In an article titled Senior White House Officials Deny Writing Anonymous Op-Ed Piece, the Wall Street Journal cites whistleblower lawyer Jason Zuckerman about whistleblower protections for federal employees. The article states:
The Wall Street Journal couldn’t determine what action, if any, the administration will take, even if the White House is able to determine who wrote the piece. Political appointees are at-will employees and have less whistleblower protection under federal law than career civil servants, said Jason Zuckerman, a lawyer focused on whistleblower protections.
Whistleblower law firm Zuckerman Law has represented whistleblowers before the Office of Special Counsel, Offices of Inspectors General, and Congressional oversight committees. Two of the firm’s attorneys served in senior roles at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.
- Eric Bachman served as Deputy Special Counsel, Litigation and Legal Affairs, OSC, where he spearheaded an initiative to combat whistleblower retaliation at the Department of Veterans Affairs. During Bachman’s tenure at OSC, the number of favorable actions for whistleblowers increased by over 50% agency-wide.
- Jason Zuckerman served as Senior Legal Advisor to the Special Counsel at OSC, where he worked on implementation of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act and several high-profile investigations.
Recently, Bachman and Zuckerman released a guide for federal employee whistleblowers titled “The Whistleblower Protection Act: Empowering Federal Employees to Root Out Waste, Fraud and Abuse,” which is available for download here. The guide provides an overview of the WPA and offers practical tips for navigating some of the challenging issues that often arise in whistleblower cases. Topics covered include:
- What Disclosures are Protected Under the Whistleblower Protection Act?
- Does the Whistleblower Protection Act Protect Employees Who Exercise an Appeal or Grievance Right?
- Prohibited Forms of Whistleblower Retaliation
- Proving Knowledge of Protected Whistleblowing
- Proving Causation
- What is an Agency’s Burden to Avoid Liability Once the Whistleblower Has Proved Causation?
- Seeking Relief from Retaliation
- Election of Remedies
- Can OSC Seek a Stay of a Personnel Action?
- Damages or Remedies for Retaliation
- Gag Orders and Non-Disclosure Agreements
