Janel Quinn
Principal
Janel Quinn is a principal at The Employment Law Group® law firm, where she represents whistleblowers who report fraud on the government in the hopes of halting schemes to cheat U.S. taxpayers.
Ms. Quinn seeks protection, vindication, and rewards for her whistleblower clients through various methods and statutes including: the federal False Claims Act (FCA) and its state equivalents; the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; the IRS whistleblower rewards program and the Taxpayer First Act; and the Financial Institutions Anti-Fraud Enforcement Act of 1990.
She also pursues employment claims for clients who are fired or otherwise punished for raising concerns about fraud, wrongdoing, or misconduct in the workplace.
Since joining the firm in 2012, Ms. Quinn’s cases have exposed fraud against numerous federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Her notable victories for clients include:
- A $12 million award for a whistleblower who alerted the government to Medicare fraud involving an illegal scheme to boost prescriptions of the drug Nuedexta;
- A $180,000 settlement for a whistleblower who reported her landlord for violating the requirements of the Section 8 housing program and taking advantage of a vulnerable population;
- A $7 million settlement for two whistleblowers who reported possible Medicare fraud that involved pushing unnecessary therapy services onto elderly patients;
- A $9 million settlement in a Paycheck Protection Program fraud case, which returned more money to U.S. taxpayers than all the improper PPP loan cases resolved under the FCA during the 2022 fiscal year, combined;
- And supporting U.S. prosecutors in their pursuit of a subcontractor alleged to have falsified test results for concrete used in the D.C. area’s Silver Line rail project, while concurrently litigating the whistleblower’s retaliation claims.
After working on many qui tam cases, Ms. Quinn got the opportunity to take over and manage the day-to-day operations of TELG’s qui tam practice in 2018 and now oversees all whistleblower cases. As a result, she works on a large amount of cases simultaneously, but her meticulous nature and time management skills ensure that all cases are handled to meet high standards and all clients remain well informed.
“Whistleblowers do a lot of good work in trying to correct wrongs, and they deserve to be rewarded for their efforts,” Ms. Quinn says. “We want to help potential whistleblowers do what they feel will ultimately bring them peace. Although combatting fraud can be a lengthy, difficult process, for some, they sleep easier at night knowing they didn’t stand by and do nothing.”
Ms. Quinn’s whistleblower practice includes filing qui tam lawsuits in federal courts; submitting robust and actionable tips, complaints, and referrals (TCRs) to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and filing Form 211 disclosures with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
Ms. Quinn also works with government prosecutors during their investigations of clients’ allegations; supports the U.S. Department of Justice in its resolution of intervened qui tam matters; and, where necessary, litigates declined FCA matters in federal district courts. She is admitted to practice in Virginia, D.C., and various federal courts.
Because of her educational background, Ms. Quinn has a particular interest in cases involving healthcare fraud. She received a bachelor’s degree in dietetics with a minor in political communication from James Madison University. Originally, Ms. Quinn considered working in food security or nutrition policies, but after graduating, she moved to D.C. to live with her aunt, who ultimately encouraged her to pursue law school. Ms. Quinn graduated cum laude from the American University Washington College of Law.
Ms. Quinn is a member of the Federal Bar Association’s Qui Tam Section, the National Employment Lawyers Association, and the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association.
For three years in a row, Super Lawyers recognized Ms. Quinn as a “Rising Star,” an honor based on peer evaluations and professional achievement that is only given to 2.5% of practicing lawyers in each state. Ms. Quinn has also been recognized by Lawdragon 500, landing on its list of top 500 plaintiff-side employment lawyers across the country. In 2025, The Best Lawyers in America honored Ms. Quinn for her work in qui tam law.
In her free time, Ms. Quinn spends a lot of time with her family in the DMV area, including the aunt who spurred her on to become a lawyer. She enjoys cooking, working out on her Peloton, and hanging out with her feisty cat, Ruthie, who is, of course, named after Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
