Whistleblower Summit Event Schedule Released

Tomorrow, the annual Whistleblower Summit kicks off a with a series of events surrounding the annual celebration of National Whistleblower Day. This year organizers are holding events, from July 28 through July 31, in a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Summit Pass is required to view these panels. The Summit Pass is free but registration is required. To Register go to: https://filmfestivalflix.com/Whistleblower/Purchase-Tickets/, scroll down to the bottom of the page and select SUMMIT PASS (Panels Only). Do not enter any payment information during check out. Fill out the registration form and create a password. Then click “Place order.” If you would like to attend the Whistleblower Film Festival, passes can be purchased for $49.95.

The schedule for the panels featuring KKC partners and associates is below:

Tuesday, July 28 (All times are Eastern Standard Time)

11 AM: International Whistleblower Rights Program: South Korea’s Tax Whistleblower Reward Law

Youjin Yoon, a law clerk at KKC, interviews Deputy Director and Delegate to IBFD Netherlands at the National Tax Service of Korea, Joohyun Baek, about Korea’s tax whistleblower law.

11AM: OSHA Whistleblowers and COVID-19

Stephen M. Kohn, a founding partner at KKC, interviews Professor and Former Dean at Northeastern University School of Law Emily Spieler about the whistleblower provisions of the Occupational and Health Safety Act (OSHA). Spieler, an expert on OSHA, discusses protections for whistleblowers in the age of COVID-19.

1PM: Being a Whistleblower Lawyer

Siri Nelson, the recipient of the 2019 Estelle S. Kohn Memorial Fellowship, awarded by the Northeastern University School of Law and a current legal fellow at KKC, interviews KKC founding partners Michael D. Kohn and Stephen M. Kohn about their experiences as whistleblower lawyers.

1PM: The Story Behind National Whistleblower Day

Stephen M. Kohn retells the story of the nation’s first whistleblowers and the passage of the first whistleblower law in 1778, which he rediscovered during his original historical research for the New Whistleblower’s Handbook.

Kohn will be introduced by FBI whistleblower Jane Turner.

Wednesday, July, 29

1PM: How to Get a Jury Trial as a Federal Employee

Michael D. Kohn, a founding partner at KKC, describes the challenges faced by whistleblowers who work for the federal government and how to properly bring a complaint that leads to a jury trial when retaliation involves discrimination.

Thursday, July 30

9AM: International Whistleblowing

KKC associate attorneys Maraya Best and Kelsey Condon are joined by journalist Mark Worth, the Executive Director, Whistleblowing International, to discuss international whistleblower protection laws and the global applicability of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other U.S. whistleblower laws.

9 AM: IRS Tax Whistleblower Program – The Basics With A Focus On Offshore Accounts

Dean Zerbe, a senior policy analyst for the National Whistleblower Center and expert in IRS whistleblower law, describes the IRS tax whistleblower program and how tax violations in offshore accounts can be reported.

1PM: The Garcetti Trap: Police Department Whistleblowing

Noah Lapidus, the recipient of the 2020 Estelle S. Kohn Memorial Fellowship, awarded by the Northeastern University School of Law, a current legal fellow at KKC, describes the precedent set in Garcetti v. Ceballos, a case in which the Supreme Court ruled that public employees do not have a First Amendment protection for speech issued as part of their official duties.

Lapidus discusses the availability of First Amendment protections for police whistleblowers since the Supreme Court’s disastrous Garcetti decision, and how whistleblowers can report police misconduct despite Garcetti restrictions.

1:45 PM – 2:15 Tools for Whistleblowers

Stephen Kohn joins a panel of experts during a live interactive National Whistleblower Day presentation on July 30^th to discuss the current state of whistleblower protection. The panel will answer questions such as “How do whistleblower reward laws impact compliance programs?” And, “What are the most significant barriers to enlisting whistleblowers to address corruption?” This panel requires a separate registration here.

For more information and register for the virtual National Whistleblower Day 2020 celebration, visit the official National Whistleblower Day website.