WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Phillips & Cohen LLP, the nation's most successful law firm representing whistleblowers, has been selected for the National Law Journal's "Hot List" of the Top 12 plaintiffs' law firms in the U.S. for 2010.
It is the fourth time in seven years that Phillips & Cohen has been named to the National Law Journal's highly selective "Hot List" for its work on whistleblower cases.
The law firm is one of the few to handle whistleblower cases exclusively. Phillips & Cohen's whistleblower cases have recovered more than $6.89 billion in civil settlements and related criminal fines and earned its whistleblower clients more than $730 million in rewards under federal and state government whistleblower reward programs.
"Phillips & Cohen has achieved 14 multimillion-dollar settlements of qui tam cases during the past year alone," the National Law Journal noted. Phillips & Cohen also is at the forefront in representing whistleblowers in claims involving tax law and securities law violations brought under the Internal Revenue Service and the Securities and Exchange Commission whistleblower reward programs. (http://www.phillipsandcohen.com/CM/NewsSettlements/NewsSettlements167.asp)
Law firms were chosen for the "Hot List" based on cases that produced substantial verdicts or settlements between the summers of 2009 and 2010. "Our conclusions are subjective, but show the plaintiffs' bar at its best," the National Law Journal said in its Oct. 4 issue. Phillips & Cohen was the only law firm on the list singled out for its work on whistleblower cases.
Phillips & Cohen's qui tam case against Pfizer, alleging the "off-label" marketing of the prescription painkiller Bextra, resulted in Pfizer paying $1.8 billion in 2009 to settle the whistleblower case and pay a related criminal fine. It was the nation's largest healthcare fraud recovery. Phillips & Cohen's client received rewards from the federal government and states totaling more than $71 million. (http://www.phillipsandcohen.com/CM/NewsSettlements/NewsSettlements531.asp)
"The strategy is always to get the government to collaborate and adopt your allegations," Phillips & Cohen attorney Erika A. Kelton told the National Law Journal. "Throughout a whistleblower litigation, and particularly when the case is first presented to the Justice Department, it is essential to present the evidence and the law in a compelling manner. This often means culling through voluminous amounts of material and emphasizing those facts and documents that tell the most compelling narrative." http://www.phillipsandcohen.com/CM/Attorneys/ErikaAKelton.asp
Phillips & Cohen, which has offices in Washington, DC, and San Francisco, represents whistleblowers nationwide. For more information, see www.phillipsandcohen.com
CONTACT: Erika A. Kelton, +1-202-833-4567, or Eric R. Havian, +1-415-836-9000, both of Phillips & Cohen LLP