People who work on Wall Street come into contact with important information all the time. Sometimes, though, that information indicates that a major corporation or company is breaking the law. If this happens to you, you have the option of becoming a whistleblower and bringing it to the attention of federal authorities and the public.

Taking these steps generally requires the legal representation of a Wall Street whistleblower lawyer. Here is what you need to know about them and the process of blowing the whistle on misconduct on Wall Street.

What Does a Wall Street Whistleblower Lawyer Do?

A Wall Street whistleblower lawyer legally represents people who have access to incriminating evidence in the securities industry, helping them develop a case and then presenting it to the relevant federal law enforcement agency with the aim of convincing investigators there to intervene and take the case over.

For whistleblowers, or for potential whistleblowers, there are numerous benefits to having a Wall Street whistleblower lawyer on hand throughout the process:

• The attorney can guide the whistleblower during their investigation, providing experienced input that can help the whistleblower uncover more incriminating evidence to strengthen their case, and do it all while mitigating the risks of being discovered
• A lawyer will have handled similar cases before, so they understand the complex and sensitive process of disclosing information to the relevant authorities
• There are often several different avenues that Wall Street whistleblowers can take, and an attorney with experience in the field will likely know which one will be in the whistleblower’s best interests in the long run

These are just a few of the things that a Wall Street whistleblower attorney can do for you.

What Should Potential Whistleblowers Know?

People who have discovered what appears to be incriminating evidence on Wall Street often need to know more about what they are about to get into before they decide to blow the whistle on what they have found. Here are three of the most important things to know before making this extremely important decision.

You Do Not Need to Prove Your Case to Blow the Whistle On It

Whistleblowers do not need to amass such a strong case that it proves, beyond a reasonable doubt, that there was misconduct or wrongdoing in order for them to report it. While there has to be substantial evidence of wrongdoing in order to hold the target of the investigation liable for it, whistleblowers only need to have a reasonable cause to believe that what they are reporting to law enforcement is a violation of the law in order to acquire whistleblower status.

In fact, it is not rare for whistleblowers to present their case to federal investigators and for there to be a full investigation, only for the case to conclude that there was no misconduct. Even if this happens, that does not mean that you are not a whistleblower, that you did anything wrong, or that your conduct was anything other than admirable.

If you have found what appears to be evidence of misconduct but you are hesitant about blowing the whistle over it because you are not sure that your case is strong enough, remember that it is the role of whistleblowers to report potential misconduct. It is the job of investigators to prove it.

You May Be Entitled to Recover a Whistleblower Award

Whistleblowers who report misconduct on Wall Street – most often in the forms of securities or investor fraud – to the relevant authorities can be eligible for a whistleblower award. This award will depend on the specific law that was violated, but it can be quite substantial: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) typically awards whistleblowers between 10 and 30 percent of the fines and monetary damages that the agency recovers.

One recent whistleblower who took their case to the SEC was awarded a record-breaking $279 million for bringing the agency information about a bribery case.

You Have Legal Protection from Workplace Retaliation

In order to prevent companies from deterring their employees from becoming whistleblowers by threatening to fire them if they do, U.S. law provides legal protections to workers who blow the whistle on their employers. Given how common it is for whistleblowers to gain access to incriminating information about their employer due to their employment relationship, this is an absolutely essential legal protection to have in order to continue to bring incriminating evidence to the light.

According to Dr. Nick Oberheiden, founding partner of the national law firm for Wall Street whistleblowers, Oberheiden P.C., “The legal protections that whistleblowers have in the workplace are strong, and cover all sorts of retaliation – even those that do not amount to a complete termination of your employment. Nevertheless, many companies have shown that they would rather pay the penalties of a wrongful termination lawsuit than allow whistleblowers to continue to work in the company. It is imperative to invoke your rights in these situations and hold the company accountable for its doubly unlawful actions – both the conduct that you are blowing the whistle on, and the cover up attempts that manifested in your termination.”

What is Wall Street Fraud?

Wall Street fraud is financial misconduct and deceptive trading practices that happen in the securities field or on the stock market. Just like with other examples of fraud, Wall Street fraud encompasses a wide variety of tactics and deceitful techniques that are designed to part people from their money.

Just a few examples of Wall Street fraud are:

• Insider trading
• Accounting fraud
• Brokerage fraud, such as churning accounts or charging excessive fees
• Trading fraud, like front-running
• Filing false reports with the SEC or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
• Ponzi Schemes
• Bribery
• Public corruption
• Market manipulation, like pump-and-dump schemes
• Tax evasion
• Fraudulent initial public offerings (IPOs)
• Cryptocurrency fraud

If you have information about one of these, or any other, types of fraud occurring on Wall Street, you can become a whistleblower. By bringing your case to the appropriate law enforcement agency, you can help to hold the wrongdoers accountable, stop the misconduct, save future victims, and even recover a financial reward for doing so.

The best way to do this successfully is with the help of an experienced Wall Street whistleblower lawyer.