November 22, 2017
Phillips & Cohen partner Sean McKessy was quoted in the Wall Street Journal’s preview of the Supreme Court oral arguments in Digital Realty Trust v Somers, which examines whistleblower protections in the Dodd-Frank Act.
Sean McKessy of the law firm Phillips & Cohen LLP, who headed the SEC Office of the Whistleblower from its inception in 2011 until July 2016, said most whistleblowers want to report in-house, but narrower protections could change that, prompting virtually all whistleblowers to go straight to the commission. Since the program began, almost 83% of those who had worked at a company about which they reported allegations to the SEC first reported the problems to their employers, according to SEC figures released Nov. 15.