Whistleblower Lawyer Blog
I am very excited about co-chairing the Annual “Whistleblower Law Symposium” once again this week.
From Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C., many of the country’s leading attorneys in whistleblower cases under the “qui tam” statute, the False Claims Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley statute, and the IRS Whistleblower Program will gather in Atlanta on March 4 to discuss some of the more challenging aspects of representing whistleblowers (or defending against whistleblower claims) under these laws.
We are honored to have one of the officials of the IRS Whistleblower Office, Dawn Applebaum, join us in person to discuss the progress of the new IRS Whistleblower Rewards Program. The IRS Whistleblower Office has just celebrated its second anniversary.
We are also privileged to have the top state enforcement officials in health care fraud cases from Texas, Florida, and Georgia, to explain how they coordinate state and federal health care fraud whistleblower cases under the federal and state False Claims Acts.
Also joining us is Rep. Edward Lindsey, the Legislative Sponsor both of the Georgia State False Medicaid Claims Act, and recent legislation to solidify Georgia’s Office of State Inspector General.
Because of the wave of new whistleblower statutes that have been inspired by the successes of the False Claims Act, our firm instituted the Whistleblower Law Symposium. Once again, top-notch speakers will address a broad variety of issues that arise under these whistleblower laws, including:
–Whistleblowers in Health Care: Recent Cases and Strategies for Healthcare Providers and Counsel When a Whistleblower Calls
–Recent Developments in Qui Tam Cases Under the False Claims Act-The Relator’s Perspective
–Current Issues in Defending Qui Tam Claims
–Coordinating State and Federal Whistleblower Cases Under the State and Federal False Claims Acts-Current Priorities and Recent Results
–Federal Priorities and Procedures in Qui Tam Cases
–Plaintiffs’ & Defendants’ Approaches to Sarbanes-Oxley Claims
–Update on the IRS Whistleblower Program
We are fortunate to have such excellent faculty members from around the country join us. Our faculty members and their topics are listed below.
Annual Whistleblower Law Symposium
Plaintiffs’ and Defendants’ Strategies in “Whistleblower” Cases:
Qui Tam, Sarbanes-Oxley, and Other Whistleblower Statutes
March 4, 2009 State Bar of Georgia Headquarters
Co-Chairs:
Michael A. Sullivan Richard W. Hendrix
Finch McCranie, LLP, Atlanta
7:45-8:25 Registration
8:30 Introduction Richard W. Hendrix, Finch McCranie, LLP, Atlanta
8:40 Whistleblowers in Health Care: Recent Cases and Strategies for Healthcare Providers and Counsel When a Whistleblower Calls Tracy M. Field, Arnall Golden & Gregory LLP, Atlanta Jay Mitchell, Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta Rick Shackelford, King & Spalding LLP, Atlanta J. Marc Vezina, Vezina & Gattuso, LLC, New Orleans
9:35 Recent Developments in Qui Tam Cases Under the False Claims Act-The Relator’s Perspective Frederick Cohen, Goldberg Kohn, Chicago Thomas M. Greene, Greene & Hoffman, Boston Mark Simpson, Simpson Law Firm, LLC, Atlanta Michael A. Sullivan, Finch McCranie, LLP, Atlanta
10:30 Break
10:45 Current Issues in Defending Qui Tam Claims Hon. John E. Clark, Goode Casseb Jones Riklin Choate & Watson, P.C., San Antonio William H. Jordan, Alston & Bird LLP, Atlanta Paul B. Murphy, King & Spalding LLP, Atlanta Holly A. Pierson, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Atlanta
11:45 Coordinating State and Federal Whistleblower Cases Under the State and Federal False Claims Acts-Current Priorities and Recent Results Michael Behn, Behn & Wyetzner, Chicago Mark G. Bodner, Bureau Chief, Office of the Attorney General (Florida), Tallahassee James J. Breen, The Breen Law Firm, P.A., Alpharetta Charles M. Richards, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Office of Attorney General (Georgia), Atlanta Raymond C. Winter, Chief, Civil Medicaid Fraud Division (Texas), Austin
1:00 Lunch
Lunch Presentation: Rep. Edward Lindsey, Legislative Sponsor of the Georgia State False Medicaid Claims Act, and recent legislation on Georgia’s Office of State Inspector General
1:30 Federal Priorities and Procedures in Qui Tam Cases Daniel E. Bennett, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Macon Amy L. Berne, Chief of Civil Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Atlanta Courtney Guyton McBurney, Alston & Bird LLP, Atlanta Marlan B. Wilbanks, Wilbanks & Bridges LLP, Atlanta
2:25 Plaintiffs’ & Defendants’ Approaches to Sarbanes-Oxley Claims John F. Beasley, Buckley & Klein LLP, Atlanta Lisa H. Cassilly, Alston & Bird LLP, Atlanta Benjamin E. Fox, Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore LLP, Atlanta David Marshall, Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLP, Washington, D.C.
Jason Zuckerman, The Employment Law Group, Washington, D.C.
3:25 Break
3:30 Update on the IRS Whistleblower Program Dawn M. Applebaum, IRS Whistleblower Office, Washington, D.C.
Michael A. Sullivan, Finch McCranie, LLP, Atlanta
4:30 pm Adjourn