Bass, Berry & Sims member Denise Barnes served as co-chair of the 2026 Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Conference, helping to shape the agenda and convene leading voices from across the False Claims Act (FCA) bar. In this role, she guided programming focused on DOJ enforcement priorities, emerging risk areas and practical strategies for navigating an evolving regulatory environment.
Widely regarded as the premier national conference for FCA practitioners, the program brought together more than 400 attendees, including government officials, relators’ counsel, and defense-side practitioners, for two days of substantive discussion and strategic insight.
As part of the program, Audrey Anderson, the firm’s Higher Education chair, spoke on the panel “‘Illegal DEI’ as an FCA Trigger?”, which explored the scope of False Claims Act enforcement under the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Fraud Initiative and recent executive actions addressing “illegal DEI.” The discussion focused on enforcement trends, litigation risk, and practical considerations for mitigating FCA exposure. The panel was moderated by Nick Peterson (Wiley Rein LLP) and featured speakers from the U.S. Department of Justice, Baron & Budd, and Valdez Legal Insights.
The conference, titled The FCA in an Era of Uncertainty, took place February 19–20, 2026, in Washington, D.C., with a virtual attendance option available.