SEC Whistleblowers
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR SEC WHISTLEBLOWER PRACTICE
What are “SEC Whistleblower Rewards”?
In 2010, as part of the Dodd-Frank Act, the U.S. Congress established for the first time a comprehensive whistleblower program for the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). If you report a fraud at the company you work for (or a fraud at another company) to the SEC, you may be eligible to become an SEC whistleblower. If you meet the requirements and become an SEC whistleblower, and if the SEC collects over a certain amount of money from the company or the individuals who were responsible for the fraud that you reported, you will be entitled to receive a monetary reward from the SEC. According to the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC must give out that reward. The amount of the reward must be between 10% - 30% of the amount of money that the SEC collects based on the information that you (the whistleblower) provided. For additional information about SEC whistleblowers and the SEC whistleblower award program, please click here.
What Experience Does The Pickholz Law Offices Have Helping SEC Whistleblowers?

Since 1995, the Firm’s founder, Jason Pickholz, has been helping people who want to talk to the SEC. In the past, even before the SEC’s whistleblower program began, some of those people decided on their own that they wanted to report a fraud to the SEC. Other times, they were asked by the SEC to come in and talk about something that the SEC was already looking into.
Among his many notable achievements, Mr. Pickholz:
- Won one of the first SEC whistleblower awards for a client.
- Became the first SEC whistleblower lawyer to convince the Commission to grant his client an SEC whistleblower award over the recommendation of its staff to deny any award. This was the first time in the history of the SEC whistleblower award program that the Commission overruled an adverse Preliminary Determination by its Claims Review Staff. (See official SEC Award here.) Mr. Pickholz's victory for that whistleblower client has been named as one of the "Five milestones in the Dodd-Frank whistleblower reward program". For related articles click here (NY Times) and here (Boston Business Journal).
- Helped employees, directors, officers, and others to report securities frauds and violations at financial institutions and public companies listed in the Fortune Top 10, Top 20, Top 50, Top 100, and Top 500, and the Forbes Global 2000.
- Co-authored the two-volume book, Securities Crimes, published by Thomson Reuters.
- Authored the book’s chapter on “The SEC Whistleblower Award Program”.
- Appeared as a live guest on Bloomberg Radio discussing a breaking U.S. Supreme Court case concerning SEC whistleblowers.
- Chaired a program at the annual meeting of the American Bar Association (the nation’s largest lawyers’ association). The program’s featured speaker was the first Chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower. In addition to chairing the program, Mr. Pickholz also delivered his own presentation entitled “The SEC Whistleblower’s Perspective”. You can see the announcement for that program by clicking here.
- Taught a continuing education course for lawyers on "When the Whistle Blows". That program has been rated 4.9-out-of-5 stars based on over 1,630 viewer reviews (as of May 19, 2021). He has also taught a CLE course called "Incentives and Protections for the Modern Whistleblower."
- On the invitation of a leading liberal arts university, taught a lecture on SEC whistleblowers and white collar crime entitled “When Bad Things Happen To Good People”.
- Been elected by his legal peers as a Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation, an honor that is granted to just 1% of the New York State Bar Association membership.
How Can I Contact The Pickholz Law Offices?
If you are considering becoming an SEC whistleblower, you can contact The Pickholz Law Offices by calling 347-746-1222. Please be prepared to provide your name and a personal mobile or home telephone number where you can be reached (not your work telephone number).
Does It Cost Me Anything To Talk To Mr. Pickholz The First Time?

Mr. Pickholz will initially meet with you or talk to you on the telephone to help you decide whether you would like to hire the Firm to help you report a fraud or other securities law violation to the SEC. This initial conversation of up to one hour is free of charge. The initial conversation is for you to get information to help you decide whether you want to hire the Firm and Mr. Pickholz. It does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and the Firm or Mr. Pickholz. An attorney-client relationship is only formed after the Firm sends you a signed written engagement letter and you sign the letter and send it back to the Firm. In other words, you are under no obligation to hire the Firm or Mr. Pickholz when your free initial conversation is finished.