Baker Donelson Expands Health Law Practice, Establishes North Carolina Presence

Baker Donelson Expands Health Law Practice, Establishes North Carolina Presence

Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz has announced the expansion of its geographic reach to North Carolina with the addition of six health care attorneys. Leading health law attorneys Kenneth L. Burgess and Matthew W. Wolfe will join the firm as shareholders and also lead the firm’s office in Research Triangle.

Along with Burgess and Wolfe, Matt Fisher and Iain Stauffer will join the firm as of counsel, and Mysty Blagg and E. Bahati Mutisya will join the firm as associates. Burgess, Fisher, Stauffer, and Blagg, join the firm from Poyner Spruill LLP, a leading North Carolina law firm. Wolfe and Mutisya join from Parker Poe Adams and Bernstein LLP, a leading regional law firm with eight offices in the United States and more than 230 attorneys.

Wolfe’s practice focuses on counseling clients on issues concerning health law and policy. He assists clients in resolving disputes with state and federal government entities and helps them in administrative, state, and federal litigation. He deals with a wide range of issues concerning health law including False Claims Act actions, Medicare and Medicaid program integrity actions, denials, terminations, prepayment reviews, post-payment reviews, procurement matters, and payment suspensions. Presently, he also serves as the vice-chair of Behavioral Health Practice Group of the American Health Lawyers Association.

Burgess brings with him more than 35 years of health law experience and counsels health care clients on a broad range of regulatory, compliance, litigation, and operations issues. He also assists clients with Certificate of Need, appeals of quality-of-care issues, Medicare/ Medicaid enrolment and licensure issues, and transactional matters. He helps providers with legal issues arising in hospitals, assisted living communities, home health, hospice, skilled nursing facilities, and other related health care places. He has been recognized as a leading health law practitioner by leading law publications.

Fisher focuses his practice on HIPAA compliance, information security matters, privacy, Certificate of Need, and licensure and certification issues. He assists clients in litigation pertaining to these issues and routinely appears before the Office of Administrative Hearings, state courts, and federal courts. He also helps clients in civil litigation matters, defends them in business, construction, commercial, and medical malpractice claims, and also counsels clients on facility and practice acquisitions.

Stauffer represents health care providers in complex civil matters concerning health care reimbursement, Medicare and Medicaid compliance and enrolment, enforcement actions, licensing, and responses to government investigations. He also assists individual practitioners with representation in licensing board matters. He has also worked in the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office for over a decade.

Commenting on his latest role, Wolfe said, “Joining a firm of Baker Donelson’s reputation will be a substantial benefit to my clients. This move gives them access to a deep bench of talented attorneys who are nationally recognized leaders in health care law and offer significant experience in litigation, regulatory, and transactional issues. I’m excited to be offering my clients an expanded platform with broader services and increased resources and to be building Baker Donelson’s presence in North Carolina.”

Speaking about his new role, Burgess said, “Joining Baker Donelson alongside Matt and the broader team is truly exciting. I was drawn to the Firm’s offerings specifically in health care and across numerous other practice areas. Baker Donelson brings the benefits of a law firm that can be a full-service partner for all my clients’ legal needs. Providing that level of service to my clients is important to me, and Baker Donelson fully shares that commitment to exceptional service.”

Richard G. Cowart, Chair of Baker Donelson’s Health Law/Government Relations & Public Policy Department, noted, “Given the strategic importance of the Research Triangle in the health care industry, having a presence in North Carolina is a tremendous asset to our health law practice. Matt and Ken have stellar reputations, and they and their team bring a tremendous amount of experience in a wide range of regulatory issues that health care providers face. We’re exceptionally proud to welcome a group of this caliber to our national health practice.”

Timothy M. Lupinacci, Chair and CEO of Baker Donelson, said, “Matt, Ken, and their team are an outstanding group of attorneys who meld well with our existing health care practice, which is among the leading practices in the country and one of our Firm’s designated Centers of Excellence. Serving Baker Donelson clients with North Carolina operations and following the trajectory of key industries is critically important. These additions further strengthen our presence in North Carolina along with the many lawyers we have admitted to practice in the state. We have every expectation that we will continue to build on that.”