Program Details
2026-08-06 13:00:00
Over 1,000+ webinars
Course Overview
2026-08-06 13:00:00
2h CLE Credits
Intermediate
2
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ESTThis session equips relators’ counsel and whistleblower attorneys with the legal theories, evidentiary frameworks, and practical tools needed to build FCA qui tam cases arising from cybersecurity noncompliance by defense contractors and their private equity sponsors. Attorneys will learn how CMMC, DFARS 252.204-7012, and SPRS score submissions create both implied and express false certification liability, how the landmark Gallant Capital settlement establishes PE sponsor exposure, and how to identify, vet, and represent the ideal whistleblower profile in cyber-fraud cases. Attendees will leave with a concrete understanding of the 2025 settlement landscape, actionable scienter patterns, and the evidentiary checklist for pre-filing investigation.
Julie Keeton Bracker
David W.S. Lieberman 2:10 pm - 3:10 pm ESTThis session equips defense counsel with the doctrinal and practical tools to defend cybersecurity-related False Claims Act actions brought against defense contractors and their private equity sponsors. Attorneys will examine materiality and scienter defenses under the Escobar framework, successor liability exposure for PE-backed acquirers, cooperation credit strategy, and the recurring certification trap created by CMMC. Attendees leave with a working command of the 2025 settlement map, the untested state of DOJ’s litigation theory, and the specific defensive moves that have produced favorable resolutions.
Eric S. Crusius
Michael G. GrudenJulie Keeton Bracker is a founding partner of Bracker & Marcus LLC, a boutique law firm focusing exclusively on False Claims Act qui tam litigation. Based in Atlanta, with attorneys in Washington, D.C., Chattanooga, and Kansas City, Missouri, the firm handles FCA cases nationwide and was named the nation’s third most prolific qui tam practice by Lex Machina in 2019. Ms. Bracker has had the privilege of arguing before the Sixth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals and appearing before the Supreme Court of the United States on FCA matters. Representative cases range from an $84.5 million settlement with a Detroit-area hospital for kickback allegations, to a $1.5 million settlement and full repairs with a defense contractor whose defective products were creating a danger to the military.
David W.S. Lieberman is an experienced litigator of complex fraud claims who represents whistleblowers asserting fraud under the False Claims Act and other qui tam statutes at Whistleblower Law Collaborative in Boston. A former prosecutor, he has represented both whistleblowers and governments in major FCA matters, including United States ex rel. Hendrix v. J-M Manufacturing Co., a case against the world’s largest municipal water pipe maker in which he helped secure a favorable jury verdict after a multi-week trial.
Eric S. Crusius is a partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP whose regulatory practice spans the full range of government contract matters, including bid protests, claims and disputes, compliance, and government contract litigation. He counsels contractors on cybersecurity and privacy obligations in federal contracting, including FAR 52.204-21, DFARS requirements, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program, and FedRAMP, and guides companies through cybersecurity incident response and litigation, including potential ramifications under the False Claims Act.
Michael G. Gruden practices in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office as a member of the firm’s Government Contracts and Privacy and Cybersecurity groups. His practice sits at the intersection of government contracts and cybersecurity, covering supply chain security counseling, contract disputes with federal entities, suspension and debarment proceedings, mandatory disclosures, prime-subcontractor disputes, and False Claims Act investigations, alongside cybersecurity compliance reviews, risk assessments, data breaches, and incident response.
Julie Keeton Bracker is a founding partner of Bracker & Marcus LLC, a boutique law firm focusing exclusively on False Claims Act qui tam litigation. Based in Atlanta, with attorneys in Washington, D.C., Chattanooga, and Kansas City, Missouri, the firm handles FCA cases nationwide and was named the nation’s third most prolific qui tam practice by Lex Machina in 2019. Ms. Bracker has had the privilege of arguing before the Sixth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals and appearing before the Supreme Court of the United States on FCA matters. Representative cases range from an $84.5 million settlement with a Detroit-area hospital for kickback allegations, to a $1.5 million settlement and full repairs with a defense contractor whose defective products were creating a danger to the military.
David W.S. Lieberman is an experienced litigator of complex fraud claims who represents whistleblowers asserting fraud under the False Claims Act and other qui tam statutes at Whistleblower Law Collaborative in Boston. A former prosecutor, he has represented both whistleblowers and governments in major FCA matters, including United States ex rel. Hendrix v. J-M Manufacturing Co., a case against the world’s largest municipal water pipe maker in which he helped secure a favorable jury verdict after a multi-week trial.
Eric S. Crusius is a partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP whose regulatory practice spans the full range of government contract matters, including bid protests, claims and disputes, compliance, and government contract litigation. He counsels contractors on cybersecurity and privacy obligations in federal contracting, including FAR 52.204-21, DFARS requirements, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program, and FedRAMP, and guides companies through cybersecurity incident response and litigation, including potential ramifications under the False Claims Act.
Michael G. Gruden practices in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office as a member of the firm’s Government Contracts and Privacy and Cybersecurity groups. His practice sits at the intersection of government contracts and cybersecurity, covering supply chain security counseling, contract disputes with federal entities, suspension and debarment proceedings, mandatory disclosures, prime-subcontractor disputes, and False Claims Act investigations, alongside cybersecurity compliance reviews, risk assessments, data breaches, and incident response.
Requirements
The Alabama State Bar MCLE Commission requires attorneys to complete 12 credits, including 1 ethics, by December 31 of each year. All credits must be reported by February 15 of the following year. A maximum of 12 credits, including 1 ethics credit, may be carried over for 1 year only.
Formats
