Two Former Senior Department of Justice Prosecutors Join Tycko & Zavareei LLP to Enhance Whistleblower Practice
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Renée Brooker and Eva Gunasekera, former prosecutors in senior leadership positions at the United States Department of Justice's Civil Fraud Section (DOJ), have joined boutique law firm Tycko & Zavareei LLP (https://www.tzlegal.com/) as Partners, and will represent whistleblowers in Qui Tam litigation under the False Claims Act and whistleblower-reward programs of the SEC, CFTC, and IRS. The combination of their nationally recognized expertise, their years of experience at DOJ, and the firm's well-known litigation prowess elevates Tycko & Zavareei LLP to one of the most elite whistleblower practices in the country. Tycko & Zavareei LLP has offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Brooker and Gunasekera will work from the Washington, D.C office.
At DOJ and in private practice, Brooker and Gunasekera have enforced laws designed to recover misspent taxpayer funds, deter future misconduct, and improve the performance of compliance programs. These laws included the False Claims Act, the Stark and Anti-Kickback laws, the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA), the Financial Institutions Anti-Fraud Enforcement Act (FIAFEA), and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Both attorneys left DOJ in 2017 and have spent almost four years at Finch McCranie, LLP in its whistleblower practice. The two also served as part of a DOJ-appointed Independent Corporate Compliance Monitor and Auditor team for Volkswagen AG during its probation under a DOJ plea agreement and consent decree.
"We're delighted that Renée and Eva have joined our firm," said Jonathan Tycko. "They come with significant investigations, litigation, and trial experience, and a deep understanding of how DOJ and government agencies investigate and pursue complex frauds. Renée and Eva are passionate advocates for whistleblowers, and are among the best at helping whistleblowers achieve their goals." "Their collective experiences at DOJ and representing whistleblowers are unparalleled, and they add to our firm's already-impressive bench of litigators," said Hassan Zavareei.
Continued collaboration with Finch McCranie, LLP
Brooker and Gunasekera will continue their well-established and effective relationship with Finch McCranie, particularly in jointly representing whistleblowers. "Renée and Eva are exceptional lawyers, and we are glad we were able to help them transition from meaningful government service to meaningful work representing whistleblowers. We look forward to continuing to work with them on current and future cases," said Finch McCranie partner Michael A. Sullivan. "We are excited that Renée and Eva will continue their successful collaboration with Finch McCranie for years to come," Finch McCranie Managing Partner Richard Hendrix said, "This is not quite a farewell but a new pairing among two whistleblower firms that we expect to continue successfully into the future. Collaboration provides whistleblowers with optimal results."
Experts in Whistleblower practice
Brooker spent nearly two decades in the Civil Division of the Justice Department in a senior leadership position. She had direct oversight for investigations, litigation, settlements, mediations, and trials involving nearly every industry, including the insurance, healthcare, pharmaceutical, defense, government procurement, small business, financial services, tobacco manufacturers, and higher education industries. She received numerous awards from the Justice Department for sizeable recoveries and successes at trial, including the Attorney General's highest award for fraud prevention. Brooker was the architect of the financial fraud cases under President Obama's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force and a lead counsel in both the drug pricing fraud litigation involving the pharmaceutical industry and the nine-month civil RICO trial against the tobacco industry for misleading the American public for decades about the health effects of smoking.
Gunasekera chaired the DOJ Civil Division's healthcare fraud practice as Senior Counsel. She had significant responsibility for investigating, litigating, and resolving cases involving the alleged fraudulent practices of managed care organizations, pharmaceutical manufacturers, healthcare providers, durable equipment manufacturers, physician groups, managed care providers, pharmacies, hospice and nursing home providers, government suppliers, and defense contractors. Many of her cases involved parallel criminal proceedings. They required health care organizations to execute Corporate Integrity Agreements with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General. In 2015, Gunasekera was a lead counsel in the most complex False Claims Act trial in recent history. Before working for the Justice Department, Gunasekera worked in private practice at two international law firms, handling complex commercial litigation and administrative trials.
Brooker and Gunasekera are graduates of the Georgetown University Law Center.
About Tycko & Zavareei LLP
Tycko & Zavareei, founded by Jonathan Tycko and Hassan Zavareei in 2002, is a private law firm consisting of the nation's top attorneys serving the public interest. Based in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Tycko & Zavareei lawyers are among the most qualified and impeccably trained in the profession—with backgrounds in highly coveted clerkships, government, public interest, and advocacy roles, and credentials from the country's most prestigious law schools. Our wide range of clients have trusted us with their most challenging problems. Our lawyers have prevailed in high profile civil rights disputes, consumer protection and class action litigation, whistleblower cases exposing fraud and corruption, and many more. Our settlements have netted clients hundreds of millions of dollars in monetary relief and changes in practices by banks and other businesses that have real impacts on our clients' day-to-day lives and the safety of consumers nationwide. To support our mission of litigating in the public interest, Tycko & Zavareei LLP offers a unique Public Interest Fellowship for recent law graduates. Our early commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive environment makes us a leader among our peers. Tycko & Zavareei has always welcomed women, people of color, and people identifying as LGBTQ.
https://www.tzlegal.com/
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SOURCE Tycko & Zavareei LLP
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