March 19, 2007
Atlanta, GA
New Health-care Practice and Litigation Team
Arrives at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP
March 19, 2007 (Atlanta, GA) - The Atlanta office of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP announces the significant expansion of its health-care practice and litigation team with the arrival of partners Jim Rawls, Charlene McGinty, Joann Jones, Kathy Butler Polvino, Summer Martin, and Charlotte Combre, and associate Derek Bauer, formerly of Powell Goldstein LLP.
“We are proud to welcome one of Atlanta’s premier health-care practices, and one of the Southeast’s best known First Amendment litigation teams, to our firm,” said McKenna Long & Aldridge Chairman Jeff Haidet. “This is a first-rate legal team that represents some of Atlanta’s major hospitals, including Northside Hospital and DeKalb Medical Center, and has represented broadcasters and publishers, including Gannett, Clear Channel, and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters, for years. Their presence helps us broaden our services provided to health-care industry clients like the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, the Marcus Institute, Sepracor, and Northside.”
Rawls, the group's leader, a senior health-care, class action and First Amendment litigator and former Chairman of the Litigation Section of the Atlanta Bar, said “My team and I are excited by the opportunity to extend our services to clients within other practice areas at McKenna Long & Aldridge, most notably their government affairs and public-health groups, both of which maintain a solid global presence.”
This team’s expertise complements McKenna Long & Aldridge’s health-care industry related services that are provided to some of the world’s largest managed care, biotech, medical equipment and pharmaceutical companies. In addition, this team builds on the services offered by McKenna Long & Aldridge’s litigation group, which is the firm’s largest practice with more than 160 attorneys and is known throughout the U.S. for taking on complex cases and delivering results. The litigation team tries cases in state and federal courts and represents a range of clients in health-care matters.
Rawls's team includes - Charlene McGinty, who along with Summer Martin concentrates her practice in health-care transactions and regulations, including mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures; Jones who practices in real estate and finance, will add depth to the strong Real Estate Finance and Development Group of McKenna Long & Aldridge; Kathy Butler Polvino and Charlotte Combre, health-care litigation and regulatory lawyers, bring special experience in certificate-of-need controversies; and Derek Bauer, who specializes in health-care, media, First Amendment and civil rights litigation.
Biographical Notes (in alphabetical order):
Derek Bauer focuses his practice on litigation. He specializes in health-care, media, First Amendment and civil rights litigation. Derek is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association.
Charlotte A. Combre focuses on health-care law, including regulatory and litigation matters. She provides advisement and representation before state administrative agencies on certificates of need and Medicaid claims reimbursement, ad regularly advises health-care organizations on tax-exempt compliance matters, licensure, certification, and accreditation of health-care facilities. Her experience includes review of records-retention policies and schedules, and corporate restructuring and governance.
Joann G. Jones focuses on commercial lending and commercial real estate finance and development, serving domestic and international clients in assemblage, development, and financing of office parks, health-care and medical campuses, golf courses, regional retail malls, and shopping centers. Her practice includes acquisition and sales of real estate, loan workouts, bankruptcy matters, real estate investment trusts, commercial leasing, and commercial lending secured by real estate.
Summer H. Martin focuses on health-care law, including regulatory and litigation matters, including representation of public and private health-care facilities, providers, suppliers, and manufacturers, as well as managed-care organizations. She advises clients on structuring business ventures, acquisitions and dispositions of health-care facilities and businesses, professional services agreements, reimbursement matters, and privacy and confidentiality matters. Her clients include health-care facilities, which she counsels on matters relating to their medical research programs and Institution Review Boards.
Charlene L. McGinty focuses on health-care law, while representing providers, health-care facilities, and related entities on matters in federal and state regulation, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and private-payor reimbursement; mergers and acquisitions; joint ventures; health-care facility operations; health-service delivery; professional services contracts; managed-care arrangements; structuring business ventures; and tax-exemption issues.
Kathlynn Butler Polvino focuses on health-care law and litigation. She brings extensive experience in representing hospitals, managed-care entities, and other health-care entities in complex litigation, including purported class actions and multi-district litigation. Her other focus areas include ERISA and litigation related to employee health benefit plans, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and compliance, developing compliance plans, medical staff and allied health professional matters, professional service contracts, acquisitions and dispositions of health-care facilities, certificates of need, licensure and accreditation, and regulatory/legislative policy matters.
James C. Rawls focuses on health-care and media law and commercial litigation. His clients include major hospitals, such as Northside, television and radio stations, the Georgia Association of broadcasters and the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Committee. He lectures on communications law, health care law, the First Amendment, judicial election speech, commercial litigation, and trial practice and procedures. Jim is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers.