Review Process

The services and information provided under this program are free of charge to whistleblowers. Many laws protecting or rewarding whistleblowers have a short statute of limitations or require a claim to be filed quickly. Consequently, you should not rely on the Fund to locate an attorney for you and should continue to search for one independently. You should educate yourself, on how to protect your rights as best you can, including obtaining a copy of Rules for Whistleblowers.

STEP 1

The whistleblower fills out a confidential, secure intake form and the intake process begins. A whistleblower attorney reviews each submission.

STEP 2

Based upon this review, an immediate decision is made as to whether the National Whistleblower Legal Defense and Education Fund has an attorney on its referral list who may be interested in your case.

STEP 3

If the Fund has an attorney who may be interested in your case, your intake will be forwarded to them. They are asked to contact you directly and decide if they will take your case within 30 days. All these communications are covered under the attorney-client privilege.

STEP 4

If the Fund does not have an attorney who may be interested in your case, the Fund will send you a declination letter. This letter will contain information about other programs that may have an attorney interested in your case.

STEP 5

Obtaining a declination letter is not based on the merits of your case. It simply means, we do not have an attorney in our network available to take your case.

STEP 6

If a representative from the Fund, the National Whistleblower Center (or one of their cooperating attorneys) contacts you, please understand that neither the Fund, the NWC, nor the cooperating attorney represents you. You do not have an attorney helping you on your case until you enter into a signed, written representation agreement with an attorney.

STEP 7

Once the Fund makes a referral of your case to an attorney, the role of the Fund is terminated. Any decision concerning your future representation, is between you and an attorney of your choosing, including the attorney to which your case was referred. The role of the Fund, was simply to refer your intake to an attorney who may be interested in your case.