While other whistleblower statutes are also fee-shifting, the IRS and SEC whistleblower statutes are not. They also don’t require the same expertise as the False Claims Act because complaints filed under those statutes, unlike the FCA, cannot be litigated in court if the government declines to intervene. Only the government can litigate and settle these types of complaints.
Legal representation is still important, however, as whistleblowers need someone to package their reports with the correct legal standards and analysis, and perhaps most importantly, to fight on their behalf to recover a share if the case does settle.
However, since these types of whistleblower complaints can never be litigated and end up in trial, lawyers should receive either a contingency fee or an hourly fee (or, like explained above, a hybrid that reduces the former in favor of the latter).