Stephen M. Kohn

Promoting International Qui Tam Whistleblowing

Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto has played an instrumental role in advancing whistleblower rights worldwide. Currently the partners represent whistleblowers from every continent on earth (except Antarctica) in pursuing whistleblower reward cases under U.S. laws.

Steve Kohn has been sponsored by the U.S. Department of State to promote whistleblowing on a world-wide scale, including special seminars and programs in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bosnia, Serbia and Thailand. He has given major keynote addresses in Peru and Greece and presented in numerous international conferences and has testified on behalf of whistleblowers before the European Parliament and the Danish Parliament. Mike Kohn has made major international presentations in Poland, South Korea and Israel. The firm filed extensive comments supporting greater whistleblower protections in the now-approved European Directive on Whistleblowing.

Whistleblower attorney Stephen M. Kohn and partners of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto regularly advise congress on crafting whistleblower laws. And play an instrumental role in drafting whistleblower protection laws, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, and the Dodd-Frank Act.

SEC & IRS Rulemaking

During the Dodd-Frank rulemaking process, our partners worked closely with the SEC to create an effective whistleblower program. Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto’s partners met personally with each of the five SEC Commissioners. They presented them with detailed reports and proposals setting forth rules that were essential to make the law work for Dodd-Frank whistleblowers as intended by Congress. Furthermore, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto’s whistleblower attorneys seek to protect and enhance legal protections for tax fraud whistleblowers. Our firm has filed numerous internal revenue service rulemaking petitions, filed extensive briefs to the IRS and testified at IRS rulemaking hearings to strengthen the tax whistleblower program.

In recognition of the growing importance of whistleblower litigation, The National Law Journal named the whistleblower attorney and advocacy law firm of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto as one of top fifty plaintiff’s law firms in the United States. The firm’s partners were officially named as among “America’s Elite Trial Lawyers.” In its September 29, 2014 article, “Elite Trial Lawyers: The 50 Leading Plaintiff’s Firms in America,” the National Law Journal named Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto as one of the firm’s “doing the most creative and most important work in the courtroom.”

2020

Lawdragon 500 Leading Plantiff Financial Lawyer

Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge: Grand Prize Winner

2019

Lawdragon 500 Leading Plantiff Financial Lawyer
Legal Leaders: Top Rated Lawyers 2019
Trust! Top Thought Leaders in Trust: Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)

2018

Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, Marquis Who’s Who
Whistleblower Law Firm of the Year, Lawyer International

2017

Whistleblower Law Firm of the Year in Washington DC, Global Law Experts Awards

2016-2020

Who’s Who in the East, Marquis Who’s Who

Media Appearances

ABC World News Tonight, BBC World News Tonight, BBC, “Burden of Proof” on CNN, “Capital Gains” on Bloomberg TV, CBS Evening News, CNN World News, “Crosstalk” on MSNBC, CSNBC, “The Early Show” on CBS, “Good Morning America” on ABC, “The Jack Ford Show” on MSNBC, “Hannity & Colmes” on FOXNEWS, “Hardball” on MSNBC, “The Johnnie Cochran Show” on Court-TV, “Larry King Live” on CNN, “Miller’s Law” on Court-TV, NBC Nightly News, “Nightline” on ABC, “The O’Reilly Factor” on FOXNEWS, “Primetime Live” on ABC, “Rivera Live” on MSNBC, “The Today Show” on NBC, “Close-Up” on C-SPAN, “60 Minutes” on CBS, “Washington Journal,” “HuffPost Live” and on CSPAN.

• August 23, 2010: Presentation to Representatives from the Office of the Chairman
• January 31, 2011: Presentation to the Staff of the SEC Division of Enforcement
• February 10, 2011: Presentation to SEC Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar
• February 11, 2011: Presentation to SEC Commissioner Troy A. Paredes
• March 11, 2011: Presentation to SEC Commissioner Kathleen L. Casey
• March 16, 2011: Presentation to SEC Commissioner Elisse B. Walter
• March 28, 2011: Presentation to SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro

Belgrade, Serbia (October 27-28, 2016): Anti-Corruption Conference “For Every Truth There Is a Source: Protecting Whistleblowers and Journalistic Sources,” hosted by the Serbian whistleblower advocacy group Pištaljkaa (The Whistle), and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Information:

• Journalism and Whistleblowers: Threats and Opportunities (Panelist)
• Whistleblowing, Justice, and Journalism: The Way Forward (Panelist)

Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (May 26, 2015): Presentation sponsored by Luna-Centre for Responsible Democracy and the American Chamber of Commerce in Bosnia-Herzegovina with the support of the U.S. Embassy International Speakers Program.

• Conducted seminar as part of Sarajevo Whistleblower Week: “Breakthrough in Protecting International Whistleblowers: Non-United States Citizens Now Entitled to Whistleblower Protections and Rewards.”

• Hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice of the U.S. House of Representatives, “Oversight of the False Claims Act” (April 28, 2016) 
• Senate Judiciary Committee: Whistleblower Retaliation at the FBI: Improving Protections and Oversight (March 4, 2015)
• Hearings before the Committee on Government Reform of the U.S. House of Representatives, “What Price Free Speech” (June 29, 2006) (expert testimony on impact of Supreme Court decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos).
• Hearings before the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, “Hearing on S. 1538, the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act” (November 12, 2003) (Testimony on behalf of National Whistleblower Center).
• Hearings before the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives, “EPA’s Sludge Rule: Closed Minds or Open Debate” (March 22, 2000) (Testimony on behalf of National Whistleblower Center).
• Hearings before the Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, “Administrative Oversight of the Investigation of TWA Flight 800” (May 10, 1999) (attorney for witness).
• Hearings before the Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, “Oversight Hearings on the FBI Crime Lab” (September 29, 1997) (Testimony as attorney for witness).
• Hearings before the Subcommittee on Crime of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, “Oversight Hearings on the Activities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (May 13, 1997) (attorney for witness).

Public policy reports submitted on behalf of the National Whistleblower Center

• Saving America’s “Most Important Tool to Uncover and Punish Fraud”: 25 Facts That Rebut the Chamber of Commerce’s Proposal to undermine the False Claims Act (July 30, 2014).
• The Legality of the IRS’ Proposed Whistleblower Rule: Flunking the Loving Test (June 5th, 2014)
• Policy Analysis as to the Congressional to Provide Awards to All Whistleblowers Who Submit Information that Leads to a Successful Enforcement Action, Including Those Who Submitted Information Before the Passage of the Dodd-Frank Act  (November 9, 2012)

Rulemaking Proposals and Reports

• December 17, 2010: Report: Impact of qui tam Laws on Internal Compliance.
• December 17, 2010: Formal Comments on the Proposed Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Rules.
• January 25, 2011: Rule making proposal on SEC Rewards Provisions.
• February 15, 2011: Rule making proposal re: Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
• March 7, 2011: Rebuttal to comments proposed by the Chamber of Commerce.
• March 17, 2011: Provision-by-provision analysis of the proposed rules with recommended changes.
• May 17, 2011: Letter to SEC Chairman re: Rules governing protection for employee reports to internal compliance officials.