Earlier this month, the SEC awarded $6 million to a pair of whistleblowers whose tip led to a significant enforcement action. This award is just the latest in a string of multi-million-dollar payouts designed to incentivize individuals with insider knowledge to report securities fraud and investor deception.
If you’re in finance, compliance, operations, or tech—and you know about wrongdoing—it’s time to ask yourself: Are you ready to speak up? And do you have the right team behind you?
The SEC Whistleblower Program: What You Need to Know
Created by the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC’s Whistleblower Program offers financial rewards to individuals who provide the agency with original, timely, and credible information about federal securities law violations.
If that information leads to a successful enforcement action with monetary sanctions over $1 million, the whistleblower may receive 10% to 30% of the funds collected as a result of the enforcement action.
In addition to financial incentives, the program protects whistleblowers’ identities and offers strong anti-retaliation safeguards. But those protections don’t enforce themselves, and they don’t cover everything.
The Stakes Are High—and So Is the Risk of Delay
Many potential whistleblowers hesitate. They’re concerned about retaliation, unsure whether what they know is “enough, ” or worried about becoming the target of a government investigation.
But here’s the truth: delays cost you. If someone else tips first, your chance of an award may disappear. If you report incorrectly, you risk your job—or worse. And if you don’t have legal counsel, you may unintentionally waive protections or disclose too much too soon.
One Firm. Two Roles. Total Protection.
At King & Siegel LLP, we are one of the only firms in the country that both (1) files SEC (and CFTC) whistleblower tips on behalf of clients, and (2) pursues the full range of employment and retaliation-related claims against your employer for any consequences you suffer at work. Most firms do one or the other.
This combination makes us a true one-stop shop for whistleblowers—and it’s not just a marketing phrase. Our integrated team approach gives clients the benefit of our regulatory knowledge of federal and state-level whistleblower programs, as well as our deep bench of seasoned employment litigators and trial lawyers. Our team has the high-level litigation and negotiation skills to maximize your recovery, whether in agency proceedings, arbitration, or court.
This comprehensive support is what sets us apart. We don’t just file a tip and walk away. We stand by our clients when things get hard.
Explore our Whistleblower Retaliation practice to learn more about how we fight for our clients when employers strike back.
Our Background: Built for High-Stakes Work
Unlike firms that dabble in whistleblower law, King & Siegel was built for high-pressure litigation and sensitive investigations.
- Our attorneys cut their teeth at elite litigation firms like Quinn Emanuel, Skadden, and Paul Weiss, representing global corporations and executives.
- We’ve transitioned that experience to fighting for individuals, including whistleblowers, executives, and professionals who’ve been wronged.
- We combine white collar criminal defense knowledge with complex commercial litigation chops and employment law expertise.
That’s why our clients trust us with their careers, reputations, and future earnings. They know we know how to manage risk, leverage negotiations, and win.
Recent SEC Awards Show What’s Possible
Since the program’s inception in 2011, the SEC has awarded over $2 billion to more than 300 whistleblowers. These awards can be life-changing.
- A $279 million award—the largest in the program’s history—was paid in 2023 for information that helped uncover a sweeping fraud.
- In this month’s case, the $6 million payout went to whistleblowers whose joint tip led to a successful investigation and sanctions.
These numbers show that the government takes whistleblower tips seriously—and that insiders can make a real difference.
We Help You Secure the Reward—And Your Career
Many whistleblowers face retaliation after reporting fraud, ranging from demotion to exclusion or outright termination. But too few realize that they have legal remedies and substantial rights under federal and California law.
We help clients:
- Prepare and file whistleblower tips confidentially with the SEC, CFTC, IRS, DOJ, and other governing agencies.
- Frame and present evidence to maximize the likelihood of an award.
- Pursue retaliation claims under laws like the Dodd-Frank Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, California Labor Code §§ 1102.5 and 98.6, and more.
- Negotiate severance packages and non-disparagement agreements if employment ends.
- Work with media and public relations partners (when needed) to protect reputational integrity.
We have secured millions in settlements for whistleblowers and employees wronged by their employers. See our results.
If You Know Something, Do Something.
If you’re aware of securities fraud, insider trading, accounting irregularities, or other misconduct affecting investors, you may be eligible for a substantial reward.
But don’t go at it alone.
Whistleblower law is a high-stakes arena. The wrong move—disclosing too early, failing to protect your anonymity, or missing a legal deadline—can cost you both the reward and your job. And regulators prefer claims that are presented with all the supporting evidence as a ready-made case, which requires a SEC whistleblower lawyer who knows how to litigate.
We’re here to protect you, every step of the way.
Contact King & Siegel LLP Today
We represent whistleblowers nationwide, and we offer free, confidential consultations. If we take your case, we work on contingency—you pay nothing unless we recover for you.
📞 Call us now at (916) 262-73
💬 Or send a message via Signal @julianburnsking.02
Your courage could uncover the next big fraud, and your decision to act could change your life.
Julian Burns King graduated with honors from Harvard Law School and founded King & Siegel in 2018. As head of the Firm’s discrimination and harassment practice areas, she champions the rights of working parents and victims of workplace discrimination and harassment. She has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers annually since 2018 and has recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of her clients.