August 20, 2026
Three Whistleblower Law Collaborative attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® for their professional excellence: Suzanne E. Durrell, Erica Blachman Hitchings, and Linda C. Severin. All three are former Department of Justice attorneys who now dedicate their practice to representing whistleblowers.
This year, WLC partner Linda Severin joined the ranks of The Best Lawyers® in America 2027 for Litigation – Health Care. Her unique background as a federal prosecutor, white-collar defense attorney, and in-house litigation counsel enables her to evaluate whistleblower fraud matters from multiple perspectives.
Linda served for eight years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York. During her tenure, she investigated and tried cases involving fraud, racketeering, drug trafficking, money laundering, and extortion. She also briefed and argued criminal appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
After leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Linda relocated to Seattle and entered private practice, focusing on white-collar criminal defense and internal investigations. She became a partner at Bogle & Gates and later co-founded Tallman & Severin LLP with Richard C. Tallman. After Mr. Tallman was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Linda served as in-house counsel for The Boeing Company and later practiced at Garvey Schubert Barer.
Since joining WLC in 2018, Linda has helped secure significant recoveries for whistleblowers, including the $234 million Mallinckrodt settlement and a $13 million settlement with BioTel and LifeWatch.
WLC partner Erica Blachman Hitchings was selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers® in America 2027 for Employment Law – Individuals. Erica has dedicated her entire legal career to False Claims Act matters, first as a government attorney and now as counsel for whistleblowers.
Before joining WLC in 2019, Erica spent nine years with the Department of Justice. She entered the Department through the prestigious Attorney General’s Honors Program in 2009 and immediately began investigating and litigating False Claims Act cases as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Fraud Section.
After two years in Washington, D.C., Erica moved to San Francisco, where she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. There, she spearheaded two groundbreaking Medicare Advantage fraud investigations. One of those matters resulted in a $90 million recovery against Sutter Health.
Since entering private practice, Erica has continued to achieve significant results on behalf of whistleblowers. She was a member of the legal team representing the whistleblower in a $70 million municipal bond fraud settlement involving eight of the nation’s largest banks. The settlement remains the largest reported settlement under the Illinois False Claims Act.
Erica also serves as relator’s counsel in the Study Across the Pond education fraud matter, in which the government partially intervened in May 2024. The lawsuit alleges that the company violated the federal incentive compensation ban by charging universities on a per-student basis. The litigation remains ongoing.
In addition, Erica represented the whistleblower whose allegations that Zoll Medical Corporation violated the Trade Agreements Act led to a $400,000 recovery.
Beyond her casework, Erica is an active leader within the whistleblower bar. She serves on the President’s Council of the TAF Coalition, is a frequent conference speaker, and teaches Healthcare Fraud and Abuse at Boston University School of Law.
Suzanne Durrell has once again been recognized in The Best Lawyers® in America 2027 for Litigation – Health Care and Health Care Law. Over the past three decades, Suzanne has built a distinguished career handling False Claims Act matters. Following her service with the Department of Justice, she co-founded Whistleblower Law Collaborative with Robert M. Thomas, Jr. in 2003.
Before representing whistleblowers, Suzanne served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston, where she first held the position of Deputy Chief and later Chief of the Civil Division. She was instrumental in building what would become one of the nation’s most respected False Claims Act practices.
Among her many accomplishments, Suzanne led the prosecution of several significant qui tam cases against National Medical Care, Inc. (Fresenius). Under her leadership, those matters resulted in a then record-setting $486 million civil and criminal settlement.
Suzanne also helped shape False Claims Act enforcement policy nationwide during her service as Deputy Associate Attorney General in Washington, D.C. (1991-1992). Throughout her DOJ career, she received numerous honors, including the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, the Department’s highest recognition.
Her success has continued in private practice. Suzanne has represented whistleblowers in numerous landmark cases, including record-setting settlements involving AmerisourceBergen Corporation and Mylan. She is also a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, an honor recognizing outstanding dedication to the legal profession and commitment to the highest standards of service.
First published in 1983, Best Lawyers® is one of the legal profession’s most respected peer-review publications. Recognition is based entirely on evaluations by fellow attorneys and is intended to reflect the consensus opinion of leading lawyers regarding the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographic and practice areas.