Looking Back & Powering Through

April 16, 2020

by M&S Staff

From all of us at M&S we wish you and your family good health.

2019 — Year in Review

Mehri & Skalet 2019 Year in ReviewWe are pleased to share our Year in Review for 2019 — another outstanding year for Mehri & Skalet and the clients we serve.

This packet is being released amid a crisis which affects us all. We hope our 2019 accomplishments serve as a bright reminder, in dark times, that seemingly insurmountable obstacles can be overcome through the strength and courage of people like our clients.

While 2020 has been incredibly challenging so far, we look forward to emerging from COVID-19 together. We also look forward to continuing our growth, and, together with you, making an important impact on the world around us.

Read our Year in Review here.

OpEd — Whistleblowing: A Valuable Tool in the Fight Against COVID-19

Of counsel Cleveland Lawrence III – a widely-regarded expert on issues pertaining to whistleblowing — penned an op-ed last month
(“Whistleblowing: A Valuable Tool in the Fight Against COVID-19“) to highlight the ways in which whistleblowing can be instrumental in unearthing and fighting fraud and injustice during the current pandemic.

Whistleblowers are crucial to protecting a wide variety of interests — as taxpayers, employees, consumers, investors, patients – and this role has only gained significance as the world navigates COVID-19 with lockdowns and social distancing directives. Mr. Lawrence writes:attorney

“While most of us will not directly fight COVID-19, by treating the sick or developing a vaccine, we all have an important role to play — at a minimum, we must practice social distancing. Whistleblowers have the capacity to go well beyond that minimum role and can significantly impact America’s response to the pandemic – and even save lives.”

During this time, many individuals are helping expedite production and distribution of respirator masks and tests and developing life-saving drugs and vaccines. Meanwhile, liars, cheats and thieves are looking for opportunities to exploit and defraud. This is where whistleblowers are making a difference and protecting their wider communities.

Read the full piece here.

Whistleblowing in the Time of COVID-19

The SEC warned fraudsters not to exploit the COVID-19 crisis in a statement from its Division of Enforcement last month.

The warning called out corporate insiders and those with access to confidential information — including access to earnings reports or SEC disclosure filings that are delayed because of the novel virus – to not engage in illegal insider trading. The SEC does, however, reward whistleblowers who protect our financial markets. In an interview with Corporate Crime Reporter, M&S’s Cleveland Lawrence III discussed this as well as the False Claims Act, saying “The SEC in particular has had a very strong track record of sanctioning companies. It publicizes the sanctions and rewards to encourage future whistleblowers to come forward.”

For more information, please contact Richard Condit or Cleveland Lawrence III or visit fightfraudfindjustice.com.

Federal employees often expose misconduct in the government but don’t receive many of the basic protections private sector whistleblowers have. That is why M&S joined the Government Accountability Project, which urges Congress to protect federal employee whistleblowers through an updated Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA). At a time when the public needs information provided by whistleblowers more than ever, current laws must be strengthened to give whistleblowers necessary protection. Learn more about this here.