Whistleblower attorneys - Phillips & Cohen

<body bgcolor="white"> <div align="left"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="500"> <tr> <td colspan="2" valign="top"><p align="center"><a href="AF_frm.htm" target="_top">About the Firm</a> | <a href="fca_f.htm" target="_top">The False Claims Act</a> | <a href="wr_f.htm" target="_top">Whistleblower's reward</a> | <a href="caintr_f.htm" target="_top">Have a case?</a><a href="story_f.htm" target="_top"><br> Whistleblowers' stories</a> | <a href="resman_f.htm" target="_top">Resources</a> | <a href="what_f.htm" target="_top">What's new</a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><font SIZE="4" COLOR="#333366">Attorney biographies</font> </td> <td VALIGN="TOP"><img src="../../GIF/PC_url.GIF" width="143" height="14" align="right"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2">  <p><font size="4"><b>John R. Phillips</b></font> <br> <i>(Washington, D.C.)</i><br> The <i>Wall Street Journal</i> and the <i>National Law Journal</i> call John "the nation's premier whistleblower attorney," and the <i>National Law Journal</i> included him in its latest list of the "100 most influential lawyers in America." In 1999, the <i>National Law Journal</i> named him one of the Top 10 litigators in Washington, D.C.</p> <p>John graduated in 1969 from the University of California School of Law (Boalt Hall), where he was an editor of the <i>California Law Review</i>. He then was an associate at the Los Angeles law firm of O'Melveny & Myers. </p> <p>In 1971, he co-founded the Center for Law in the Public Interest in Los Angeles. He was responsible for successful litigation advocating the public interest in major cases involving environmental protection, civil rights, consumer rights and corporate fraud. He served as the center's co-director for 17 years.</p> <p>John helped Congress revise and strengthen the False Claims Act in 1986 after his research showed the Civil War law held great potential for fighting fraud against the government. In 1988, he started the Los Angeles law firm of Hall & Phillips, and in 1994, he co-founded the Washington, D.C., firm of Phillips & Cohen.</p> <p>From 1988 to 1993, John was an appointed member of the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. President Clinton appointed him to the President's Commission on White House Fellowships in 1997.</p> <p><font size="4"><b>Mary Louise Cohen<br> </b></font><i>(Washington, D.C.)<br> </i>Mary Louise graduated cum laude in 1977 from Harvard Law School, where she was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. For the next four years she was an associate in private practice, first with Kilpatrick & Cody in Atlanta, Georgia, and then with Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue in Washington, D.C.</p> <p>She served as counsel and chief counsel to the Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee from 1981 to 1984. From 1984 to 1986, Mary Louise served as Legislative Director for a Handgun Control Inc. in Washington, D.C. From 1986 to 1988, she served as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Antitrust, Monopolies and Business Rights. In 1988, she joined John R. Phillips in private practice and co-founded Phillips & Cohen in 1994.</p> <p><font size="4"><b>Eric R. Havian<br> </b></font><i>(San Francisco)<br> </i>Eric graduated cum laude in 1981 from Harvard Law School, where he won the Ames Moot Court Competition. He was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco from 1987 through 1994 and was the lead prosecutor for defense procurement fraud cases. During his tenure, Eric prosecuted numerous multi-million dollar cases of fraud against the federal government. Before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eric was a litigation associate at the San Francisco office of Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe, where he practiced complex litigation. He currently teaches a course in fraud at Stanford Law School and has previously taught at Boalt Hall School of Law at U.C. Berkeley. Eric has appeared as a guest lecturer at Hastings College of the Law and has taught various seminars to other Assistant United States Attorneys at the Attorney General's Advocacy Institute in Washington, D.C.</p> <p><font size="4"><b>Stephen L. Meagher<br> </b></font><i>(San Francisco)<br> </i>Stephen was an Assistant United States Attorney in San Francisco, serving first in the Civil Division (from 1987 to 1989) and then in the Criminal Division (from 1989 through 1994). Specializing in health care fraud, Stephen founded and was chairman of the Justice Department's Health Care Fraud Task Force in Northern California. He prosecuted a wide variety of complex health care fraud schemes against the federal government and private insurers. From 1984 to 1987, Stephen was an associate with the San Francisco firm of Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison, where he specialized in commercial litigation. From 1983 to 1984, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Harrison L. Winter, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Stephen graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1983, where he served on the managing and editorial boards of the <i>Virginia Law Review</i>. Stephen has taught trial and appellate advocacy at the Department of Justice, the F.B.I. and the University of California at Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) and is currently teaching a seminar on fraud at Stanford Law School.</p> <p><font size="4"><b>Peter Wilson Chatfield<br> </b></font><i>(Washington, D.C.)<br> </i>Peter graduated in 1986 from Yale Law School, where he was a Coker fellow and senior editor of the <i>Yale Law Journal</i>. He then served as a law clerk to the Honorable Alvin B. Rubin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. From October 1987 to May 1994, Peter was associated with Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C. His practice there centered on complex civil and commercial matters, including business torts and fraud, medical malpractice defense, civil RICO, products liability, and labor and employment matters.</p> <p><b><font size="4">Erika A. Kelton<br> </font></b><i>(Washington, D.C.)<br> </i>Erika graduated in 1987 from the University of California (Boalt Hall), where she was an articles editor of the <i>California Law Review</i>. From October 1987 to April 1994 she was associated with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in Washington D.C. Her practice at Paul, Weiss focused on False Claims Act litigation, fraud and antitrust investigations, international arbitrations, employment discrimination matters and pro bono Voting Rights Act litigation.</p> <p><font size="4"><b>Lisa Foster<br> </b></font><i>(San Diego)<br> </i>Lisa graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1983 where she was an editor of the <i>Harvard Law Review</i>. Following law school, she clerked for the Honorable Mariana R. Pfaelzer of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. From 1985 to 1990, she was a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, where she created an urban environmental law practice. Lisa was executive director of California Common Cause from 1990 to 1993. She currently serves as an adjunct professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law.</p> <p><font size="4"><b>Bonny Harbinger<br> </b></font><i>(Washington, D.C.)<br> </i>Bonny graduated in 1997 from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was an associate editor of the <i>American Criminal Law Review</i> and participated in the Federal Legislation Clinic. Prior to law school, she was a clinical psychologist in San Diego, California, for 10 years. She has been admitted to the Maryland bar. Her admission to the Washington, D.C., bar is pending.</p> <p><font size="4"><b>Mary A. Inman<br> </b></font><i>(San Francisco)<br> </i>Mary graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1994, where she was an articles editor and an associate editor of the <i>University of Pennsylvania Law Review</i>. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable D. Brock Hornby, U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, and the Honorable Norman H. Stahl of the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals. She was associated in 1997 with O'Melveny & Meyers LLP in San Francisco, where her practice focused on employment, collective bargaining and False Claims Act matters.</p> <p><font size="4"><b>Gerald Stern</b></font> <font size="4">(of Counsel)<br> </font><i>(Washington, D.C.)<br> </i>Gerald graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School 1961 where he was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. From 1961 to 1964, he was a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice trying voting discrimination cases in the South. From 1964 to 1976, Gerald was an associate and then partner in the law firm of Arnold, Fortas and Porter, later Arnold and Porter.</p> <p>While the <i>pro bono publico</i> partner of Arnold and Porter, he was the lead counsel for over 600 survivors of a coal mine disaster in West Virginia. His book about this case, <i>The Buffalo Creek Disaster</i>, is used in law schools throughout the country to introduce law students to complex litigation.</p> <p>From 1976 to 1981, he was the founding partner of the Washington D.C. law firm of Rogovin, Stern and Huge. From 1981 to 1992, Gerald was General Counsel, Executive Vice President, Secretary and a member of the Board of Directors of Occidental Petroleum Corporation in Los Angeles. From 1993 to 1995, he served as Special Counsel for Financial Institution Fraud and Health Care Fraud at the U.S. Department of Justice. </p> <p><br> <br> </p> <p align="center"><font SIZE="1">© 1998 Phillips and Cohen. All rights reserved<br> <a HREF="cred_f.htm" TARGET="_top">Credits</a></font> </td> </tr> </table> </div> </body>