WHISTLEBLOWER ATTORNEYS - Key Persons
Colin Wexler is a principal in the firm's Litigation Group. He focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, including product liability, consumer class actions, breach of contract and fiduciary duty, insurance coverage work for policyholders, antitrust actions, as well as claims based on both the federal and state False Claims Acts. Mr. Wexler's practice has also included accounting, actuarial and legal malpractice claims.
Mr. Wexler's recent experience defending consumer class actions includes numerous successful defenses of claims brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), Truth In Lending Act (TILA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA). Mr. Wexler's consistent and repetitive defense of class actions under these statutes keeps him up-to-date on the developing and always shifting body of class action decisions.
Mr. Wexler's extensive experience litigating insurance coverage issues for policyholders in high-stakes disputes include successful resolution of cases for Fortune 500 companies in which hundreds of millions of dollars of insurance coverage are at stake.
Mr. Wexler has experience litigating professional negligence in a variety of settings, including prosecuting actuarial malpractice and prosecuting legal malpractice claims. Mr. Wexler was also involved in defending an accounting malpractice claim seeking hundreds of millions of dollars.
Mr. Wexler is a former law clerk to the Honorable Charles P. Sifton, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York. He has also served on the board of directors of Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM) for several years and is currently the Vice President of the board. CLAIM is an organizations that provides legal and educational services to maintain the bond between imprisoned mothers and their children.
Mr. Wexler is admitted to practice in Illinois state courts, the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He received his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Michigan in 1999, where he served as contributing editor and associate editor of the Michigan Law Review. He received his B.A. in political science from Yale University in 1995.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Goldberg Kohn Principal
- Quoted in Bloomberg Government Federal Contracts Report
David Chizewer, a principal in the firm's litigation group, has been featured in the National Law Journal's list of 10 of the nation's top litigators. He was named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Public Justice Foundation, and was separately a runner-up for that same award. He was also named Lawyer of the Year by the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund. The federal court in Chicago has twice given Mr. Chizewer the Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service, and the National Law Journal has named him an "Environmental Trailblazer" for his work on environmental justice issues. TEST
Chizewer was co-counsel for a lawsuit brought against KBR over fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer funds in Iraq. The $108.75 million settlement is the largest recovery to date related to the Iraq War.
Chizewer was co-counsel for a qui-tam suit brought against Watermark Retirement Communities, Inc. alleging illegal kickbacks for a quid pro quo referral arrangement between Watermark and BAYADA. Watermark agreed to pay $4.25 million to settle the lawsuit.
David Morrison is a principal in the firm's Litigation Group and serves as the firm's Administrative Partner. He is an experienced litigator and trial lawyer, having litigated bankruptcy-related, commercial, and employment cases on behalf of public and private companies in every region of the country.
David was named a Notable Gen X Leader by Crain's Chicago Business in 2021. He has also been consistently selected for inclusion in Illinois Super Lawyers for both business and employment litigation for more than 10 years. In 2020, he was named a Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year by America's Top 100 LLC.
In May 2023, he received the Excellence in Pro Bono and Public Interest Service Award from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association for his part in winning a case of national significance that went to the U.S. Supreme three times. In addition, based on a five-year-long corporate pro bono partnership David created with McDonald's Corporation and the National Immigrant Justice Center in 2016, Goldberg Kohn, McDonald's, the NIJC and Jenner & Block were awarded the 2021 CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award for their extensive efforts in representing asylum seekers to be granted asylum in the United States. To view the awards video, please click here.
Job Titles:
- Counsel
- Member of Goldberg Kohn 's Litigation
Harleen Kaur is a member of Goldberg Kohn's Litigation Group. Ms. Kaur's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation. Her practice includes false claims actions, employment law, and banking and finance matters. She also has experience representing clients in real estate, tax, and insurance disputes. Ms. Kaur has practiced in federal and state court in all stages of litigation, including trial. Prior to joining Goldberg Kohn, Ms. Kaur practiced in Los Angeles for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Nossaman LLP, representing private and public entities in complex commercial litigation. She has also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ferdinand F. Fernandez and as a judicial extern to the Honorable Kim M. Wardlaw, both of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Ms. Kaur is admitted to practice in California and Illinois. She received her law degree, from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where she served as the Chief Articles Editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review and was named to the Order of the Coif. She received her Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, majoring in marketing with a minor in communications.
Ms. Kaur earned her J.D. in 2008 from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where she served as the Chief Articles Editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review and was named to the Order of the Coif. She received her B.S. in Marketing (minor Communications), summa cum laude, from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in 2004.
Job Titles:
- Legal Assistant
- Supervisor
- Member of the International Paralegal Managers Association
Ms. Smith is a member of the International Paralegal Managers Association and the Illinois Paralegal Association. Heidi M. Smith holds a bachelor's degree in Legal Studies from Grand Valley State University of Allendale, Michigan.
Joseph Hoolihan is a Principal in the firm's Litigation group. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes, commercial litigation in state and federal courts across the country. Joe has experience in all phases of litigation. He represents clients in class action, product liability, false advertising, False Claims Act, fraud, civil conspiracy, breach of fiduciary duty, data breach, bankruptcy, intellectual property, and breach of contract disputes. Having spent significant time representing both plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial cases, Joe has a unique ability to analyze and assess each side's position in a nuanced comprehensive way, and to craft adept legal strategies as a result.
Mr. Chizewer received his law degree from the University of Chicago in 1991 and his B.A. in economics, magna cum laude, from Pomona College in 1988.
An experienced False Claims Act litigator, Mr. Chizewer's qui tam cases have returned more than $500 million to federal and state treasuries. Mr. Chizewer has served as co-lead trial counsel in some of the country's most prominent False Claims Act and health care cases.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Principal
- Goldberg Kohn Principal
Roger Lewis is a principal in the firm's Litigation Group. His practice focuses on the federal and state False Claims Acts, and complex commercial litigation in the state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Since Mr. Lewis has joined Goldberg Kohn's False Claims Act practice, the firm's cases have returned more than half a billion dollars to state and federal treasuries. In addition to general commercial contract and tort matters, his cases have involved lending and financial institution litigation, consumer and property tax litigation, False Claims Act litigation and partnership and shareholder issues. He has extensive experience in protecting the rights of secured creditors in bankruptcy and insolvency litigation in courts nationwide. Mr. Lewis aggressively pursues litigation objectives within the framework of the client's broader goals, counseling clients thoughtfully and rigorously through their most complex, high-stakes matters. His commercial litigation experience includes cases in Illinois, Ohio, New York, California, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, Missouri and Kansas.
Mr. Lewis is admitted to practice in Illinois, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals; and in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. He received his law degree, cum laude, from Harvard University in 1995 and his B.A., with honors, in political science and psychology from Stanford University in 1992. He served as law clerk to the Honorable James B. Moran, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, from 1995 to 1996. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.
Mr. Lewis proudly serves as Chair of the firm's Pro Bono Committee, which oversees and coordinates pro bono activities across the firm. He also serves on the firm's Administrative Committee and Professional Responsibility Committee. Mr. Lewis also serves as Chair of the Board of the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice, a non-profit organization devoted to fairness in courts.
Experience
Defending a national bank against UCC and tort claims arising from a $50 million - plus fraud perpetrated on the bank's municipal account holder by its fiduciary.
Prosecuting and successfully resolving complex intercreditor claims on behalf of a national bank against co-lenders in a multi-tranche, commercial real estate loan facility.
Representing the owner of nuclear power plants in property tax hearings in the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board and in several collar counties near Chicago.
Securing emergency injunctions against deposed board member after lender client exercised its stock pledge and proxy rights in defaulted borrowers, ultimately resulting in payment in full to the client. As lenders increasingly use all of the tools in their toolbox to exercise their rights in collateral, Mr. Lewis' practice is on the cutting edge of validating and securing those rights in court.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Counsel to the Commercial Finance Association
- Principal in the Litigation Group
Bill Meyers is a principal in the Litigation Group. Throughout his career, Mr. Meyers has handled a variety of complex commercial litigation matters. Mr. Meyers has extensive experience in bankruptcy and insolvency litigation in courts nationwide. Mr. Meyers regularly protects the rights of secured creditors in these proceedings, including litigating cash collateral/adequate protection disputes, plan confirmation issues, claims objections, valuation disputes, relief from stay motions, and receivership actions. Representative matters include serving as primary litigation counsel to the Official Committee of Equity Security Holders in the bankruptcy of Kmart Corp.; serving as primary litigation counsel to a senior secured lender in bankruptcy litigation involving several hundred copyright assets in the liquidation of a major fine art gallery. Mr. Meyers' also has significant experience representing plaintiffs in qui tam/whistleblower cases under the federal and state False Claims Acts.
Mr. Meyers regularly serves as counsel to the Commercial Finance Association and recently filed an amicus curiae brief on its behalf in the Tousa bankruptcy pending in Florida. Mr. Meyers also spoke about the implications of the 11th Circuit's ruling in Tousa at the American Bar Association's Annual Meeting in Chicago in August, 2012.
Mr. Meyers speaks extensively on electronic discovery issues and the impact of the amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and the Federal Rules of Evidence, on electronic discovery. He has spoken several times at the Chicago Law Bulletin's Annual Electronic Discovery Conference. He has also spoken at the American Bankruptcy Institute Winter Leadership meeting regarding electronic discovery issues in the context of bankruptcy litigation and the impact of Federal Rule of Evidence 502.