Jordan A. Thomas Robert G. Wilson DiCello Levitt has acquired a boutique practice that represents U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission whistleblowers, bringing on a pair of former SEC attorneys whose clients have helped the government secure more than $2 billion in monetary sanctions, according to the firm.

In an announcement Wednesday, DiCello Levitt said Jordan A. Thomas, a former assistant director and assistant chief litigation counsel in the SEC's Division of Enforcement, and his colleague Robert G. Wilson, a former deputy assistant director and branch chief of the SEC's Division of Enforcement, are now of counsel with DiCello Levitt's whistleblower practice group.

Thomas and Wilson's boutique, SEC Whistleblower Advocates PLLC, will now operate under the DiCello Levitt umbrella, a firm spokesperson told Law360 on Wednesday. The boutique's website and brand will remain in place, and Thomas will continue to chair its team, the spokesperson said.

SEC Whistleblower Advocates, which Thomas and Wilson launched in 2022 with former colleagues at the firm now known as Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP, counts among its clients "the first officer of a public company to win a whistleblower award, the first successful SEC whistleblower to receive criminal immunity and the first whistleblower to receive an award because his company retaliated against him," DiCello Levitt said.

In a statement, Thomas said that "by joining forces with DiCello Levitt, together, we can level the playing field for our clients and ensure that they don't have personal or professional regrets."

Speaking by phone with Law360 on Wednesday, Thomas said that although in some ways his practice will remain the same, "what's different is that we now have a greater firm that can do all of the other whistleblower-related support services in-house."

He said it is increasingly important for firms to be a one-stop shop for whistleblowers. For instance, SEC whistleblower clients may also have traditional employment problems and sometimes need to engage in litigation more broadly, he said. Those are legal services DiCello Levitt can provide, he said.

That way, "we can continue to do the work that we've grown famous for," knowing other client needs can be met by the greater firm, Thomas said.

"It isn't always easy, glamorous or lucrative to be a corporate whistleblower, and the stakes are even higher today, because the government has made a number of changes that have made it more difficult to be successful as a whistleblower," he said.

DiCello Levitt "feels like it was kind of organically the right fit," Thomas said, in part because the head of its whistleblower practice, Chuck Dender, is Thomas' former protégé and someone he has worked with off and on for over a decade.

"In partnerships you want to respect and trust the players, but it's particularly nice when you've known someone for this long," Thomas said.

Thomas said he had a more personal reason for making the change, too.

"My father passed away when he was 63. I'm 55. I'm beginning to think about my legacy," he said. "What I don't want it to be is: I had one of the most successful SEC whistleblower boutiques, and 10 years from now, when I want to retire, it just dies. I want the practice to continue."

Speaking of DiCello Levitt, Thomas said, "The fact that they have a long view and are willing to invest significant resources in this practice for the long haul gives me comfort that the practice that I've built, and I'm so proud of, will thrive when I choose to retire."