KKC’s Allison Herren Lee Speaks on Her Journey From SEC to Whistleblower Defense

Allison Herren Lee, Of Counsel at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, was the latest guest on Whistleblower Network News’ Whistleblower of the Week podcast. In the episode, Lee, who previously served as a Commissioner at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), speaks with host Jane Tuner, a former FBI whistleblower, on a wide-range of whistleblower related topics.

Lee notes that joining a whistleblower defense firm “has not necessarily been a traditional career path for former Commissioners,” and she and Turner discuss why she was compelled to pursue it. In addition to discussing the SEC’s highly successful whistleblower program, Lee recounts her firsthand experience working with whistleblowers during her time as an enforcement attorney.

“I saw firsthand what it meant in a case to have a whistleblower who was willing to help, who was willing to come forward, who was willing to point out corruption, legal violations, any number of issues,” Lee states. “And I also saw the price they paid. So my view was quite firmly: these are partners in law enforcement and we should do everything we can to protect them.”

“Working with whistleblowers and working to support and protect whistleblowers from a policy perspective, as well as boots on the ground when they come in and have something to report, to me was the perfect use of my background in law enforcement and in policy,” Lee explains.

In March 2023, Lee joined Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto as Of Counsel after serving as an SEC Commissioner from 2019 until her term expired in July 2022. During her tenure at the Commission, Lee was a champion for stronger whistleblower protections and individual accountability for violations of securities laws.

In June, Lee authored a piece for the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance calling for the passage of the SEC Whistleblower Reform Bill of 2023.

Listen to Lee’s appearance on Whistleblower of the Week.