The TAF Education Fund encourages people that believe they have a potential False Claims Act case to interview several False Claims Act lawyers.

The TAF Education Fund does not recommend lawyers, but we feature a paid-placement public directory of firms that specialize in plaintiffs False Claims Act cases.

A few key points:
 

• The False Claims Act is a specialized area of law. Your interests are served when you retain a lawyer or firm that has expertise in False Claims Act litigation.
   

• Many False Claims Act cases are national in scope. Geographic proximity to an attorney should not be your primary concern when your case is national in scope.
   

• Developing a basic understanding of the False Claims Act will save you time and the time of any attorney that you approach. A good place to start is to read this simple description of False Claim Act cases and the process of filing a case. To see if you have the bare-bones elements of a False Claims Act case, take our Quick Quiz.
   

• A simple first step:  It will help if you organize your thoughts and information before you contact an attorney.  One suggestion is to take two pieces of paper.  On the first page tell a story that includes the "who, what, where, when, and how much" of the fraud.  Detail what agency was defrauded, the basics of how the fraud works, the size of the fraud, and how you came to know about it, but omit the name of the company and any company-identifying information.  On the second page, snap a line across the middle of the page, and above this line detail the evidence you have in hand to support the story on the first page:  emails, spread sheets, contracts, billing records, training materials, PowerPoint presentations, copies of canceled checks, voice mails, audio or video tape, etc.  Below this line, list the titles of the people in the company and outside the company who should be contacted and questioned if an investigation is initiated.  Now you have a simple organized story, an inventory of evidence in hand, and a list of potential interviewees for government investigators to talk to should they decide to further explore this case.