Et Tu, Counselor: may an in-house attorney file a qui tam action against the attorney's employer?
Most corporations probably do not consider their in-house counsel to be potential qui tam threats. That may be a naive assumption. Case law provides an illustrative view of the legal ramifications involved when an attorney brings a qui tam suit. In general, there is no prohibition on attorneys who wish to bring these actions. Nevertheless, a corporation can take preventive steps to eliminate the likelihood of attorney qui tam actions. In addition, the corporation can take advantage of state professional ethics laws to mount a defensive action against the attorney who files any such action.
Brown
L C
LC
Foley & Lardner, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Anwar
H R
HR
D003219:Confidentiality / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004651:Employment / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004995:Ethics, Professional; D005607:Fraud / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006268:Health Facilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D007255:Information Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007325:Institutional Practice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007603:Jurisprudence; D016134:Organizational Policy; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D014481:United States; D014768:Virginia