Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto (KKC) proudly announces the addition of Andrew Feller as Senior Special Counsel. Mr. Feller, a respected practitioner on securities and commodities laws, brings over twenty years of experience to the firm, including a distinguished fifteen-year tenure at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
At KKC, Mr. Feller will be a key advocate for whistleblowers under the Dodd-Frank Act. He will focus on those who report violations of securities and commodities laws, as well as major regulatory violations in banking and capital markets to the SEC, CFTC and other whistleblower programs. The addition of Mr. Feller demonstrates KKC’s steadfast commitment to advocacy on behalf of financial whistleblowers.
Mr. Feller brings extensive experience to KKC’s industry-leading practice. His career includes twelve years as Senior Counsel in the SEC Division of Enforcement, three years as a Senior Counsel and Policy Advisor to SEC Commissioner Allison Herren Lee, and over five years representing clients in capital markets matters and securities fraud litigation with Fenwick & West and K&L Gates prior to joining the SEC. Most recently, Mr. Feller has worked as a senior in-house attorney for a systemically important financial infrastructure firm. From 2019-2022, Mr. Feller was Commissioner Lee’s primary enforcement counsel, advising the Commissioner on matters relating to the Commission’s enforcement and whistleblower programs, including amendments to the Commission’s whistleblower rules and significant legal policy matters, in addition to more than 3,000 recommendations from the Division of Enforcement.
“I have long admired KKC’s work as passionate advocates for their whistleblower clients and champions for strong and effective whistleblower programs and policies. KKC has played the most significant role in ensuring that the SEC’s regulations serve the public interest and have won many of the most important enforcement cases under Dodd-Frank. KKC deserves its reputation as the leading whistleblower firm. I could not be more excited to join the firm,” Mr. Feller said.
“Along with my colleague and friend, former SEC Commissioner Allison Herren Lee, I look forward to continuing that work and building the preeminent practice to advance the interests of whistleblowers seeking to expose financial frauds,” Mr. Feller added.
During his tenure at the SEC, Mr. Feller demonstrated unwavering dedication to the pursuit of justice in investigating and litigating securities fraud. His achievements as a member of the Enforcement staff included settlements that were among the largest ever of their kind at the time, resulting in the return of hundreds of millions of dollars to harmed investors. Cases included those against UBS AG, Putnam Investments, Citigroup and Credit Suisse Asset Management.
Mr. Feller was a founding member of the SEC’s Complex Financial Instruments Unit, a role that allowed him to bring several high-profile cases against large international banks concerning conduct related to the 2007-2008 Financial Crisis.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Andrew again as he now joins the team at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto,” said Ms. Lee, who serves as Of Counsel for KKC. “Andrew brings a depth of invaluable securities and commodities experience to our practice. From our time together at the SEC, I know firsthand Andrew’s expertise in these areas, as well as his deep commitment to furthering accountability and protecting both investors and whistleblowers.”
“Dodd-Frank has proven to be the most successful whistleblower law. The entire whistleblower and honest investor communities will benefit whenever highly regarded expert securities enforcement litigators such as Andrew use their expertise to stop frauds and represent whistleblowers,” said KKC founding partner Stephen M. Kohn. Kohn has represented whistleblowers since 1984 and helped draft the most important corporate whistleblower laws, including Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank, and the AML Whistleblower Improvement Act.
Since its establishment in 1988, KKC has been a leading force in whistleblower law. The firm has secured numerous landmark decisions for whistleblowers. In addition to these achievements, KKC’s pro bono efforts were instrumental in advocating for key whistleblower legislation and drafting rules and regulations for whistleblower award programs, further solidifying their commitment to the field.