Representation for Whistleblowers
Wilbanks & Gouinlock
3490 Piedmont Road, NE | Suite 1010 | Atlanta, GA 30305
3490 Piedmont Road, NE | Suite 1010 | Atlanta, GA 30305
In our business, experience matters. At Wilbanks & Gouinlock, we have evaluated hundreds of cases and we have represented whistleblowers in every major category of fraud that has been perpetrated against state and federal governments over the last two decades. How you tell a client’s story in the complaint that you file on their behalf is very important. Knowing where to file the case can be crucial. Having the respect of defense counsel across the country is an important asset that we deliver to our clients. Additionally, having a long and established reputation of working well with the government attorneys within the Department of Justice is an asset that most attorneys in this area of specialization do not possess. The bottom line for our clients is this: if we file a case on their behalf, we are exorcising our experienced judgement that the case is meritorious and important. We will not file a case that we do not believe in and we put our client’s interest first in deciding whether or not each and every case should be filed and made public.
Discover Why W&G is the Right Choice:
W&G understands the complexities and hardships of whistleblowing, and stands behind their clients to do what is right for the American Taxpayer.
Over the years, our qui tam litigation practice has grown and thrived. We have developed substantial expertise and resources that we make available to our whistleblower clients. These cases are important and profitable not only for firm clients, but also for the taxpayers of the United States. For every dollar recovered by our clients, approximately 75 to 80 percent of that amount is returned to the Government to compensate taxpayers for losses resulting from the fraudulent acts revealed to the Government by our clients.
Marlan is currently acting as lead counsel in important qui tam cases that are filed in federal and state courts across the nation. He has handled whistleblower litigation matters against Fortune 500 companies and individuals that have committed fraudulent acts against the government in federal courts and many state courts, from Florida to California.
Susan S. Gouinlock has represented whistleblowers for more than twelve years. Susan joined Wilbanks & Bridges in 2011 and became a partner in 2013. Her legal career has been successful and diverse, including a unique mixture of working for the government as a lawyer as well as years of representing individuals and businesses in highly regulated environments, including for example spending six (6) years as in-house general counsel to a major corporation.
»Read Susan’s Bio
Elaine is a veteran False Claims Act lawyer who has represented whistleblowers for almost two decades. She resides in Florida and represents clients across the United States. Elaine has handled cases involving the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense, the Department of Education, and other government agencies. Elaine’s extensive science background means she brings special expertise to analyzing healthcare fraud cases.
»Read Elaine’s Bio
Al Scudieri served as chief investigator with the James-Hoyer qui tam law firm for more than twenty years. Prior to his time at James-Hoyer, Al was a special agent of the FBI where he supervised all FBI fraud investigations in the Middle District of Florida.
»Read Al’s Bio
Hart Willoughby is a fourth year associate at Wilbanks & Gouinlock who joined the firm in 2017. Hart’s three years of legal practice have been devoted exclusively to representing whistleblowers under the federal and state False Claims Acts. During that time, Hart has trained directly under two of the best whistleblower attorneys in the nation which has provided him with tremendous experience and knowledge of how to successfully litigate False Claims Act matters. His litigation experience under the False Claims Act encompasses multiple industries, including defense contracting fraud, healthcare fraud, mortgage lending fraud and customs fraud.
This is not our first rodeo. We were just awarded the National Whistleblower Attorneys of the Year by the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund. We have recovered almost two billion dollars ($2,000,000,000) for American heroes who have come forward and protested the fraudulent acts of individuals and businesses that were ripping off the American public.
We are not interested in bringing cases that ultimately will not be successful. We put the time in, up front, to make sure that we understand the facts and believe that your case will be successful before we agree to represent you.
Our clients have received some of the largest Relator share awards ever. When the case is settled, the Department of Justice determines what percentage of the recovery will be paid to the Relator and his or her attorney. We have a proven track record in this regard. We regularly recover Relator share awards that exceed the national averages. Clients deserve attorneys that fight hard for their interests.
FCA cases routinely require much more than an excellent attorney and a client with direct knowledge of fraud. Because of the complexity of these matters, we routinely use expert witnesses and consultants. We know how to locate, procure and utilize third party experts and resources that will assist us in the assimilation and presentation of your case to the Government and defendants. We also know how to put a team of top litigators together so that we can stand toe-to-toe with the large defense firms who represent the major corporations and entities we sue.
In the 1980s and 1990s, our firm was very successful in a broad array of commercial litigation matters. However, over the last 22 years, we have decided to focus exclusively on the representation of clients who have meritorious FCA cases. This is all we do. We understand the law and we understand what it takes to evaluate and handle a winning case. We work every day on cases of major significance across the United States. You can read about our cases in the “News and Appearances” or “Case Highlights” sections shown on our website.
We answer our own phones and talk to our clients when they need to talk to us as well as when we need to talk to them. Our clients deserve and receive personal attention. Bigger firms cannot match our level of client responsiveness and attentiveness. These cases are long and hard-fought. Our clients understand all the risks and challenges inherent in their FCA cases. We believe in being candid and we treat our clients as we want to be treated.