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Wm. Paul Lawrence, II
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Wm. Paul Lawrence, II

Of Counsel

Biography

Paul Lawrence serves of counsel to Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel and he offices in the Washington D.C. area. His practice focuses on class action and whistleblower litigation, including qui tam cases under state and federal false claims acts and whistleblower claims under the SEC, CFTC, and IRS programs. Although Paul works in all areas of class action and whistleblower practice, including Medicare, Medicaid, and defense contracting, he takes a special interest in fraud in the financial arena, including banking, securities, and Coronavirus or Covid-19 economic stimulus programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program and the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Recent qui tam whistleblower successes for Paul have included cases involving fraud by retail pharmacy chains, nursing homes, and therapy providers.

Paul understands the risks that whistleblowers take by coming forward and is a tireless advocate for their rights, protecting client anonymity to the greatest extent possible, putting employers on notice of the law’s protections for whistleblowers when their identity must be revealed, and demanding nothing less than full compensation when employers retaliate.

Paul is a graduate of the Louisiana State University, where he earned both his bachelor’s and Juris Doctor degrees. He is licensed to practice law in Texas and Virginia. Paul is a member of the American Association for Justice, the American Bar Association, and Taxpayers Against Fraud where he has served as committee chair. He is also a frequent speaker on qui tam and False Claims Act topics at the Taxpayers Against Fraud Annual Conference.

Areas of Practice

  • Appellate
  • International
  • Class Action
  • Qui Tam

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana (inactive and in good standing), 1976
  • Washington (inactive and in good standing), 1997
  • Texas, 1998
  • Virginia, 2012
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, 1976
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana, 1977
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Louisiana, 1995
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, 1997
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, 1998
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, 2001
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, 2012
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia, 2012
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2017
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, 1976
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, 1997
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, 2012
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 2014
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, 2015
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, 1999
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1997

Education

  • Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University, J.D., 1976
  • Louisiana State University, B.A., 1973

Highlights

Professional Associations & Memberships

  • American Association for Justice
  • American Bar Association
  • Taxpayers Against Fraud

Publications & Speeches

  • Panelist, Ethics: How to Steer Clear of Ethics Hazards, Taxpayers Against Fraud Annual Conference, Sept. 14-16, 2016
  • Presenter, “Banking Fraud Whistleblower Claims Under FIRREA and FIAFEA,” Georgia’s New 2012 False Claims Act, and Update on Qui Tam, SEC, and IRS Whistleblower Claims, March 20, 2013
  • Co-Author, “When Money Trumps Trust,” TRIAL, American Association for Justice, formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA®), August 2012
  • Panelist, Is the Government Making the Most Out of Whistleblower Statues? Whistleblower Assembly 2011: Whistleblower Statutes, Government Accountability Project, September 19, 2011
  • Presenter, Taxpayers Against Fraud Annual Conference, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2016

Other Appointments

  • Hon. Albert Tate, Jr., Louisiana Supreme Court, Law Clerk, 1976-1977

Honors & Awards

  • Order of the Coif, Louisiana State University, 1976
  • Associate Editor, Louisiana Law Review, 1975-1976

Individual Awards & Honors

Our Results

$880 million award

Historic settlement for over 1,300 survivors of clergy and adult abuse within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, marking a pivotal moment for justice.

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$725.5 million award

A Philadelphia jury awarded a record verdict against ExxonMobil for failing to warn about cancer risks due to benzene in its petroleum products.

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$20 million award

Confidential settlement for the wife of a Rhode Island man who died of mesothelioma cancer after exposure to window glazing compound contaminated with asbestos.

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