Whistleblowers and Lawyers
The federal government once considered whistleblowers a nuisance or worse. There are some great movies that feature consequences of whistleblowing, such as The Constant Gardener (2005), Serpico (1973), or Silkwood (1983). These films depict heroic figures who risk it all to expose corruption or unsafe work places.
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities (misconduct) occurring in a government department or private company or organization.
Whistleblower lawyer Neil Getnick knows that real life whistleblowers and says that “unfortunately, all the stories had pretty much the same plot line.” Getnick says with chilling truth: “Something bad happened within an organization. A person stands up to do something about it. Then that person causes a change for the better. But, for that person, their life is changed for the worse.”
For government whistleblowers times are changing!
- Consider the recently enacted Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012, Pub. L. 112-199, 126 STAT. 1465 (2012) that provides enhanced protections to federal employee. These enhanced whistle-blower protections were enacted after a 13-year campaign by a number of good government groups. The law makes clear that federal employees can challenge policy decisions without losing their jobs. It also directs agencies to choose a point person, or an ombudsman, to help whistle-blowers understand their rights and to protect them from retaliation.
- Wander over to Government Accountability Project (GAP). GAP is one of many “good government” groups seeking corporate and government accountability by protecting whistleblowers, advancing occupational free speech, and empowering citizen activists. GAP is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization. Learn about its activities since its founding in 1977. GAP also conducts an accredited legal clinic for law students and offers an internship program year-round.
- Also consider the career of Attorney Neil Getnick. He is the managing partner of Getnick & Getnick LLP. Getnick and his firm have won some of the largest whistleblower cases in U.S. history. He has coordinated numerous groundbreaking civil RICO, Federal False Claims Act, qui tam and other civil prosecution investigations and litigation, as well as corporate monitoring and Independent Private Sector Inspector General (IPSIG) projects. In 2011, Getnick received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund.
- Finally, check out check out Carrie Johnson‘s story entitled Government Slowly Changes Approach To Whistle-Blowers on National Public Radio detailing the shift in institutional governmental attitudes toward whistleblowers in recent years.
