Tips for finding a qui tam attorney to file your whistleblower reward application under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, plus tips for selecting a qui tam attorney.
How to find the right qui tam attorney is very important
The qui tam whistleblower reward is between 15-25% of the amount the government recovers for you hiring a qui tam attorney and filing a qui tam lawsuit under the False Claims Act. If you have the right type of case and get it right, the average whistleblower award is $1 million. But if you get it wrong, you can get little or nothing. Because the rules are complex and the government turns away 80% of qui tam reward applications, selecting your qui tam attorney can be one of the most important decisions you must make.
Tips for selecting a qui tam attorney
There are several critical roles played by your qui tam attorney. First your qui tam attorney must know how to properly assess and develop your qui tam application. Your attorney must be very familiar with the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act because the qui tam reward statute is very complicated and there are many landmines to avoid. At a minimum, you should select a qui tam attorney that has handled many qui tam False Claims Act cases.
Second, your qui tam attorney needs to understand the informal process and have experience working with the government attorneys that decide whether to take cases your case and who determine how much of a reward to pay you. The Civil Fraud Section of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, D.C. is the nationwide government office overseeing the qui tam whistleblower reward program. Even if your qui tam attorney did not work for the Civil Fraud Section of DOJ or a local U.S. Attorney’s Office that often handles these cases jointly with DOJ, your qui tam attorney must have a good relationship with the attorneys from these government offices that will be handling your case. Your qui tam attorney not only needs to file a complex qui tam lawsuit, but must convince DOJ to intervene or take the case. Later, your qui tam attorney will also need to negotiate the amount of any qui tam award.
Third, selecting your qui tam attorney involves a matter of personal preference. Because the average qui tam case lasts over 3 years, you should be communicating a lot with your False Claims Act attorney. Certainly you want to have confidence in your qui tam attorney when they make assessments of your case. But you also should respect and even like your qui tam attorney. For instance, you should not feel bad about contacting them with questions. Your qui tam attorney’s role should not simply be providing legal advice, but should also be caring and mindful of the human aspects of representing a whistleblower. Therefore, do your homework when determining how to find and select the right qui tam attorney for your whistleblower reward case under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.
How to ask The Hesch Firm to become your qui tam attorney
Mr. Hesch would be pleased to review in complete confidence your potential qui tam case. You can read on this website his extensive 15-year experience as an attorney working for the Civil Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in the qui tam reward office paying out whistleblower rewards.
See the link below “Do I have a case” to have Mr. Hesch review your potential whistleblower reward case and may become your qui tam attorney and help you receive a whistleblower reward.
Find out if Mr. Hesch and The Hesch Firm is the right qui tam attorney for you.