SEC WHISTLEBLOWER BLOG - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Partner
• Partner of Katz Banks Kumin, Joined the Firm in December 2013.

Mr. Herzog has represented numerous clients pursuing whistleblower tips before the SEC and CFTC and has successfully assisted them in earning millions of dollars in award payments. He regularly represents for-profit and non-profit executives in negotiating employment agreements. He also counsels employees from all levels of organizations negotiating separation and severance agreements. A dedicated advocate, Mr. Herzog has successfully represented clients through various employment disputes, including the pursuit of claims for race, gender, disability and age discrimination, as well as for protections offered under whistleblower and wage and hour laws. For instance, in EEOC v. WRS, he represented eleven construction workers, alongside the EEOC, in obtaining a $2.75 million settlement from a national corporation in an action involving allegations of hangman's nooses and other invidious acts of discrimination. In another matter, Mr. Herzog served as first chair in successfully representing a banker against his former employer in a five-day FINRA arbitration focusing on whistleblowing and defamation issues. Most recently, in April, 2021, a client of Mr. Herzog's was awarded $3.2 million by the Securities and Exchange Commission for supplying critical information that led directly to a successful enforcement action against a large financial institution. Prior to joining Katz Banks Kumin, Mr. Herzog worked with the firms Robinson, Curley & Clayton P.C. and Latham & Watkins LLP in Chicago. In the legal community, Mr. Herzog previously served as the co-chair for the social action committee of Decalogue Society of Lawyer's - Chicago's Jewish law association. He also participated in the University of Chicago's Civil Rights and Police Accountability Clinic Project, focusing on issues of criminal justice. He has taught continuing legal education courses on employment agreements, employment law and disability discrimination for the District of Columbia Bar and American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education. Prior to law school, Mr. Herzog served with the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, a team-based national community service organization. Mr. Herzog was recognized from 2019-2021 as a top employment attorney in the D.C. area by Super Lawyers, after being honored as a "Super Lawyers Rising Star" in 2014, and from 2016-2018. Adam earned his J.D. in 2004 from the University of Chicago Law School and his undergraduate degree in Finance in 2000 from the University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School. Mr. Herzog served as law clerk for the Honorable Judge Philip Simon of the Northern District of Indiana.

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate
• Katz Banks Kumin As an Associate
• Member of the Pennsylvania

Alia joined Katz Banks Kumin as an associate in August 2020. During her time at the firm, she has helped clients achieve successful outcomes in a range of civil rights and discrimination matters under federal and state anti-discrimination statutes. She has also represented whistleblowers in unlawful retaliation cases in the healthcare, financial, and cybersecurity industries. Alia is a member of the Pennsylvania and Texas bars. She is currently serving as Treasurer of the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association and as a Board Observer with the Homeless Advocacy Project through the Philadelphia Bar Foundation's Board Observer Program.

Job Titles:

• Partner

For his outstanding legal work, Mr. Kumin has been selected by his peers for the 2012-2023 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® in the categories of "Employment Law - Individuals" and "Litigation - Labor and Employment" for the D.C. area, as well as "Civil Rights Law" since 2020, and named multiple times by both Washingtonian magazine and "Super Lawyers" magazine as one of the area's top employment attorneys. Since 2011, Martindale-Hubbell has rated Mr. Kumin "AV Preeminent," its highest possible peer review rating, and Lawdragon included Mr. Kumin in its list of the "Top Leading Plaintiff Attorneys for 2020." In 2021, Chambers and Partners recognized Mr. Kumin in Band 1 of employment plaintiff attorneys in Washington D.C. From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Kumin served as the Co-Chair of the D.C. Bar Association's Labor & Employment Section, and was elected by the Section's members to serve on its Steering Committee from 2012 to 2015.

Job Titles:

• Associate at Katz Banks Kumin

Candace Baker has served as the Communications Associate at Katz Banks Kumin since July 2021. Her primary roles include managing the firm's website and social media pages, coordinating press releases, and working to develop marketing campaigns. Ms. Baker received her bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin in 2020. Prior to arriving at Katz Banks Kumin, Ms. Baker was a writer for a personal finance startup.

Job Titles:

• Partner

Job Titles:

• Partner
• Member of the D.C. Bar Labor
• Partner at Katz Banks Kumin

Colleen Coveney, a Partner at Katz Banks Kumin, joined the firm in 2012. Ms. Coveney represents clients in a range of civil rights and discrimination matters under federal and state anti-discrimination statutes including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and corresponding state laws. Ms. Coveney also represents whistleblowers in unlawful retaliation cases, as well as individuals submitting tips to the whistleblower-reward programs administered by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. During her time at Katz Banks Kumin, Ms. Coveney has litigated cases in federal and state court, as well as in administrative proceedings before the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and U.S. Department of Labor. She is currently representing the former head coach of the women's basketball team at the Georgia Institute of Technology in MaChelle Joseph v. Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, et al., a Title VII and Title IX sex discrimination and retaliation case currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Ms. Coveney has also represented numerous employees in cases that have successfully resolved confidentially prior to and during litigation. In the legal community, Ms. Coveney is currently a member of the D.C. Bar Labor and Employment Steering Committee. In this role, Ms. Coveney works with her fellow committee members to plan programs, projects and other professional activities for the benefit of labor and employment law practitioners in the Washington D.C. area. She and the committee also engage in pro bono and community outreach activities and periodically submit comments on policy issues that impact the labor and employment law community. Ms. Coveney also serves on and contributes to panels regarding emerging employment law issues. Most recently, she was the Faculty Chair on an ALI-CLE presentation titled "Pregnancy and Family Responsibility Discrimination, Parental Leave, and COVID-19 Complications." In this role, Ms. Coveney collaborated with Katz Banks Kumin Of Counsel Carolyn Wheeler, the National Women's Law Center, and ALI-CLE to organize a panel discussion about pregnancy and parenting in today's workforce. She also recently presented on developments around restrictive covenants, including on the District of Columbia's new Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment Act, a recently enacted law that is one of the most comprehensive non-compete bans in the country. Ms. Coveney was recognized from 2019 to 2021 as a top employment attorney in the D.C. area by Super Lawyers. Ms. Coveney received her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, graduating magna cum laude with Honors, and her J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law. During law school, Ms. Coveney worked as a law clerk at the ACLU of Georgia where she helped spearhead a human rights documentation project on the immigration detention system in the U.S. Ms. Coveney was also a founding member of the Legal Society for Intimate Partner Violence Education, a student-run organization dedicated to raising awareness about intimate partner violence and the law. Prior to law school, Ms. Coveney worked as a legal assistant at Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP for two years. Ms. Coveney is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Georgia.

Job Titles:

• of Counsel
• Katz Banks Kumin As of Counsel

Three decades of outstanding representation of employees in labor and employment disputes

Job Titles:

• Partner Emeritus and of Counsel

David J. Marshall was a founding partner of Katz, Marshall & Banks (now Katz Banks Kumin) in 2006. He is now retired as an active partner but continues as Partner Emeritus and Of Counsel, working with the firm on certain whistleblower tips before the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. Mr. Marshall has successfully represented hundreds of whistleblowers and other employees in the financial, pharmaceutical, nuclear, aviation, railroad, healthcare, medical-device, retail and other industries. He represented some clients in winning awards under the whistleblower-reward programs administered by the SEC, CFTC and DOJ, including one who, in April 2021, was awarded $3.2 million by the SEC for supplying critical information that led to a successful enforcement action against a large financial institution. Mr. Marshall achieved success for other clients in cases arising under federal and state laws that protect employees against retaliation from their employers for reporting corporate wrongdoing. His important victories in whistleblower cases involved entities such as the Architect of the Capitol (asbestos), Deutsche Bank (financial reporting), the Brown's Ferry Nuclear Plant (nuclear safety), Lockheed Martin (defense procurement), and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (asbestos). In 2015-2016, Mr. Marshall represented thirteen flight attendants in a whistleblower-retaliation complaint against United Airlines resulting in a March 2016 settlement that reinstated all of them to their jobs. Over the course of his career, Ms. Marshall established himself as a top whistleblower lawyer, consistently won recognition as a top whistleblower lawyer by Super Lawyers, Washingtonian Magazine and Best Lawyers©. He is rated by Martindale-Hubbell as "AV Preeminent," its highest possible peer-review rating. In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Marshall has been very active in professional and social-justice organizations, including the American Bar Association, the Public Justice Foundation, Farmworker Justice, and the Government Accountability Project. He has also provided training to government agencies regarding developments in the nation's whistleblower laws, has appeared in numerous national and local media as an expert in whistleblower law, and has written extensively on whistleblower issues. Mr. Marshall earned his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1980. From 1981 to 1984, he was a staff attorney with the Political Rights Defense Fund, where he represented trade unionists and political activists nationwide in civil liberties, free speech, defamation, and political asylum litigation. He then worked for 12 years as a steelworker, garment worker, freight railroad conductor and refinery worker, and was a rank-and-file union activist in some of the nation's largest industries and unions, before returning to the full-time practice of law in 1997.

Job Titles:

• Partner
• Vice Chair
• Founding Partner of Katz Banks Kumin
• Member of the District of Columbia
• Writer for Ms. Magazine

Ms. Katz is a founding partner of Katz Banks Kumin, where she concentrates her practice on employment discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, Sarbanes-Oxley, corporate, environmental and other whistleblower retaliation claims, SEC whistleblower tips, and contractual employment disputes. She has developed extensive litigation experience in federal and local courts and has achieved significant courtroom successes in a number of high-profile cases. Throughout her legal career, Ms. Katz has successfully represented hundreds of whistleblowers in the nuclear, financial, pharmaceutical and medical-device industries. Currently, she represents Dr. Rick Bright, the former director of the Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, who was removed from his position after raising concerns over the administration's inadequate preparation for the Coronavirus pandemic, and the subsequent interference into vaccine and treatment approval processes. She also regularly handles cases involving fraud in government contracts, including most recently at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Ms. Katz has been profiled as one of Washington D.C.'s "Women Who Mean Business" by the Washington Business Journal in 2020, as a pioneering #MeToo attorney by the Washington Post in "The feared attorney of the #MeToo moment," and a "Leading #MeToo Lawyer" by Washingtonian Magazine. Additionally, in a 2021 profile piece, the Associated Press called Ms. Katz and partner Lisa Banks the "top #MeToo legal duo." For her extraordinary work representing victims of sexual harassment and assault, as well as advocating for legislative change, the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association recognized Ms. Katz with its 2019 Lawyers of the Year Award. And for her work as part of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's legal team, the Women's Bar Association recognized Ms. Katz with the "Dare to Make an Impact" award. Ms. Katz serves as Vice Chair on the Board of Directors of the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), a nonpartisan independent government watchdog. POGO's mission is to strengthen laws and regulations to protect whistleblowers from intimidation and retaliation and to create a more accountable and effective federal government by investigating allegations of government corruption and misconduct. Ms. Katz is a contributing writer for Ms. Magazine, where she writes about legal issues of importance to women. In 2019, Ms. Magazine honored Ms. Katz with the "Wonder Woman Award" for her work fighting against injustices faced by women and girls because of their gender. Ms. Katz is a member of the District of Columbia and New York Bar Associations, the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States and the bars of several federal courts of appeals.

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Member of the New York

Jolena Jeffrey joined Katz, Marshall, & Banks, LLP as an Associate in August 2019. Ms. Jeffrey received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law in 2016. While in law school she was the executive editor of the labor and employment law brief. She also worked as a student attorney in the Civil Advocacy Clinic, assisting low income persons with employment matters, including conducting a hearing before the Office of Administrative hearings to pursue her client's unpaid employment benefits. Prior to joining Katz, Marshall, & Banks, Ms. Jeffrey was an assistant district attorney at the Queens County District Attorney Office, in New York City. Ms. Jeffrey managed over 200 cases, misdemeanor and felony, from intake to disposition. She has appeared before both misdemeanor and Supreme Court judges regarding issues such as the purview of discovery, suppression of evidence, and the legal sufficiency of claims. Ms. Jeffrey has also presented cases before a grand jury. Ms. Jeffrey received her B.A. in Business Management from Babson College in 2013. Ms. Jeffrey is a member of the New York and District of Columbia bars.

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate
• Member of the New York
• Senior Associate at Katz Banks Kumin, Joined the Firm in September 2016

Joseph Abboud, a senior associate at Katz Banks Kumin, joined the firm in September 2016. Prior to joining Katz Banks Kumin, Mr. Abboud worked as a Civil Rights Fellow in the Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York. There, he investigated and settled cases involving a broad range of civil rights matters, including employment and housing discrimination, voting rights, genetic privacy, and redlining in the residential mortgage market. Mr. Abboud also co-ran the AG's statewide voter hotline during the 2016 Presidential Primary. Mr. Abboud received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2015. While in school, Mr. Abboud participated in Harvard's Post-Foreclosure Eviction Defense Clinic, where he represented tenants and former homeowners facing eviction in the wake of the foreclosure crisis. He also worked as a research and teaching assistant, helping write an Evidence law casebook and design syllabi for a first-year Contracts course and a jurisprudence seminar. During his first summer as a law student, Mr. Abboud worked as a research assistant for the American Law Institute, contributing to the International Torts to Persons Project for the Restatement (Third) of Torts. Throughout his second summer, he worked as a student attorney at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, representing victims of domestic violence in Probate and Family Court, as well as in appellate and administrative proceedings. Prior to law school, Mr. Abboud worked as a legal assistant a Maglio, Christopher & Toale, P.A., a plaintiff-side medical products liability firm. He received his B.A. in Philosophy from the New College of Florida. For his fierce and tireless work advocating for his clients, Mr. Abboud was recognized as a "Rising Star" by both the National Law Journal and Law360 for 2019. In November 2018, Mr. Abboud was recognized by the Women's Bar Association with the "Dare to Make an Impact" award for his work on Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's legal team. Mr. Abboud is a member of the New York and District of Columbia bars.

Job Titles:

• Associate

Kayla Morin, an associate at Katz Banks Kumin, joined the firm in June 2022. Previously, Ms. Morin served as a law clerk on the Eastern District of New York. Prior to clerking, she worked as a staff attorney at Mobilization for Justice, Inc., representing tenants from the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan in eviction proceedings. Ms. Morin received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 2020. While in law school, Ms. Morin worked as a student attorney in the Reproductive Rights and Justice Project clinic, Housing Clinic, and Veterans Legal Services Clinic. Ms. Morin also served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal, where she founded and chaired the Giving Committee, designed to marshal the Journal's resources to contribute to the New Haven community. In addition, Ms. Morin volunteered with the Office of the New Haven Federal Public Defender, Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, and Civil Rights Project. Ms. Morin is a member of the New York bar.

Job Titles:

• Office Manager of Katz Banks Kumin

Kelly Dolphin has served as Office Manager of Katz Banks Kumin since May 2006. She regularly interacts with the Firm's clients regarding administrative and financial matters. Ms. Dolphin received her Bachelor's of Science in Environmental Science from University of Maryland, Eastern Shore in 2002.

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Associate With Katz Banks Kumin
• Member of the Maryland

Kelsey Woodford, an associate with Katz Banks Kumin, joined the firm in August 2022. Before joining the firm, Ms. Woodford served as a staff attorney at Disability Rights DC advocating for the civil and human rights of District residents with disabilities through systemic litigation, policy work, and individual representation. Prior to her role with Disability Rights DC, Ms. Woodford acted as a law clerk to the Honorable Abdul K. Kallon in the Northern District of Alabama. Ms. Woodford received her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 2019, having earned Highest Pro Bono Distinction and the Judge Thelton E. Henderson Prize for Outstanding Performance in Clinic. During law school, she interned with Legal Aid at Work, supporting litigation on behalf of low-wage employees experiencing workplace discrimination based on their ethnicity and national origin. As a student attorney in the Religious Liberty Clinic, she delivered oral argument before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, resulting in a favorable judgment for her client and a published opinion on his Prison Litigation Reform Act claim. Ms. Woodford also served as a law clerk for the ACLU Capital Punishment Project, a student attorney with the Stanford Law School Three Strikes Project, a legal intern at the Office of the Federal Defender for the Northern District of Alabama. Before matriculating at Stanford, Ms. Woodford worked in behavioral ethics at the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership. She graduated from Duke University as a Robertson Scholar, having designed her own course of study examining systemic gender-based violence in American culture. Ms. Woodford is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia bars.

Job Titles:

• Partner

Job Titles:

• Partner

Matthew Stiff joined Katz Banks Kumin in June 2009. Mr. Stiff is a tireless advocate and has helped achieve successful outcomes for numerous clients under the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate whistleblower protections, the False Claims Act anti-retaliation provisions and the anti-discrimination and retaliation protections of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and corresponding state laws. Mr. Stiff was recognized in the 2021 edition of Best Lawyers in America, and as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers from 2017-2020, for his outstanding work in employment law. Mr. Stiff received a Bachelor of Arts in history from The Ohio State University, graduating summa cum laude with honors, in 2005. He graduated from New York University School of Law in 2008, where he served on the Student-Faculty Executive Committee and was involved in the school's fundraising efforts in support of public interest legal careers. He received an NYU Law post-graduate public interest fellowship in September 2009. Prior to joining Katz Banks Kumin, Mr. Stiff worked with the Human Rights Campaign as a McCleary Law Fellow. In connection with this work, Mr. Stiff authored "Breaking Down Barriers: An Administrator's Guide to State Law & Best Policy Practice for LGBT Healthcare Access" (Human Rights Campaign Foundation, May 2009). He additionally co-authored "Disparate Treatment: Understanding the Impact of Same-Sex Relationship Recognition on the LGBT Healthcare Experience," published by Health Lawyers News, the American Health Lawyers Association's official publication, in July 2009, later presenting his work at the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association's National Conference.

Job Titles:

• Associate

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Associate at Katz Banks Kumin, Joined the Firm in November 2021.

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Green served as a law clerk to the Honorable David F. Hamilton of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Before clerking, Ms. Green worked as an associate at Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein LLP in San Francisco, California, where she represented clients in mass tort cases and complex class actions. Ms. Green received her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 2019. While in law school, Ms. Green was the founder and president of Stanford Law Against Gendered Violence; served on the campus-wide student government board as the Title IX & Sexual Assault Lead; served as the Provost's Appointee to the Committee on Campus Climate Survey; and was a leader in Stanford Law Women in Politics and Stanford Law Reproductive Justice. She was a Member of the Stanford Law Review and Executive Editor of the Journal of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties. Ms. Green was devoted to service, volunteering with the Domestic Violence Pro Bono, Immigration Pro Bono, and Record Clearance Pro Bono, and volunteering part-time with Bay Area Legal Aid. She received the Lisa M. Schnitzer Memorial Scholarship and the SOAR for Justice Scholarship for her demonstrated commitment to public service and to those impacted by domestic or sexual violence. While a student, Ms. Green also published academic research, including Graffiti with a Purpose: Social Justice Conversations in University Bathroom Stalls, 6 J. Qualitative Crim. Just. & Criminology 1 (2018). Prior to attending law school, Ms. Green received the George J. Mitchell Scholarship to study at Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland, where she completed a Master of Arts in Conflict Transformation & Social Justice in 2016. She received a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Sociology in 2015 from Indiana University (Bloomington), where she was a Herman B. Wells Scholar. Ms. Green is admitted to the bar in the District of Columbia and California.