2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
During its 25th Annual Conference, The Anti-Fraud Coalition bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award to Claire Sylvia, a partner at Phillips & Cohen LLP.
The award recognizes an individual who achieved outstanding results, overcame especially challenging circumstances, and/or brought change to an industry because of their incredible efforts throughout their lifetime.
Claire Sylvia, an alumna of Brown University and Harvard Law School, is a pioneer in the False Claims Act space. Author of the leading text on the False Claims Act, The False Claims Act: Fraud Against the Government, Claire has made substantial contributions to the development and study of whistleblower law and is a thought leader in this practice. Claire first began her legal career as Assistant Senate Legal Counsel in the Office of the U.S. Senate Legal Counsel before working as Deputy City Attorney for the City of San Francisco specializing in government ethics. After a decade with the City Attorney’s Office, Claire joined Phillips & Cohen where she has successfully represented numerous whistleblowers in qui tams covering everything from medical kickbacks to arms contracting.
Claire fiercely advocates for her clients and has been recognized as one of Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers” in 2019, 2020, and 2023. Claire also has been recognized as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation, as a Best Lawyer in America by Best Lawyers in2023-2025, and as a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers in 2019-2025. Claire has successfully litigated against giants like Humana, Alliant Techsystems, and Northrop Grumman, resulting in recoveries in the tens of millions of dollars. She also successfully litigated a trailblazing qui tam case that marked the first time the False Claims Act was applied to violations of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
Claire also is a major force outside of the courtroom. In addition to writing a seminal text on the False Claims Act, Claire contributes to legal scholarship in numerous articles and other publications. At Berkeley Law, University of California, Claire teaches one of the first courses on the False Claims Act and whistleblower laws offered at a major law school. Beyond the classroom, Claire shares her expertise with lawmakers and the public. Claire has provided testimony to Congress on Medicaid fraud enforcement and the California Senate Judiciary Committee on amendments to the California False Claims Act. Claire is an outspoken educator and advocate, presenting at numerous conferences, CLE events, and to news media.
Claire Sylvia is a cornerstone of False Claims Act advocacy and education, and though she still has a long career ahead of her, she’s done much more for the law so far than many do in their entire careers.
“Claire literally wrote the book on False Claims Act enforcement,” said Jacklyn DeMar, President and CEO of The Anti-Fraud Coalition, “she is a cornerstone of the whistleblower community whose dual legacy as a fierce litigator against corporate giants and a pioneering educator has fundamentally shaped the False Claims Act landscape.”
Award Nomination Process
The Lifetime Achievement Award and others are nominated by the general membership of TAF.
Once submitted, the TAF Conference & Member Education Committee deliberate and vote on award recipients.
