Tips On Finding The Right Whistleblower Attorney To Represent You

Choosing to rat on your employer is never an easy decision. In the first instance you may not be sure whom to turn to, and secondly what will be the consequences of such an action. Will there be some sort of retaliation for spilling the beans? Are you likely to get fired from your job? These are all questions that will be going through your mind, and the easiest way to get answers and reassurances is to speak to an experienced whistleblower attorney.

Making the right choice of whistleblower attorney can be quite difficult, and is likely to be one of the hardest decisions that you have to make. Get it right and you will be successful in filing a lawsuit which compensates you fairly for whatever stress and trauma you may have suffered, get it wrong and you stand to lose your case and your chance of a fair and just compensation. So, with this in mind, here are some top tips on how to find the right lawyer to represent you.

Whistleblower experience

There are firms of attorneys who advertise that they deal with just about every example of law that you could think of. They tend to do this because they mistakenly think that by doing so it will bring in more business. In reality, it could work the opposite way and you could easily think that they are more of a 'Jack of all trades and master of none' type of firm.

Whistleblower cases are fairly complex and have their own set of laws that can vary from state to state, and because of this you need the specialist skills and know-how of a whistleblower attorney who will be able to deliver a successful outcome. Just as you wouldn't want a brain surgeon to carry out a heart transplant, so you don't want a general attorney representing you in a whistleblower lawsuit.

Government involvement

Generally speaking qui tam cases have more chance of being successful when the government become involved. The DOJ (Department of Justice) can decide to intervene or they can stand back and let you go it alone. It is vitally important that you ask a whistleblower attorney whether they have had experience of cases where the government joined forces and find out how they went about persuading the DOJ to come on board.

Financial backing

It is fair to say that most qui tam cases are very time consuming and indeed, quite costly. As a result you will need to find a whistleblower attorney whose firm have the financial backing in place to be able to pay for expenses such as hiring specialist consultants to look into various matters, court costs and filing papers. How do you know if they have these funds in place? Easy, just ask them. Any decent firm of attorneys will be transparent and upfront and will answer such questions honestly.

Specialist expertise

Many law firm websites will show that whistleblower cases are their speciality area of expertise when in reality they often aren't. The False Claims Act covers a multitude of different industries and regulations which are all quite complex so it is vital that you find a firm of attorneys who have specialist knowledge of this act. Ask them to show you proof of False Claims Act cases that they have won and if necessary check out any testimonials that they have on their sites, so see if they are what they say they are.

Although speed is of the essence in most cases, it is important that you do your research before accepting the first attorney who says he will take on your case. Because you need to feel comfortable with your attorney and feel that you can communicate with him, it often pays to short list a few potential attorneys who tick all the right boxes, ask to meet them, and make your decision based on your gut feeling of whether you feel they are right for you.

At the end of the day choosing the right whistleblower attorney can make all the difference to the lives of you and your family, as well as seeing that justice has been done.