R. Scott Oswald is an accomplished trial lawyer who has brought more than 40 trials to verdict and recovered more than $300 million in judgments and settlements.
He has fought for employees’ rights under federal and state statutes, representing clients in a wide range of discrimination, wrongful termination, and contract matters. He has significant experience with qui tam cases, including two settlements in which defendants agreed to pay nine-figure sums to the government.
Mr. Oswald has spoken up for workers before federal agencies and on Capitol Hill and broken new ground in whistleblower law:
• First jury verdict (more than $2.1 million) under new whistleblower protections introduced in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013
• First Sarbanes-Oxley Act liability verdict to withstand appeal
• First reported jury verdict under 2009 anti-retaliation provisions of False Claims Act
• First Dodd-Frank Act retaliation lawsuit to reach discovery in federal court
Mr. Oswald received his law degree from Howard University and later honed his skills at Trial Lawyers College, a nonprofit created by the legendary Gerry Spence.
In 2017, after 20 years of practicing law, Mr. Oswald was nominated by his colleagues to become a fellow of the prestigious College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Super Lawyers has recognized his achievements every year for almost a decade, and he has placed on its D.C. “Top 100” list multiple times. Mr. Oswald is also a ten-time honoree in The Best Lawyers in America. He has been recognized as a “Top Lawyer” in D.C. by Washingtonian Magazine and Northern Virginia magazine, and is ranked by Lawdragon as one of the top 500 plaintiff-side employment lawyers in the United States.
Mr. Oswald is the current programming chair for the Federal Bar Association’s Qui Tam Section and has served in the past as both section chair and chair of its Professional Ethics Committee.. He is also a proud past president of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association, and currently heads its Bench-Bar Committee. Mr. Oswald is co-chair of an employment law subcommittee at the American Bar Association and has roles in other professional groups, including the D.C. Bar and the National Employment Lawyers Association.