Stephen Martin Kohn

Stephen Martin Kohn

Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP • Washington, DC
White Collar CrimeTax

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Contact

Email
Phone
Address
1710 N St. NW 20036, Washington, DC, 20036, US

Professional

About

Stephen M. Kohn is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading qui tam and whistleblower attorneys. He won the largest ever individual tax whistleblower reward/qui tam payment for UBS whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld ($104 million reward), and the largest ever reward ever paid to an individual under the related action provisions of the IRS, SEC and DOJ programs ($177 million). He represents Danske Bank whistleblower Howard Wilkinson in the largest money laundering scandal in world history ($230 billion), and successfully represented Greek whistleblowers whose information triggered a $320 million sanction against Norvartis drug company under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. His record of winning whistleblower cases dates back to 1984, and he was peer-review rated by the National Law Journal as one of the 50-top plaintiff’s lawyers in the United States, the only whistleblower rights lawyer to achieve this distinction. His successful advocacy has resulted in landmark precedents in whistleblower and qui tam law. Kohn helped draft key whistleblower legislation and regulatory rules, including those incorporated into the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Dodd-Frank Act, the IRS Qui Tam whistleblower amendments, and Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. He is the author of the first legal treatise on whistleblowing and is the world’s most published author on whistleblower protection. His most recent book is The New Whistleblower’s Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Doing What’s Right and Protecting Yourself. In 1988 he helped found the National Whistleblower Center, where is currently serves, pro bono, as Chairman of the Board. Steve Kohn also teaches an annual seminar on Whistleblower Law at the Northeastern University School of Law.

About White Collar Crime Law

White collar crime attorneys defend individuals and corporations accused of financial crimes. They handle complex fraud and regulatory investigations. Common matters include fraud, embezzlement, securities violations, money laundering.

Credentials

Education
1984 Northeastern University School of Law JD - Juris Doctor 1981 Brown University MA - Masters 1979 Boston University BS - Bachelor of Science
Languages
English

Recognition & Involvement

Awards
2024 America’s Top 200 Lawyers, Forbes 2024 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers, LawDragon 2024 AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell
Publications
2023 Book Rules for Whistleblowers 2017 Book The New Whistleblower Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Doing What’s Right and Protecting Yourself 2004 Book Whistleblower Law: A Guide to Legal Protections for Corporate Employees 2000 Book Concepts and Procedures in Whistleblower Law 1994 Book American Political Prisoners: Prosecutions under the Espionage and Sedition Act
Speaking
2024 Regional Project for Africa Transparency and Accountability in Government
Updated: Mar 11, 2026