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UK Whistleblower Solicitors

Solicitors Representing Whistleblowers in the UK

Since 1988, Washington, DC-based firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto has represented international whistleblowers who report fraud, misconduct, or abuse, and seek rewards under various U.S. whistleblower award programs and international laws.

Fighting Corruption Together

Our team works as with other law firms in various countries acting as co-counsel, and also with governments on building successful educational programming.

  • International Pro Bono

    Education

    We've given numerous U.S. sponsored seminars and presentations on topics related to international whistleblowing and anti-corruption, and have organized numerous educational programs.

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  • Co-Counsel

    International Solicitors

    We've worked with attorneys from all over the world as co-counsel to fight corruption, money laundering, and other abuses under various U.S. whistleblower laws with transnational reach.

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  • UK Focus

    Advocacy

    We continue to work with our partners in the UK and around the world advocating for effective whistleblower laws modeled on the RUSI report findings.

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UK Whistleblower News & Insights

Learn about the latest whistleblower legislative developments, key data and insights about the effectiveness of whistleblowing.

Founder Stephen Kohn with Associate Kayla Svihovec

Our Team

International Whistleblower Solicitors

Our team is comprised of world-renowned whistleblower solicitors who have over 30 years of experience representing whistleblowers in cases of foreign corruption and misconduct.

  • UK Whistleblower Solicitor Stephen Kohn

    Stephen M. Kohn

    Founding Partner
    KKC LLP

    World renowned whistleblower attorney and founding partner of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP

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  • UK Whistleblower Solicitor Allison Herren Lee

    Allison H. Lee

    Co-Chair
    SEC/CFTC Practice Group
    KKC LLP

    Former SEC Comissioner serving and protecting securities fraud whistleblowers.

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  • UK Whistleblower Solicitor Dave Colapinto

    David K. Colapinto

    Founding Partner
    KKC LLP

    Leading whistleblower attorney and expert across several practice areas, including FCPA.

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  • UK Whistleblower Solicitor Michael Kohn

    Michael D. Kohn

    Founding Partner
    KKC LLP

    Recognized whistleblower attorney who has been victorious in setting several legal precedents.

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PRACTICE AREAS

International Focus

We represent whistleblowers under several U.S. laws that cover international whistleblowing.

  • Anti-Money Laundering

    Anti-Money Laundering

    We provide expert legal assistance to whistleblowers who report Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and violations of anti-money laundering provisions.

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  • Foreign Corruption Solicitor

    Foreign Corruption

    We represent whistleblowers who report violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), such as bribery and money laundering.

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  • Securities Fraud Solicitor

    Securities Fraud

    Since the firms inception, our SEC whistleblowers have triggered over $1.5 billion in recoveries under the securities laws and related criminal laws. 

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  • Commodities Fraud Solicitor for Whistleblowers

    Commodities Fraud

    have over 30 years of experience representing and protecting whistleblowers in  commodities fraud in the commodities markets.

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  • Sanctions Violations Solicitor

    Sanctions Violations

    We work with whistleblowers who blow the whistle on OFAC sanctions violations and illegal activity, and who seek an award for their information.

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TESTIMONIALS

What Clients are Saying

We represent whistleblowers under several U.S. laws that cover international whistleblowing.

“The only lawyer on my side was Stephen M. Kohn. He was as smart as they come and feisty as a pit bull. Steve was convinced the government owed me a fat reward, and he was going to get it, or die trying.”

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

Our Cases

International Whistleblowers

We’ve represented whistleblowers in some of largest cases in history – some leading to record-breaking rewards.

Danske Bank Whistleblower - Howard Wilkinson

$2 Billion Recovered

Howard Wilkinson

Wilkinson blew the whistle on a $200 billion Russian money-laundering scandal that moved rubles out of Russia, converted them to dollars at Danske Bank Estonia Branch, then to moved the dollars to New York.

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UBS Whistleblower - Bradley Birkenfeld

$104 Million Reward

Bradley Birkenfeld

As an international banker at UBS in Switzerland, Bradley Birkenfeld exposed a massive tax evasion scheme, leading UBS to disclose over 4,450 U.S. tax evaders and pay a $780 million fine to the IRS.

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FCPA Cases

$70 million in Rewards

Foreign Corruption Cases

With an steady commitment to our clients who expose foreign corruption, we've been instrumental in obtaining over $70 million in rewards for multiple non-U.S. citizen whistleblowers across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Learn about whistleblowing and get in touch if you have any questions.

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 solicitor. 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. We’ve successfully established many of the whistleblower laws, regulation, and legal precedents that now benefit all whistleblowers.

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. For more information about attorney fees, please refer to our standard whistleblower attorney fees resource page.

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.

The whistleblower lawyers of the law firm of Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto all have over 30 years of 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 form on our website.

It is often difficult to find a whistleblower lawyer and obtain qualified counsel. Many whistleblowers still proceed pro se (i.e., represent themselves), often because they cannot afford or locate an attorney. We strongly recommend that whistleblowers seeking representation carefully read The New Whistleblower’s Handbook. This book sets forth the essential elements of all modern whistleblower laws. You must understand how these laws work, so you are in the best position to “sell” your case to a prospective attorney.