Our Whistleblower Attorneys

Our team combines the legal muscle of top whistleblower attorneys with the deep knowledge of whistleblower issues from renowned experts and former lawmakers.

Stephen M. Kohn - Top Whistleblower Attorney

Stephen M. Kohn

Founding Partner

Celebrated as a pioneer of today’s modern whistleblower laws, and recognized as Forbes’ America’s Top 200 Lawyers.

Michael Kohn - Whistleblower Attorney

Michael D. Kohn

Founding Partner

Internationally-recognized as a leading whistleblower attorney who has been victorious in setting several legal precedents.

David Colapinto

David K. Colapinto

Founding Partner

Leading whistleblower attorney and expert across all whistleblower disciplines, and behind the world’s largest rewards.

Our Whistleblower Lawyers

Allison H. Lee

Of Counsel

Former SEC acting chair and commissioner committed to protecting securities fraud whistleblowers around the world.

Mary Jane Wilmoth - Whistleblower Attorney

Mary Jane Wilmoth

Managing Partner

Mary Jane has litigated cases involving False Claims Act, qui tam, environmental, and nuclear industry whistleblowers.

Todd Yoder - Whistleblower Associate Attorney

Todd Yoder

Partner

Focuses on representing qui tam whistleblowers in both federal litigation and whistleblower reward programs.

Kayla Svihovec - KKC

Kayla Svihovec

Associate

Kayla provides representation to whistleblowers in federal court and administrative agency proceedings with a focus on the firm’s trial and appellate litigation projects.

David Blumenthal

David Blumenthal

Associate

David provides representation to whistleblowers in federal court and agency reward programs.

Benjamin Calitri

Benjamin Calitri

Associate

Ben is responsible for assisting clients with whistleblower reward programs.

Allison Wise, Esq.

Estelle S. Kohn
Public Interest Law Fellow

Allison represents whistleblowers under Dodd-Frank and the money laundering whistleblower laws.

Our Professionals

We bring together a powerful team with backgrounds in marketing, PR, journalism, and government to communicate our impact.

Geoff Schweller – PR and Communications Coordinator

Geoff Schweller

Communications Director

Our Whistleblower Lawyers

Sophie Luskin

Communications Fellow

Melissa Revuelta Portrait

Melissa Revuelta

Senior Law Clerk

Our Whistleblower Lawyers

Kate Reeves

International Liaison

Testimonials

See what clients are saying about our attorneys.

Harry "Hap" Barko

“When you’re in danger, you need someone you can trust, who isn’t afraid, and who knows how to fight. KKC always has my back.”

Harry Barko, Contract Fraud Whistleblower

“Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto are bulldogs for whistleblowers.” 

Dr. Aaron Westrick, Qui Tam Whistleblower
Linda Tripp

“Most law firms it really is all about billable hours. For these guys its all about the justice…[They] fought tooth and nail for me.”

Linda Tripp, Bloomberg News
Bradley Birkenfeld - Largest Whistleblower Reward in History

“Thanks [KKC] from the bottom of my heart.  I think if you ever have a whistleblowing claim they are the folks to take care of it for you.” – National Whistleblower Day (2017)

Bradley Birkenfeld, Former UBS Employee, Recipient of the Largest Whistleblower Reward ($104M) in History
Frederic Whitehurst

“In my world, courage is spelled “KKC”. They go up against the most powerful adversaries and win.”

Frederic Whitehurst, Former Supervisory Special Agent, FBI

“[Stephen Kohn] displayed a high level of competence, expertise, and diligence.”

Rhyne v. Brand, Judge’s Decision in Nuclear Whistleblower Case

Whistleblowers perform a vital public service by having the courage to report fraud and misconduct.

Whistleblowers assume a considerable risk and need aggressive and highly skilled whistleblower lawyers. As some of the most experienced whistleblower lawyers in the world, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto works to ensure whistleblowers obtain all to which they are entitled under law, including monetary rewards. Whistleblower cases can be grueling, the stakes are high, and the opposition is never less than formidable, which is why we represent whistleblowers.

Top Achievement

Best Whistleblower Lawyers - Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent

Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent®

Each of the lawyers of our firm have a AV Preeminent® rating from the Martindale-Hubbell® Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. This top rating is based on a peer review survey conducted by Martindale-Hubbell.

Rating Criteria

Rated (1.0-2.9)

The Peer Review Rated designation is the initial rating by Martindale-Hubbell which demonstrates that the lawyer has met the very high criteria of General Ethical Standing.

BV Distinguished (3.0-4.4)

BV Distinguished® is an excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. A widely respected mark of achievement, it differentiates a lawyer from his or her competition.

Our Rating

✓ AV Preeminent (4.5-5.0)

AV Preeminent® is a significant rating accomplishment – a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.

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

“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. 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.”

Allison Herren Lee, Former SEC Commissioner and Acting Chair, Now Of Counsel at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto
Our Whistleblower Lawyers

Standard Attorney Fees

Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto is dedicated to representing whistleblowers worldwide

We undertake most of our cases on a contingency basis. We agree to represent whistleblowers in exchange for obtaining a percentage of a final recovery. In these cases, our clients are not required to pay any upfront attorney’s fees and owe us nothing if we are unable to obtain a recovery or award on their behalf. This allows us to represent whistleblowers regardless of whether they can afford attorney’s fees and our firm is incentivized to obtain the largest possible recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

The whistleblower lawyers of the law firm of Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto all have over 30 years’ experience representing whistleblowers. If KKC agrees to represent you, one of our founding partners will manage your case. This hands-on approach by KKC partners makes it very difficult for the law firm to represent all of the whistleblowers who contact our firm. A founding partner does review every intake form received through the contact us form on our website.

Under the virtually universally followed general rule, if a whistleblower loses their case, he/she does not have to pay the attorney fees incurred by opposing counsel. This general rule is especially true in whistleblower cases litigated within the U.S. Department of Labor. In these cases, there are strict rules preventing companies from ever obtaining any fees or costs from whistleblowers who lose their cases. There are even limits on the number of sanctions given if a whistleblower files a frivolous lawsuit, in bad faith.

In federal court, whistleblowers do not have to pay fees to a corporation if they lose their case. However, if a lawsuit is frivolous and pursued in bad faith, the whistleblower may be liable for sanctions. A losing party in federal court is often liable to pay court costs, which are very small when compared with attorney fees.

It is nearly impossible for a whistleblower who files under the SEC and IRS reward laws to be liable for attorney fees from his or her employer. This situation is especially true if they maintain their confidentiality.

Outside of the United States, most attorneys charge their clients fees. However, the United States has a different pay-model based on a contingency fee (see above). Thus, international whistleblowers who retain attorneys in the United States often do not have to pay any up-front attorney fees.

In the United States, many whistleblower attorneys work for a “contingency” fee. If the whistleblower loses his or her case, the whistleblower does not have to pay the attorney any money. But if the whistleblower wins the case, their attorney will generally obtain a contingency fee of between 30-40%.

Additionally, many whistleblower laws have “statutory fee” provisions. Under these provisions, if the whistleblower wins, the company must pay all “reasonable” attorney fees incurred on behalf of the client.

Finally, although many whistleblowers have a “contingency fee” arrangement, many firms will charge a whistleblower an hourly fee. There are many reasons that firms charge such a rate. Having to pay an attorney a fee is not a good reason to reject retaining legal representation.

It is Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto’s general practice to represent whistleblowers on a contingency fee basis.

Blowing the whistle is serious business. Your job, reputation, and career may be on the line. Your first priority should be to find a whistleblower lawyer. Not all whistleblower disclosures are lawful or protected. You need to know how to blow the whistle and protect yourself. Moreover, many whistleblower laws permit you to obtain a financial reward. It is essential that when you blow the whistle, you understand your rights.

The three founding partners of our firm have exclusively represented whistleblowers since 1984 (Stephen Kohn), 1985 (Michael Kohn) and 1988 (David Colapinto). Our managing partner, Mary Jane Wilmoth, joined the firm in 1993. The firm’s record on winning whistleblower cases is second to none. We obtained the largest award ever given to an individual whistleblower, won numerous reward and retaliation cases, and have worked with Congress and executive agencies in drafting the laws and rules governing whistleblowers. Our partners have written the most books published on whistleblower laws. In 1988 the firm’s partners helped to found the National Whistleblower Center, and they are highly committed to advocating pro bono for whistleblowers. They successfully established many of the whistleblower laws, regulation, and legal precedents that now benefit all whistleblowers.