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SEC Whistleblower Program

A Law Firm That Knows The SEC Whistleblower Program

A few months after the SEC whistleblower program was created, Jason R. Pickholz left a partnership at a national law firm to found The Pickholz Law Offices.  His goal was to provide his clients with the same high quality of legal representation found at leading national law firms, coupled with the personal attention uniquely available at a specialized boutique.

As an SEC whistleblower law firm, we have represented employees, officers, directors, and others in SEC whistleblower cases involving public companies and financial institutions listed in the Fortune Top 10, Top 20, Top 50, Top 100, Top 500, and the Forbes Global 2000.

Our SEC whistleblower clients have come from all over the United States and abroad.  To hear what some of our clients have had to say about us, please click on the Client Reviews link or click here.  Some of our clients were referred to us by other clients (see client review here), law school professors (see here), other lawyers (see here), and news journalists (see here).

The SEC Whistleblower Program

In 2010, the U.S. Congress gave the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") its first comprehensive whistleblower program.  Congress's goal was to provide monetary incentives to people to report information about corporate frauds and securities law violations to the SEC.

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According to the SEC whistleblower program, to be eligible for an SEC whistleblower award, a person must first voluntarily provide original information to the SEC that causes the SEC to either open a new investigation, or that substantially contributes to an already ongoing SEC investigation.  Then, if the SEC brings a successful action in which it collects more than $1 million from the wrongdoers or violators, an SEC whistleblower reward will become available.

Under these circumstances, the SEC must give the whistleblower(s) an award of between 10% - 30% of the amount of money that it collects from the wrongdoers.

SEC whistleblower rewards are not paid out of money taken or withheld from investors who were harmed by the fraud.  SEC whistleblower awards are paid from a separate fund set up by the U.S. Congress called the Securities and Exchange Commission Investor Protection Fund.

There are a lot of rules that could determine whether someone may be eligible to receive an SEC whistleblower award, though.  There are also a lot of rules that could disqualify someone from receiving an award.  If you have questions or concerns about any of those rules, you may want to consult with an experienced SEC whistleblower lawyer.

Jason Pickholz Talks About The SEC Whistleblower Program.

A Precedent-Setting SEC Whistleblower Lawyer

The SEC whistleblower program was created in 2010.  Before then, Mr. Pickholz spent almost 16 years representing clients in SEC cases.  Since then, Mr. Pickholz has been setting precedent in the SEC whistleblower program and receiving acclaim from his peers for his work and dedication as an SEC whistleblower lawyer.

SEC whistleblower award

Mr. Pickholz was one of the first lawyers to win an SEC whistleblower award for a client.

He was also the first lawyer ever to win an SEC whistleblower reward for a client on appeal to the full Commission in Washington, D.C.  Inside Counsel magazine named this victory as one of the milestones of the SEC whistleblower program.  You can read an extensive article about that case here.  For other articles about the case, you can also click here (Boston Business Journal), and here (New York Times).

Mr. Pickholz is a co-author of the two-volume book Securities Crimes, published by leading legal publisher Thomson Reuters.  In addition, he is the sole author of the book’s comprehensive chapter about the SEC whistleblower program.

In recognition of Mr. Pickholz’s accomplishments, he was nominated and elected by his peers to be a Fellow of The New York Bar Foundation.  This is a professional honor limited to just 1% of the 74,000 lawyers in the New York State Bar Association.

For more information about Mr. Pickholz, please click here.  For more information about The Pickholz Law Offices, feel free to click any of the links on this page.

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The Pickholz Law Offices represents U.S. and international clients in securities and white collar cases. The Firm has helped whistleblowers report frauds to the SEC, CFTC, and IRS, and has defended clients in investigations by the SEC, CFTC, DOJ, FINRA, and other financial and securities enforcement regulators.

The Firm’s founder, Jason Pickholz, is the author of the two-volume book Securities Crimes, has appeared on tv and radio, and has taught continuing legal education courses. A former BigLaw partner, he has been representing clients in financial and securities fraud cases since 1995. In recognition of his many achievements, Mr. Pickholz was elected by his legal peers to be a Fellow of The New York Bar Foundation, an honor limited to just 1% of all attorneys in the New York State Bar Association.

Mr. Pickholz has been counsel in many high-profile cases. He was the first attorney ever to win an SEC whistleblower award on appeal to the Commission, which Inside Counsel magazine called one of the five key events in the history of the SEC whistleblower program. On the defense side, Mr. Pickholz has defended clients in the SEC’s COVID-19 investigations, the CFTC’s cryptocurrency cases, and a former US Senator, among others.

If you want to speak with a CFTC, IRS, or SEC whistleblower lawyer, or with a white collar defense lawyer, you can call the Firm at 347-746-1222.

The above information is not and should not be construed as providing legal advice. It is not and should never be considered as a substitute for consulting with your own lawyer. The use of this web site or this page does not constitute or create any attorney-client, fiduciary, or confidential relationship between The Pickholz Law Offices LLC and anyone using this web site, or anyone else. The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only. The content of this web site may not reflect current developments. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Results of prior cases or matters contained on this web site are not indicative of future results or outcomes, and should not be taken as a prediction, promise, or guarantee of any future result or outcome. No one who accesses this web site should act or refrain from acting based on anything contained on this web site. For additional terms-of-use and conditions governing the use of this web site, please view our full Terms and Conditions.