to whistleblowers (and corporate clients).”

Kohn overviews the findings of WNN’s investigation into over 1000 documents it received from the SEC in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. WNN found that out of the 64 law firms identified in the documents as having represented whistleblowers who received awards from the SEC, 6 were primarily corporate defense firms. “That defense firms are now actively engaged in representing whistleblowers cannot be denied,” Kohn said of the revelation.

Register for National Whistleblower Day

“Whistleblowers must be fully aware of the dangers of having a corporate law firm represent them,” continues Kohn. “Corporate law firms must institute procedures to guard against conflicts of interest and to ensure they can zealously represent whistleblowers. Zealous representation is needed even when the precedents established in these cases may create trouble for their other client base.”

Kohn outlines a number of procedures which he recommends corporate law firms implement in order to ensure they represent whistleblowers to the best extent possible. One recommendation Kohn makes is that firms should publicly disclose that they represent whistleblowers. Kohn notes that of the six defense firms identified by WNN, only one listed its SEC whistleblower award case on its website.

“Whistleblower clients need full disclosure of how the defense firm’s primary practice may impact the representation,” Kohn further adds. “This is particularly true whenever a case would require advocacy on behalf of a whistleblower that could expand legal interpretations benefiting whistleblowers. It is hard to reconcile how a law firm defending some clients against whistleblowers can effectively argue before administrative agencies or courts of law legal precedents that could expand the rights of whistleblowers. These expanded rights could and would ultimately not be to the advantage of corporate clients accused of wrongdoing.”

“At the end of the day, the fact that defense law firms are now representing whistleblowers affirms the success of Dodd-Frank,” Kohn writes in conclusion. “It is an affirmation of the critical nature of the information whistleblowers provide to the government and the role of this insider information in stopping otherwise hard to detect corporate crimes. The “iron curtain” has fallen, but it has fallen in the direction that helps whistleblowers. It has fallen in the direction that affirms the quality of their disclosures. It refutes the often-repeated slander that whistleblowers are somehow simply disgruntled employees.”

Read:

The “Iron Curtain” has Fallen: A Radical Shift in Lawyers Representing Whistleblowers

WNN Exclusive: SEC FOIA Documents Reveal Big Law Defense Firms are Confidentially Representing Dodd-Frank Whistleblowers

Previous Post

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Organization Wants to Promote Whistleblower Protections

Next Post

WNN Exclusive: The SEC Whistleblower Program Enriches the Treasury, Not an Inner Circle of Attorneys

Geoff Schweller

Geoff Schweller

Geoff Schweller is the Assistant News Editor for Whistleblower Network News. He coordinates news coverage, and also writes about breaking whistleblower news, SEC whistleblowers, IRS whistleblowers, CFTC whistleblowers, and federal employee whistleblowers. Geoff graduated from Hamilton College with a degree in Sociology and minors in French & Francophone Studies and Cinema & New Media Studies.

Next Post
SEC Whistleblower Program

WNN Exclusive: The SEC Whistleblower Program Enriches the Treasury, Not an Inner Circle of Attorneys

Receive Daily Alerts

Subscribe to receive daily breaking news and legislative developments sent to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most Popular

Advocates Detail Need for SEC Whistleblower Reform

Raytheon Whistleblower Receives $1.5 Million for Alleging Cybersecurity Non-Compliance

Ruling Striking Down Trump Order Targeting Law Firm Seen as Crucial for Whistleblowers

MJH Healthcare Settles Whistleblower Allegations of Postal Rate Fraud for $2 Million

Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Stronger Whistleblower Laws in Australia, Mirroring Polling in US

Four Whistleblowers Receive $1.3 Million for Alleging Genetic Testing Fraud Scheme

Whistleblower Poll

Whistleblower Poll
Whistleblower Poll

Exclusive Marist Poll: Overwhelming Public Support Among Likely Voters For Increased Whistleblower Protections

byGeoff Schweller
October 6, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

STAY INFORMED.
Subscribe to receive breaking whistleblower updates.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Us

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Careers

Subscribe

  • Daily Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • YouTube Channel

Contribute

  • Letter to the Editor
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Reprint Guidelines

Your Experience

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Help

  • Rules for Whistleblowers
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Advertise
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments. 

Submit an Article

Copyright © 2025, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

Become a Whistleblower Network News Subscriber

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Subscribe to WNN

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Subscribe to WNN
RSVP to National Whistleblower Day 2025! July 30, 2025 on Capitol Hill
RSVP NOW

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Exclusives
  • Government
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Federal Employees
    • Intelligence
  • Corporate
    • CFTC & Commodities
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC & Securities
  • Features
  • Legislation
  • International
    • Foreign Corruption
  • Rewards
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Environment & Climate
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Employment
    • Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers
    • Retaliation
    • OSHA
  • Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • National Whistleblower Day
  • Whistleblower Poll
  • Whistleblower Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resources for Locating An Attorney
    • The New Whistleblowers Handbook

Copyright © 2024, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version