WASHINGTON, DC, Nov. 13, 2025 –Phillips & Cohen LLP has been named to Best Lawyers® 2026 “Best Law Firms” list for the firm’s work representing whistleblowers. This is the tenth year in a row that Phillips & Cohen has been recognized on the “Best Law Firms” list.
Phillips & Cohen is known for its work representing whistleblowers in False Claims Act, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) lawsuits, with former directors of the SEC’s and CFTC’s whistleblower offices and the attorney with the most awards under the SEC/CFTC whistleblower programs serving as partners in the firm.
Best Lawyers describes their rankings as the result of “a rigorous evaluation process that blends client feedback, peer reviews, interviews with industry leaders, and in-depth analysis of firm data.”
Phillips & Cohen is ranked as a “Metropolitan Tier 1” law firm on the regional “Best Law Firms” list for Washington, DC, in the healthcare law category.
The Tier 1 label, according to Best Lawyers, reflects a law firm’s standing among other leading lawyers and clients in the same regions and corresponding practice areas.
To be eligible for the 2026 recognition, a law firm must have at least one lawyer in The Best Lawyers in America list for that particular location and specialty. Twelve Phillips & Cohen whistleblower attorneys—Mary Louise Cohen, Erika Kelton, Peter Chatfield, Colette Matzzie, Claire Sylvia, Stephen Hasegawa, Jeffrey Dickstein, Sean McKessy, Edward Arens, Amy Easton, Matthew Smith, and of counsel, Larry Zoglin – are included in the 2026 list for Best Lawyers for their work in qui tam law.
Phillips & Cohen has an exceptional track record, settling 10 whistleblower cases in the past 17 months and returning roughly $300 million to the government and harmed investors. This includes:
- A whistleblower settlement with SVCMC Inc., formerly known as Saint Vincents Catholic Medical Centers of New York, for $29 million;
- A settlement of up to $98 million with Independent Health Association, Independent Health Corp., its subsidiary DxID LLC, and the former CEO of DxID Betsy Gaffney;
- Paragon Systems, Inc., one of the largest providers of security services to the federal government, paid $53.68 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit;
- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) awarded $3.7 million to a Phillips & Cohen whistleblower client;
- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) awarded over $4 million to a whistleblower client of Phillips & Cohen LLP;
- A $90 million settlement under the False Claims Act with Humana, a healthcare insurance company that contracts with Medicare to provide Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans;
- A settlement with the Armstrong Group of Companies for $6.5 million to resolve allegations that the companies submitted false claims to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s Universal Service Fund (USF) High Cost Program; and
- A settlement with urgent care walk-in clinic chain CityMD for over $13 million to resolve allegations that the company and a third-party laboratory it used billed the federal COVID-19 uninsured program for COVID-19 tests performed on insured patients.
ABOUT PHILLIPS & COHEN
Phillips & Cohen is the most successful law firm representing whistleblowers, with recoveries from our cases totaling over $13 billion. Phillips & Cohen’s roster includes the attorney with the most awards under the SEC/CFTC whistleblower programs, the first head of the SEC Office of the Whistleblower, the former director of the CFTC’s Whistleblower Office, former federal prosecutors, a former deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the author of a leading treatise on the False Claims Act, and attorneys with decades of experience representing whistleblowers. Contact us for a confidential review of your case.