Zachary Arbitman

Zac Arbitman has helped recover over $275 million in whistleblower, class action, and catastrophic personal injury cases.  He has been handling high-stakes matters for more than a decade and leverages his experience, in combination with an ability to innovate, to best represent his clients.  With this approach, Zac has achieved many significant results in trials, appeals, and alternative dispute resolution forums in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and other courts throughout the United States.

Zac joined Feldman Shepherd in 2021, after establishing a stellar reputation as a skilled and zealous advocate.  He began his career at a well-known Am Law 100 firm, where he gained valuable insights into strategies used by large corporations defending bet-the-company litigation.  This experience on the other side of the “v” has greatly benefitted Zac in his current practice representing plaintiffs in their most critical matters.

For his work, Zac has been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers every year since 2014 and a Lawyer on the Fast Track by the Legal Intelligencer in 2022. The First Judicial District of Pennsylvania also recognized Zac in 2013 and 2015 on its annual Pro Bono Roll of Honor.

Zac leads the whistleblower representation and class action practices at the firm.  He represents whistleblowers in claims regarding healthcare and government contracts fraud; securities and commodities fraud; tax fraud; auto safety; and money laundering, sanctions evasion, and corruption.  Zac’s class action work is equally diverse and centers on important consumer protection cases, with a particular focus on matters concerning dangerous products, false advertising, and unfair business practices.  His catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death practice is just as varied—with experience in medical malpractice, defective products, motor vehicle accidents, workplace injuries, unsafe premises, and civil rights cases. 

The common threads in each case that Zac handles is his dedication to clients, attention to detail, and focus on results.  Whether through trial, appeal, or settlement, he and his firm invest the resources to take on the toughest opponents in difficult and sometimes lengthy litigation.  Zac’s passion for leveling the playing field and obtaining compensation for the individuals and families he represents is what fuels his grit and determination.

Outside the office, Zac remains active in his community.  He is an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Public Interest Law Center and is Chair of its Nominations Committee.  He is also involved in the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund, a nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to combating fraud against the Government, and is a member of its Conference and Member Education Committee.  Previously, Zac served on the Executive Committee of Justice Rising Advocates for Community Legal Services of Philadelphia.

Zac earned his B.A. magna cum laude from Haverford College, where he was inducted into The Phi Beta Kappa Society. He earned his J.D. from George Washington University Law School, where he selected to serve as a Research Assistant for now-Provost Christopher A. Bracey for a book on race, racism, and the law.  Zac remains active in the alumni networks of GW Law, Haverford College, and the Episcopal Academy, where he attended high school.

Born and raised in Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs, Zac lives in the area with his wife and two daughters. In his free time, he enjoys relaxing with his family, playing basketball and golf, and reading. 

Education

George Washington University Law School, J.D., 2012

Haverford College, B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 2009

Admissions

Pennsylvania, 2012

New Jersey, 2012

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2013

U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, 2015

U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 2013

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2013

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2015

U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 2022

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 2023

Affiliations

Law360
Editorial Board Member, Personal Injury & Medical Malpractice, 2021 – 2022

Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund (TAFEF)
COVID-19 Task Force Member, Financial Fraud Subcommittee, 2020 – Present

Episcopal Academy Lawyers Network
Co-Founder, 2017 – Present

Public Interest Law Center
Host Committee Member, Annual Celebration; Board Member, 2018/2020 – Present

Community Legal Services of Philadelphia
Executive Committee Member, Justice Rising Advocates, 2018 – 2020

Logan Square Neighborhood Association
Board Member, 2015 – 2018

GW Law Alumni Association
Board Member, 2014 – 2017

Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia
Executive Committee Member, Young Friends of CSFP, 2013 – 2016

Awards

Super Lawyers Rising Star
Thomson Reuters, 2014 – Present

Lawyer on the Fast Track
The Legal Intelligencer, 2022

Pro Bono Roll of Honor for the First Judicial District of Philadelphia
2013, 2015

Publications

Does My Client Have a Whistleblower Rewards Claim?, Legal Intelligencer, March 2, 2022

Pa. High Court Did Not Close Door to Obtaining Credentialing Info in ‘Leadbitter,’ Legal Intelligencer, October 21, 2021

Blowing the Whistle (Part 4): A Primer on the IRS Whistleblower Program, Legal Intelligencer, February 3, 2021

Agencies’ Joint Antitrust Focus May Spur Whistleblower Tips, Law360, December 9, 2020

Outside Whistleblowers Are Critical To Exposing Fraud, Law360, October 14, 2020

CFPB Whistleblower Program Could Plug Enforcement Gaps, Law360, April 2, 2020

Potential Civil Claims That May Arise From ‘Chaos at Chain Pharmacies,’ Legal Intelligencer, March 17, 2020

Blowing the Whistle (Part 3): A Primer on the CFTC’s Whistleblower Program, Legal Intelligencer, January 8, 2020

Blowing the Whistle (Part 2): A Primer on the SEC’s Whistleblower Program, The Temple 10-Q, September 27, 2019, Read Publication

Taking Care to Preserve Claims Against Joint Tortfeasors in Med Mal Cases, Legal Intelligencer, September 16, 2019

Blowing the Whistle (Part 2): A Primer on the SEC’s Whistleblower Program, Legal Intelligencer, July 30, 2019

Blowing the Whistle: A Primer on the False Claims Act, The Temple 10-Q, June 28, 2019, Read Publication

Blowing the Whistle: A Primer on the False Claims Act (Part 1), Legal Intelligencer, May 1, 2019

How Does a Compliance Officer Blow the Whistle – And What Happens Then?, Corporate Compliance Insights, April 10, 2019, Read Publication

Can Compliance Officers Be Whistleblowers?, Corporate Compliance Insights, March 14, 2019, Read Publication

Criminal Forfeitures Are ‘Alternate Remedies’ Under The FCA, Law360, February 28, 2019

Whistleblowers May Spur More Gov’t Contract Antitrust Cases, Law360, Dec. 12, 2018

Using Statistical Sampling, Extrapolation to Prove Liability in FCA Cases, Legal Intelligencer, August 28, 2018

Speaking Engagements

Panels

Touhy Subpoena Practice for FCA Litigators, Moderator, Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Section Zoom Roundtable, May 10, 2023

Antitrust and Fraud Enforcement, Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund Annual Conference, October 26, 2022

The False Claims Act: Views from Whistleblower, Government, and Defense Counsel, Moderator, Philadelphia Bar Association Bench-Bar & Annual Conference, September 17, 2022

SEC Whistleblower Program Nuts & Bolts, Moderator, 2021 Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund Annual Conference, October 13, 2021

Whistleblowing Under the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, Moderator, Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Section Zoom Roundtable, September 27, 2021

The FCA and Antitrust Enforcement, Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Section Zoom Roundtable, April 28, 2021

COVID-19 Financial Relief Funds – Addressing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse, Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund Webinar, February 9, 2021

Emerging Practice Areas, 2019 Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund Annual Conference, October 2, 2019

Mentoring the Young Professional: Evidentiary Issues in Employment Litigation, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, October 27, 2018

Presentations

Fraud: Exposing and Preventing Schemes to Bilk the Government and its Citizens, The Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania, November 29, 2022

Blowing the Whistle: A Primer on the False Claims Act and SEC, CFTC, and IRS Whistleblower Programs, Celesq® AttorneysEd Center, October 27, 2021

Anti-Corruption and Compliance, The George Washington University Law School, September 2020