Things people want to know before they write

It is Latin shorthand for a case brought by a private person on the government’s behalf. Under the False Claims Act you file a complaint under seal, the government decides whether to join, and if the case succeeds you receive a share set by the statute.

With the SEC, a tip sent through a lawyer can be anonymous until you claim an award. In a qui tam case your name is kept from the company while the complaint is sealed, but it can come out later, and I won’t promise otherwise. Retaliation claims cannot be anonymous.

No. Former employees, contractors, vendors and consultants can all be insiders. What matters is that you know something first-hand and can say how.

Anything the company can call privileged, such as messages with its lawyers, and anything that holds other people’s private data. Don’t forward files to yourself or copy a server. Write down what exists and where it is, and I tell you what can lawfully be kept.

A qui tam case can go on without the government, and some do. It is harder, slower and costlier, and I tell you honestly when I think it should stop. You are never made to continue.

Longer than you want. The government’s review alone can run for a long time before it decides, and I don’t estimate dates I can’t see. I tell you when something changes.

Not necessarily. Awards depend on the government acting and on money being collected. Some cases pay, some don’t, and nobody can promise which.

No. I handle fraud against the government, securities and tax tips, and retaliation for reporting them. If yours is something else, I’ll say so and try to point you to someone who can help.

The short version: what you saw, roughly when, how you know and who else knows. No company name is needed in the message you send first. We talk about that on the call.

No. Use a personal phone and a personal email, from a network that isn’t your employer’s. If you’ve already written to me from work, tell me and we’ll plan around it.