Timothy J. McInnis of McInnis Law (New York, NY) and Thomas R. Fallati of Tabner Ryan &Keniry (Albany, NY) announce their firms’ new strategic alliance to combine experiences and resources to represent whistleblower clients, including relators in False Claim Act qui tamlawsuits. Mr. McInnis is a former federal prosecutor who has been successfully representing whistleblowers since 1999, and who, according to a recent legal study, has one of the highest government intervention rates in federal False Claims Act cases, amounting to more than twice the national average. Mr. Fallati is also a former federal prosecutor who regularly represents plaintiffs in complex litigation matters, including employment discrimination and retaliation cases. “Tom and I haveknown each other for many years and this is the perfect time to jointly handle qui tam cases and other kinds of whistleblower matters, particularly ones arising in the Northern District ofNew York, which includes the cities of Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, Syracuse and Utica,”Attorney McInnis said. “There is a real need for a robust whistleblower law presence in Upstate New York region, especially in the areas of healthcare, defense industry and government contracting and grants,” Attorney Fallati added. Under the Federal False Claims Act, the New York False Claims Act and similar statutes, private parties, known as relators, can bring qui tam lawsuits against people and organizations that have defrauded governmental entities. If the cases are successful the relators are usually entitled to a reward for helping the government recovery ill-gotten gains and penalties. Typically, the relators recover between 15% and 30% of the proceeds from the legal action.
