SEC Whistleblower Attorneys

The SEC whistleblower attorneys at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto have a track record of successfully representing SEC whistleblowers who report violations of federal securities law. Such violations include manipulation of securities, ponzi schemes, insider trading, abusive naked short selling, money laundering, and other market manipulation.

We keep our clients’ identities confidential and have helped them receive significant rewards resulting in over $125 million in preliminary or final rewards. Since the firms inception, our SEC whistleblowers have triggered over $1.5 billion in recoveries under the securities laws and related criminal laws. In fact, one of our clients received one of the top 10 largest awards ever given by the SEC.

Our team’s extensive experience in winning cases, combined with our in-depth knowledge of securities law, sets us apart as leading SEC whistleblower attorneys. Our lawyers were actively involved in the creation of the Dodd-Frank Act, having met with all five SEC Commissioners to present detailed reports and proposals for effective whistleblower protections.

If you have original, timely, and credible information that could lead to sanctions against a company or individual, get in touch with Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto today for a confidential case review. We’ll be able to help you understand your rights and file a confidential whistleblower claim.

Hiring an SEC Whistleblower Lawyer

When choosing an SEC whistleblower lawyer, it’s important to look for someone with experience handling SEC whistleblower cases, as the process can be complex and nuanced. You should also look for a lawyer who is familiar with the laws and regulations governing SEC whistleblower claims, and who has a good track record of success in these types of cases.

Additionally, it may be helpful to find an SEC whistleblower lawyer who is able to keep your information confidential and has a good understanding of the risks and rewards associated with being a whistleblower. You should also make sure that you feel comfortable working with the lawyer and that they are responsive to your needs and concerns.

For over 30 years, we’ve been helping clients navigate the process of filing anonymous claims and winning substantial awards. Please get in touch with our whistleblower law firm for a free and confidential case evaluation if you believe you have a case.

Focused on Protecting ESG Whistleblowers

Our firm is on the forefront of representing whistleblowers who disclose information of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) violations or financial frauds putting investors at risk. Former SEC acting chair and commissioner Allison Herren Lee, now Of Counsel at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, leads our ESG whistleblower practice area and is ready to serve and protect whistleblowers, and help them seek rewards under the Dodd-Frank Act and SEC Whistleblower Program. If you’re an ESG whistleblower seeking to report a concern, contact our law firm today to speak confidentially with Allison Lee.

Allison Lee - Of Counsel - Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP

Contact Allison Lee

“[Whistleblowers] display extraordinary bravery to expose fraud and wrongdoing, and to shine light in some very dark places. In doing so, they reinforce our fundamental values – that the rule of law matters, and no one is, or should be, above the law… They help create transparency, and from transparency flows crucial accountability.”

Whistleblowers Fight Tremendous Odds and Deserve Better
Statement by Allison as SEC Commissioner, September 23, 2020
Read Full Statement

Our Firms SEC Whistleblower Cases

  • SEC Whistleblower

    SEC Confidential Whistleblower

    SEC Dodd-Frank Act Confidential Informant. Protecting the confidentiality of Wall Street whistleblowers is among the most important breakthroughs in federal whistleblower law. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, whistleblowers can file anonymous cases, and everything about their case, including who they sued, remains secret.

    Our SEC whistleblower law firm has prevailed in significant cases, including one of the largest SEC awards granted to date. To maintain the secrecy of this whistleblower, we can only report that he or she obtained a reward within the top-five ever given by the SEC – a whistleblower informant award of over $30 million.

  • SEC Confidential Whistleblower

    SEC Confidential Whistleblower

    Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto represented an anonymous whistleblower, who on May 17, 2021, received a whistleblower award of almost $13.5 million. The SEC Issues More Than $31 Million in Whistleblower Awards related to this case, which involved securities law violations.

    Founding partner KKC Stephen M. Kohn commended this whistleblower for his or her courage, perseverance, and determination for speaking out against the fraudster. The whistleblower was compensated for the years of sacrifice and suffering, and will continue seeking full justice.

    Awards such as these further demonstrate that the Dodd-Frank Act whistleblower laws covering securities, commodities and foreign bribery crimes work. They deter crime, put fraudster in jail, recover billions for investors, and protect the integrity of the markets. The SEC has created the safest reporting system ever devised to incentivize the disclosure of fraud.

Whistleblowing Works

“I want to note our appreciation to whistleblowers who, sometimes at great risk to their livelihood, report suspected securities laws violations to the SEC. Our whistleblower program has been a success because of their efforts. Working together, we have stopped frauds and prevented losses for countless investors”

Mr. Jay Clayton, Chairman, SEC

“The SEC whistleblower program…has rapidly become a tremendously effective force-multiplier, generating high quality tips, and in some cases virtual blueprints laying out an entire enterprise, directing us to the heart of the alleged fraud.”

Chairman Mary Jo White, Securities and Exchange Commission, Remarks at the Securities Enforcement Forum, Washington DC (October 2013)

Additional Resources

Latest from Our Blog

  • September 27, 2023

    SEC Issues Record Penalty for ESG Greenwashing Violations

    This article originally appeared in JD Supra. In recent years, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has increasingly made Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues a central element of the agency’s enforcement priorities and on September 25, the Commission announced the largest penalty for ESG greenwashing ever imposed on an asset manager. The SEC charged the Deutsche ...

  • September 21, 2023

    Gensler Discusses Markets “Ripe with Misconduct” and New SEC Rules to Address Changing Times

    This article originally appeared in JD Supra.  On September 12, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. His testimony emphasized that market growth combined with technological change has led to high rates of securities fraud. ...

  • September 21, 2023

    New Record for Number of Employees Affected by Rule 21F-17(a) Violations Does Not Lead to Increase in Sanctions Against CBRE

    This article originally appeared in the National Law Review. The Securities Exchange Commission appears to be increasing the frequency of their enforcement of Rule 21F-17(a). With the recent enforcement against CBRE, Inc., the SEC has now released two enforcement orders and one finalized judgement in the past month. Rule 21F-17(a) prohibits any person from “tak[ing] any action ...

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Enron Whistleblower Sherron Watkins: National Whistleblower Day 2019

Frequently Asked Questions

The SEC whistleblower reward program provides monetary “rewards” to individuals or groups of individuals who’s information leads to a successful action against another company or individual in violation of the Securities Exchange Act.

This may include insider trading, ponzi schemes, unregistered securities, and other fraud against investors or market manipulation. Rewards are between 15 and 30 percentage of the total sanctions collected from the fraud.

SEC awards are determined based on the quality and timeliness of the information provided by the SEC whistleblower. The more credible and timely the information, the greater the rewards. However, there are several other factors that are used to determine award amounts, including such criteria as the whistleblowers’ connection to the fraud, the depth and quality of information provided to the SEC, or whether someone has already blown the whistle.

In most cases, an SEC whistleblower attorney will agree to represent whistleblowers in exchange for obtaining a percentage of a final recovery, which could be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars. Clients are not required to pay any upfront attorney’s fees and owe nothing if the firm is unable to obtain a recovery or award on their behalf. In this manner, attorneys can represent whistleblowers regardless of whether they can afford attorney’s fees.

Under the SEC Whistleblower Program, it is illegal for employers to retaliate against a whistleblower for engaging in a protective activity, such as reporting fraud. Retaliation might include terminating, demoting, discriminating or harassing a whistleblower. Securities law states that SEC whistleblowers may assist the SEC in any investigation or proceeding based on the information submitted in the claim, and receive protection from retaliation. And those who have been retaliated against may report their concerns to the SEC, and potentially bring an enforcement action against the company.

Pre-Order Rules for Whistleblowers by Stephen M. Kohn

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Rules for Whistleblowers

Learn how whistleblowers have saved lives, stopped frauds, protected their jobs, and earned million-dollar rewards for doing the right thing.