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Health Care Fraud
Original Program Date :
- Speakers, session times and credit hours are subject to change.
Ethics | 
Professionalism | 
Trial Practice
- Presiding:
- Brian F. McEvoy, Program Co-Chair; Partner, Baker Hostetler, Atlanta, GA
- Joe D. Whitley, Program Co-Chair; Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, Atlanta, GA and Washington, D.C.
- 8:20
- Introduction
- Julia D. Neighbors, ICLE Director, State Bar of Georgia, Atlanta, GA
- 8:25
- WELCOME AND PROGRAM OVERVIEW
- Brian F. McEvoy
- Joe D. Whitley
- 8:30
- FALSE CLAIMS ACT DEVELOPMENTS
Moderator:
Michael E. Clark, Senior Counsel, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, Houston, TX
Panelists:
Lynn M. Adam, Adam Law, Atlanta, GA
Julie K. Bracker, Partner, Bracker & Marcus LLC, Atlanta, GA
Tom Clarkson, Partner, Griffin Durham Tanner Clarkson, Atlanta, GA
Jonathan Diesenhaus, Partner, Hogan Lovells, Washington, DC - 9:30
- Speaker Transition
- 9:40
- STARK & ANTI-KICKBACK STATUTE 2024–2025
Moderator:
Emily C. Ward, Partner, Continuum Legal Group LLP, Atlanta, GA
Panelists:
Ricky C. Benjamin, Partner, Burr & Forman, LLP, Atlanta, GA
Elliott Leigh Coward, Partner, Morris Manning & Martin, LLP, Atlanta, GA
Robert “Rob” M. Keenan III, Partner, King & Spalding LLP, Atlanta, GA
Brian F. McEvoy - 10:40
- Break
- 10:50
COMPLIANCE PLANS IN AN AGE OF VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE AND WHISTLEBLOWERS
Moderator:
Amy E. Fouts, Partner, Baker Hostetler, Atlanta, GA
Panelists:
Susan C. Atkinson, Partner, Smith Gambrell Russell, Atlanta, GA
Robert M. Brennan, Parker Hudson, Atlanta, GA
Stacey G. Evans, Partner, Stacey Evans Law, Atlanta, GA
Michael A. Sullivan, Partner, Finch McCraine LLP, Atlanta, GA - 11:50
- Lunch
- 12:30
- MEDICAID AND MEDICARE FRAUD 2024–2025
Moderator:
Gabriel L. Imperato, Partner, Nelson Mullins, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Panelists:
Randy Chartash, Partner, Chartash Law, Atlanta, GA
Aaron M. Danzig, Partner, Arnall Golden Gregory, Atlanta, GA
Lawanda N. Hodges, Partner, The Law Firm of Lawanda Hodges, LLC, Atlanta, GA
James “Jim” Mooney, Deputy Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud Division (MFCU), Atlanta, GA - 1:30
- Speaker Transition
- 1:40
- U.S. ATTORNEYS PANEL – LAW ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVES IN HEALTHCARE FRAUD 2024–2025
Moderator: - Brian F. McEvoy
Panelists:
Ryan K. Buchanan, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta, GA
Peter D. Leary, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia, Macon, GA - 2:40
- Speaker Transition
- 2:50
- ISSUES FROM THE TOP DOWN – A GENERAL COUNSEL ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
Moderator:
Joe D. Whitley
Panelists:
Timothy Jefferson, Chief Legal Officer, Grady Health System, Atlanta, GA
Elizabeth Leddy, Chief Legal Officer, Piedmont Healthcare, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Mina Rhee, Associate General Counsel, Emory University, Atlanta, GA - 3:50
- Adjourn
Description vOD1, Brochure v0
Mr. Brian Fenton McEvoy, BakerHostetler LLP
A former federal prosecutor, Brian McEvoy focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, with an emphasis on healthcare fraud matters. He also handles government and internal corporate investigations, including extensive experience with False Claims Act defense, civil and criminal healthcare fraud, securities fraud, government contracting, Foreign Corrupt Practice Act matters, telehealth compliance and CARES Act and COVID-19 Response investigations.
As Assistant U.S. Attorney, Brian represented the D.O.J. in criminal matters involving healthcare fraud and other economic crimes. He was named healthcare fraud coordinator for the district, overseeing all healthcare fraud investigations and prosecutions. His accumulated healthcare knowledge is of great interest and value to providers and healthcare systems.
Brian is an accomplished litigator who works tirelessly to achieve the best outcomes for his clients. He is a creative and strategic thinker who seeks to resolve problems in the most efficient and professional manner. Brian is well positioned to represent physicians, physician practice groups and other healthcare providers in almost any type of proceeding.
Hon. Joe D. Whitley, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Joe Whitley represents clients nationally and internationally in a variety of white collar matters including corporate internal investigations, regulatory enforcement, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and export controls compliance, corporate compliance, health care fraud and FDA-related matters, securities fraud, criminal antitrust, financial institution fraud, public corruption and campaign finance, and commercial bribery.
In addition to his years of private practice experience, Joe has served in several high-level roles with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). During the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, he served as Acting Associate Attorney General, the third-ranking position at Main Justice. He was also appointed by Presidents Reagan and Bush, respectively, to serve as the U.S. Attorney in the Middle (Macon) and Northern (Atlanta) Districts of Georgia. Throughout his career, Joe served under five U.S. Attorneys General and four Presidents in a number of key operational and policy positions. Earlier in his career, he served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit in Columbus, Georgia. Joe maintains strong professional relationships with the state and federal law enforcement community.
In 2003, Joe was appointed by President George W. Bush as the first General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the highest ranking legal official at DHS. He held that position for two years working for DHS Secretaries Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff, before returning to private practice.
Joe's white collar practice focuses on corporate defense and representation of clients in complex civil and criminal enforcement matters brought by the DOJ, other federal agencies, state Attorneys General and local prosecutors. He has represented numerous individuals and corporations in major government investigations throughout the US and internationally.
Joe’s practice also includes representation of clients before the Antitrust Division of the DOJ together with State Attorneys General and the Federal Trade Commission. He has represented clients in criminal antitrust cases including price fixing and market allocation matters, and he has participated in compliance training programs for clients including sessions devoted to dealing with worldwide dawn raids.
He is a frequent speaker on white collar, compliance, corporate governance and DHS-related issues.
Homeland Security Experience
- General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and responsible for providing legal advice to more than 180,000 employees of the Department.
- Responsible for directing and coordinating the creation of a single legal department from the legal departments of the 22 agencies that were combined in the formation of DHS.
- Responsible for supervision of a total of 1,800+ lawyers in agencies, directories, and offices, including attorneys in the following components of DHS (as configured in 2006):
- U.S. Secret Service (USSS);
- U.S. Coast Guard (USCG);
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA);
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS);
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP);
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA);
- Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC);
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE);
- Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection (IAIP); and
- The Offices for Privacy, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
- Responsible for a budget in excess of $10 million in the front office of General Counsel.
- Provided legal assistance to Secretary Tom Ridge and Secretary Michael Chertoff on key legal issues, such as:
- Worked closely with General Counsel counterparts throughout the federal government at the White House, Departments of Justice; State, Treasury, Defense and other agencies to include the coordination of counterterrorism and federal law enforcement initiatives;
- Responsible for responding to frequent Congressional inquiries, and the timely proposal and adoption of hundreds of regulations;
- Provided guidance and input to staff attorneys representing the department in litigation on a variety of matters; and
- Worked closely with the Office of the Inspector General in conducting reviews of various department programs and responding to issues raised by those reviews.
Private Sector Homeland Security Experience
- Assisted in Homeland Security consultation and internal investigations for major U.S. defense contracting company.
- Assist companies with government procurement and contracting issues with DHS.
- Provides counsel to major corporations on public policy and legislative issues, such as:
- Cyber-security and critical infrastructure protection;
- Customs and trade compliance;
- Immigration compliance;
- Laws and regulations affecting all segments of the transportation industry;
- SAFETY Act applications for certification and designation by DHS;
- Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) implementation;
- Vulnerability assessments for members of the energy sector to include the broad spectrum of environmental regulations.
- Disaster recovery and forward-looking mitigation strategies;
Prosecution Experience
- U.S. Attorney for the Northern (Atlanta) District of Georgia
- Acting Associate Attorney General
- Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General
- Deputy Assistant Attorney General Criminal Division
- U.S. Attorney for the Middle (Macon) District of Georgia
- Assistant District Attorney Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit
Michael E. Clark, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Michael Clark is an accomplished litigator with years of experience in the federal government and subsequently in private practice. Before private practice, Michael had a distinguished government career, beginning as an Assistant District Attorney in Galveston County, Texas. He then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, where he was selected to be a chief of its Financial Fraud Division and then was elevated to be the chief of its Criminal Division.
Michael has served as lead counsel in over 100 jury trials and handled dozens of appeals. Among other matters, he represents clients in complex litigation, including civil False Claims Act cases and investigations, advises clients on regulatory compliance and corporate governance matters, handles arbitration matters, and represents clients in internal investigations and trials.
Ms. Lynn Michele Adam, Adam Law LLC
Lynn M. Adam founded Adam Law LLC to advise healthcare providers and other organizations on compliance matters, fraud and abuse regulations, internal investigations, subpoena response, privileged audits, and overpayment inquiries. Adam Law is also proud to represent whistleblowers, including many healthcare professionals, in qui tam actions under the False Claims Act. Ms. Adam also serves as an expert witness and speaks and writes on topics involving False Claims Act litigation and healthcare compliance.
Ms. Adam is a past Chair of the Health Law Section for the State Bar of Georgia and a past Co-Chair of the Military Legal Assistance Program for the State Bar of Georgia, where she advocated for veterans court legislation that was signed into Georgia law in 2014. Before forming her firm, Ms. Adam gained significant experience in healthcare litigation with preeminent law firms in Atlanta and served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia. She graduated with high honors from the George Washington University Law School where she served as Managing Editor of The George Washington Law Review. Ms. Adam is a veteran of the United States Navy.
Ms. Julie K. Bracker, Bracker & Marcus LLC
JULIE KEETON BRACKER is a founding partner of Bracker & Marcus LLC, a boutique law firm focusing exclusively on False Claims Act qui tam litigation. Based in Atlanta, with attorneys in Washington, D.C. and Kansas City, Missouri, the firm handles FCA cases nationwide, and was named the nation’s third most prolific qui tam practice by Lex Machina in 2019. Ms. Bracker has had the privilege of arguing before the Sixth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals and appearing before the Supreme Court of the United States on FCA matters. Representative cases range from an $84.5 million settlement with a Detroit-area hospital for kickback allegations, to a $1.5 million settlement and full repairs with a defense contractor whose defective products were creating a danger to the military. Ms. Bracker currently serves on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee for Taxpayers Against Fraud and is a member of the FBA’s Qui Tam Section, the National Employment Lawyer’s Association and its Georgia affiliate, where she served on the Board from 2013-2015 and as its president in 2014. She speaks regularly and nationally on FCA issues. Ms. Bracker is a proud “double ‘Dore,” graduating with a bachelors degree magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University in 1993 and again summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2002, where she was elected to Order of the Coif, served on the moot court board, and as executive editor for the Journal of Transnational Law. Ms. Bracker currently sits on the Board of Advisors for Vanderbilt Law School.
Mr. John Thomas Clarkson, Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson LLC
Tom Clarkson is a former federal prosecutor who represents businesses and individuals in government investigations, False Claims Act (“FCA”) litigation, complex civil litigation, and white collar criminal defense. He has been recognized by Chambers USA as a “one to watch” in White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations. Tom leads the firm’s health care fraud and False Claims Act practices.
Since leaving government service, Tom has defended and advised c-suite executives, business owners, marketers, laboratory owners, durable medical equipment company owners, and physicians in Department of Justice investigations involving health care fraud, tax fraud, Small Business Association (“SBA”) fraud, securities fraud, wire/mail fraud, immigration fraud and money laundering.
Before founding Griffin Durham Tanner and Clarkson, Tom led a nationally recognized Department of Justice unit responsible for prosecuting complex civil and criminal fraud out of the Southern District of Georgia. In addition to his supervisory responsibilities, he led some of the office’s most complex and significant criminal cases in the office. During his tenure with the Department of Justice, he tried cases involving public corruption, health care fraud, pill mills, wire/mail fraud, and violent crime — all resulting in guilty verdicts. Tom led investigations resulting in numerous plea agreements involving over $1.5 billion dollars, including prosecutions of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, marketers, and executives. In FY 2019, he led his unit to become the third most productive criminal health care fraud unit in the entire Department of Justice. Tom also prosecuted some of the first COVID-19 fraud cases in the district, including cases involving the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
Tom also maintains a broad civil practice. During his government service, he led and supervised False Claims Act investigations that have resulted in numerous seven- and eight-figure settlements. Tom supervised and led civil Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) investigations that resulted in record-setting settlements and judgments. Tom’s civil CSA experience includes litigating cases from complaint, through the penalty hearing phase, and ultimately to judgment. He has significant experience with the False Claims Act (including qui tam whistleblower actions), Stark Law, and Anti-Kickback Statute.
In private practice, Tom has served as lead counsel defending FCA investigations involving health care fraud, as well as COVID-19 related investigations. He also has experience in Securities & Exchange Commission (“SEC”) parallel criminal and civil investigations and criminal tax investigations involving the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and the Tax Division. Tom has also served as lead counsel for businesses, owners, and individuals pursuing contract- and tort-based claims involving millions of dollars in business litigation matters both in Georgia, as well as in other states.
Tom has served as defense counsel in numerous high-dollar matters, including tort suits seeking hundreds of millions of dollars. In 2015, he defended a civil rights case resulting in a complete jury verdict for his clients in less than 30 minutes. Since leaving the DOJ, Tom has defended businesses and executives in civil also represented businesses, owners, directors, and officers in business litigation — defending claims involving breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duties, civil conspiracy, conversion, and other tort theories.
For his efforts at DOJ, Tom has been recognized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Health and Human Services, Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of the Army, and Legal Services Corporation.
After graduating from law school with highest honors, Tom clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and worked for a firm in Charlotte.
Jonathan Diesenhaus, Hogan Lovells
Jonathan Diesenhaus advises and advocates for companies and professionals in the life sciences, healthcare, and other regulated industries surrounding civil, criminal, as well as administrative enforcement matters.
Jonathan helps clients respond quickly and efficiently to government investigations, evaluating allegations, reviewing evidence, assessing risk, and identifying strategies to achieve the most appropriate results.
As a leading False Claims Act (FCA) litigator, he defends qui tam cases brought by whistleblowers and the government in federal courts across the United States. Amid threats of prosecution and fines for retaining over payments, even when there was no fraud, Jonathan guides his clients through internal investigations, repayment, and, when necessary, voluntary disclosures to agencies and law enforcement. His clients include pharmaceutical and medical device companies, hospitals, physician groups,
research universities, and academic medical centers.
Jonathan has been prosecuting and defending health care and government program fraud cases for over 25 years. From 1998 to 2005, he handled civil health care fraud, FCA, and qui tam cases as a senior trial counsel in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). He represented the government in matters that established the FCA as a vehicle to pursue violations of the Anti Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, and the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Jonathan has received a number of awards for his work from the DOJ, the U.S Food and Drug Administration, and the Office of Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Jonathan also works with industry and academic trade associations to educate policymakers on the complications of prosecuting health care fraud under both state and federal qui tam statutes, on the detrimental impact of qui tam and federal FCA investigations, and the effect that litigation has on businesses and individuals.
Ms. Emily Cook Ward, Continuum Legal Group LLP
Emily C. Ward is a Partner in Smith Gambrell & Russell's Atlanta office who’s practice concentrates on white-collar defense, government investigations, and civil litigation including environmental, business, and healthcare litigation, as well as administrative and regulatory matters.
Ms. Ward regularly represents defendants in environmental, cybersecurity, public corruption, and tax fraud investigations, with recent successes resulting in no indictments being filed or substantially reduced penalties being negotiated. She obtained a defense verdict in a multi-day arbitration for healthcare practice that had been charged with violating various contractual provisions regarding medical billing, physician recruitment, and restrictive covenants. Ms. Ward also received a defense verdict for parents who had been placed on the child abuse registry after seeking medical treatment for their accidentally injured child. Ms. Ward often defends medical professionals before state medical, dental, nursing, and health insurance boards to prevent disciplinary actions from being imposed. She also has represented many students accused of academic, behavioral, and other infractions and helped them resolve the situation with the administrative and academic conduct boards.
Ms. Ward is active in multiple bar associations including the American Bar Association, State Bar of Georgia, and Atlanta Bar Association. She currently serves as Secretary and is on the Executive Committee of the Atlanta Bar Association. Ms. Ward also recently served as Chair of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Criminal Law Section in 2021 and Women in the Profession Section in 2019.
Ms. Ward has been recognized in Chambers USA as an Up and Coming attorney in Litigation White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, in multiple categories by Best Lawyers as One to Watch, and Georgia Super Lawyers as a Rising Star, among others. She also was recognized as the University of Georgia’s Young Alumnae of Excellence in 2022 and was the inaugural recipient of the Catherine M. O’Neil Mentoring Award given by the Women’s White Collar Defense Association in recognition of her as an outstanding junior member of the WWCDA.
Ms. Ward received her undergraduate degree from the University of Miami and her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law.
Mr. Ricky Cohnrus Benjamin, Burr & Forman
Ricky Benjamin advises companies on U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory, compliance, and enforcement issues, as well as clinical trials and FDA-regulated product development programs. He also counsels clients on the safety, labeling, and reporting requirements for consumer products under the laws enforced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), unfair and deceptive trade practices involving the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and related state enforcement agencies. Ricky's clients include pharmaceutical, medical device, biologic, cosmetics and personal care products manufacturers, and clinical laboratories.
Ricky provides comprehensive guidance on navigating the complex web of federal and state laws and regulations, including the federal anti-kickback statute, physician self-referral laws (Stark), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and data privacy and cybersecurity regulations. He represents companies with international and domestic presence before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He assists clients with the development, manufacture, marketing (premarket approval applications, 510(k) clearances), and regulatory compliance, including labeling and recalls of medical devices, drugs, and cosmetics. Ricky also represents manufacturers in supply chain matters related to these regulated products, including supply agreements and software licensing agreements (SaaS, SiMD, SaMD, and loT). Ricky represents clients in all phases of the product life cycle, including formulation and marketing authorizations, post-market compliance, certification, and manufacturing best practices. He also advises on regulatory issues at the intersection of health services innovation, digital health, and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Ricky's transactional practice encompasses specialized due diligence of life sciences transactions, including deal structuring, representations and warranties, and compliance with regulatory requirements associated with mergers and acquisitions and in-licensing agreements. He possesses a deep understanding of the intricacies involved in supply chain transactions, capital equipment agreements, and cloud-based agreements, particularly within the life sciences industry.
Ricky's diverse background includes roles as general counsel for dental and surgical practices, in-house regional head of litigation for a global insurance company, lead national trial counsel for opioid litigation, and professor of health care law and ethics at Tulane University. In addition to his law degree, Ricky has a bachelor's degree in computer science and worked as a software programmer before attending law school.
Education
- JD, University of Iowa, College of Law
- BS, Computer Science, Southern University A&M
Ms. Elliott Leigh Coward, Morris Manning & Martin LLP
Elliott Coward is a Partner in the firm’s healthcare practice, where she provides legal advice and assistance to healthcare providers regarding corporate transactions, regulatory and legislative issues with a focus on proactive compliance, and administrative litigation. Ms. Coward’s clients include hospital systems, physician practice groups, and other healthcare providers. Ms. Coward assists clients in a range of matters including regulatory and compliance advice; internal and external compliance and investigative audits; Stark and Anti-Kickback statute compliance; fraud and abuse government investigations; EMTALA compliance and investigations; healthcare transactions; and regulatory litigation matters such as Certificate of Need.
Mr. Robert M. Keenan, III, King & Spalding LLP
Rob Keenan is a partner with the Healthcare Practice Group of King & Spalding in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and of the University of Georgia School of Law. Rob advises health industry clients on a wide variety of regulatory, contracting and transactional matters, with considerable focus on HIPAA and health information privacy and cybersecurity issues, as well as Stark law compliance, troubleshooting and voluntary disclosures. He is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and is a past president of the Georgia Academy of Healthcare Attorneys.
Ms. Amy Elizabeth Fouts, BakerHostetler LLP
Amy Fouts focuses her practice on healthcare compliance and regulatory matters, primarily counseling public and private hospitals and healthcare systems, physician groups, hospice and home health agencies and individual practitioners. She assists healthcare providers with federal and state fraud and abuse issues, including government and commercial payor audits, government investigations and compliance program development and review.
Amy works extensively with clients on Medicare and Medicaid coverage, reimbursement and coding issues. She has significant experience with overpayment by Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payors and with related recoupment appeals. She routinely advises and defends clients under review by Medicare's Recovery Audit Contractors and the Medicaid Integrity Contractor Program.
Amy routinely counsels providers regarding privacy and data security, HIPAA compliance and breach response. She has published a number of articles relating to billing, reimbursement, fraud and abuse. She has also presented at several educational programs and professional conferences on these topics, as well as on how these relate to Medicare and Medicaid.
Amy is the team leader for the firm's Regulatory and Government Compliance practice.
Ms. Susan Cowan Atkinson, Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP
Susan Atkinson is a Partner in the Health Care Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
Ms. Atkinson’s practice is dedicated to advising health care industry clients on a wide range of corporate, regulatory, and compliance matters. As former Corporate Counsel for Saint Joseph’s Health System (now Emory/St. Joseph’s), Ms. Atkinson advised the CEO, other senior managers, the Chief of the Medical Staff, and the Boards of one of the nation’s top acute care hospitals and its affiliated real estate and management entities, employed physician group, charitable foundation, and indigent care program. Among her other duties, Ms. Atkinson guided the creation and implementation of the Health System’s initial compliance program (including serving as counsel to the Compliance Committee) and initial HIPAA policies and procedures, served as a member of and counsel to the Institutional Review Board, and advised on Saint Joseph’s gainsharing program, the first in the country to receive Advisory Opinion approval from the OIG (AO 01-1).
Throughout her career, Ms. Atkinson has advised hospitals, health systems, long term care facilities, sleep centers, ambulatory surgery centers, pharmacies, DME suppliers, FQHCs, health care management companies, and physician practices of every size on corporate governance; peer review matters; physician recruitment; mid-level provider protocols; policy creation and implementation; joint ventures; informed consent; “do not resuscitate” orders and other end-of-life issues; operational compliance with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services; EMTALA; managed care; 340(b) and compounding pharmacy matters; and interactions with investigators, research institutions, industry sponsors, and the NIH/National Cancer Institute for the conduct of pre- and post-market drug, and medical device clinical trials. She is the former Chief Compliance Officer for a group of approximately 40 cardiologists, and she was the primary drafter of the Medical Association of Georgia’s Model Medical Staff Bylaws.
Ms. Atkinson is a member of the State Bar of Georgia (Health Law), the Georgia Academy of Healthcare Attorneys, the American Bar Association (Health Law), and the American Health Lawyers Association. She has been actively involved since 2005 in leadership roles with the Atlanta Bar Association’s “A Courthouse Line” productions (a series of all-attorney musicals which are the major fundraiser for the Atlanta Bar Foundation’s charitable programs), and she is a Lifetime Fellow of the Atlanta Bar Foundation. Ms. Atkinson has also been active in the Atlanta arts community, serving on the Board of Directors of Atlanta Lyric Theatre for 9 years (5 as Chair); on the current Board of Directors for OnStage Atlanta; as assistant director and committed parent volunteer for music and theatre programs at The Children’s School, Decatur High School, and Atlanta International School; as a church musician; and as a working performer in local and regional choral, musical theatre, and cabaret performances.
Mr. Robert Michael Brennan, Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP
Bob Brennan is who you wa omes calling. A former federal prosecutor, Bob's work is info compliance. He is known for his pragmatic, client-centric approach to the defense of civil and criminal investigations including False Claims Act matters, compliance counseling regarding potential exposure under the False Claims Act statute, the Anti-kickback statute, and the Stark law and complex civil litigation.
Much of Bob's practice is devoted to representing healthcare providers and other highly-regulated businesses, as well as those who work in such businesses. He has successfully represented businesses and corporate executives in enforcement matters, white collar crime cases, and a variety of attendant civil litigation matters. Bob also regularly counsels clients on regulatory compliance, represents clients in False Claims Act investigations and grand jury proceedings, and conducts internal investigations on behalf of clients concerned about potential regulatory or criminal exposure.
Bob brings the same determination, drive, and focus that he developed as an Assistant U.S. Attorney to zealously represent his client's interests - and keep them on the right side of the law. It's little wonder, then, that his clients regard Bob as an invaluable resource in helping them navigate today's increasingly-complex regulatory climate.
Ms. Stacey Godfrey Evans, Stacey Evans Law
Stacey Godfrey Evans practices complex business litigation, including extensive experience with False Claims Act and defamation claims.
She represented whistleblowers in a Medicare fraud case against a major dialysis clinic chain that settled for $495 million ($324 million of which was returned to the U.S. Treasury). This was the largest non-intervened whistleblower Medicare fraud case in history.
Stacey spent eight years as a securities and complex litigation attorney at Powell Goldstein, LLP, which is today known as Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP. There, she represented community bank boards of directors and other executives in litigation and internal investigations. She combines her unmatched work ethic with the savvy of a big firm defense attorney and the heart and practical touch of a plaintiff's attorney.
Stacey is currently a State Representative and proudly represents House District 57, which includes portions of Atlanta. She was elected to serve this district in 2020. This is Stacey's second stint in the Georgia General Assembly. Stacey previously served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2010-2017, representing the Smyrna and Marietta areas of Cobb County. She currently serves on the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Retirement committees.
She is a "Double Dawg" having earned her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia. Stacey is very active in the community, having served on numerous community boards. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for G-CAPP (Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential) and the UGA School of Law Board of Visitors and is a Master in the Lumpkin Inn of Court.
Stacey has also earned several honors for leadership and community service. For example, Stacey has been named to Georgia Trend's "40 Under 40" list and the Fulton County Daily Report's list of "40 Under 40 Rising Stars in the Legal Community:• She was also recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in its article, "Up and Comers/Under 40 and Rising: 50 of Atlanta's Most Promising Young Stars;" she was the youngest person in this group of distinguished Georgians. Additionally, Stacey was named to the Class of 2008 of Outstanding Atlanta. She has been named to UGA's "40 under 40" and is a graduate of LEAD Atlanta, the State Bar Young Lawyers Division Leadership Academy and the Atlanta Women's Foundation Destiny Fund. Stacey has been named to Atlanta Magazine's Super Lawyers Rising Stars list over multiple years.
Mr. Michael Charles Sullivan, Truist Bank
Gabriel Imperato, Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Gabriel's personal practice includes representing individuals and organizations accused of healthcare fraud and assisting and advising healthcare organizations on corporate governance and compliance matters. Gabriel is board certified as a specialist in Health Law by the Florida Bar. He is also certified in Health Care Compliance (CHC) by the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics and the Health Care Compliance Association (SCCE/HCCA). This national accreditation reflects a professional level of competence and experience in compliance processes sufficient to assist healthcare business organizations to understand and address legal obligations and to promote organizational governance and integrity through the operation of effective compliance programs. Gabriel served as Interim General Counsel of the North Broward Hospital District, the tenth largest health system in the United States. He was also the Deputy Chief Counsel for the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the General Counsel in Dallas. He has served as a longtime member of the Board of Directors and Past President of the SCCE/HCCA.
Mr. Randy Scott Chartash, Chartash Law LLC
Before starting his own law firm, Randy served as Chief of the White Collar Section and Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, where he personally investigated and prosecuted numerous complex white collar criminal cases involving corporate fraud, embezzlement, public corruption, insider trading, tax evasion computer hacking the theft of intellectual property and trade secrets, foreign corrupt practices act, bank fraud and health care fraud.
Mr. Chartash has extensive experience defending individuals and companies against allegations relating to every significant area of white collar crime. These include fraud, antitrust and securities improprieties, international trade and breaches of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, government contracts, health care and environmental crimes, and internal and regulatory investigations. Mr. Chartash brings an understanding of the prosecution and enforcement function gained through service in senior positions in the Department of Justice in the United States Attorney's office. His experience includes the successful prosecution and defense of dozens of criminal jury trials.
Mr. Chartash has represented healthcare providers faced with fraud and abuse enforcement actions by the government and litigation stemming from those enforcement efforts. Mr. Chartash has unparalleled experience handling complex healthcare fraud matters He brings the knowledge of having worked inside the government providing great insight into how HHS-OG US Department of Justice and the various State Attornevs General offices think about fraud and abuse in healthcare and the strategies they use to pursue these cases.
Mr. Chartash helps clients strategically respond to fast-moving crises including data breaches and trade secret thefts. As a federal prosecutor and a Chief at the U.S. Attorney's Office, he worked with the FBI and Secret Service to investigate g1obal cyber threats, state-sponsored cyber intrusions and cases involving over 100 data breaches.
Randy Chartash represents individuals and organizations when they become entangled in investigations of official misconduct. Sometimes these clients are themselves officials who are accused of acting improperly. At other times, Mr. Chartash has represented third partied who stand accused of improperly influencing government officials and witnesses who seek the advice of counsel during the course of a criminal investigation. Whatever the context, Mr. Chartash carries a deep knowledge of the legal and practical steps necessary to mount a successful defense to the investigation or to help our clients avoid entanglement in such criminal investigations or prosecutions. Mr. Chartash brings not only his experience and legal acumen, but also a sensitivity to the collateral issues that may arise in such investigations.
Mr. Aaron Mitchell Danzig, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Aaron is a partner and chair of the Government Investigations practice and member of the Hospitals & Health Systems industry team at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP. He represents individuals and companies in white-collar criminal defense and business and intellectual property litigation. He also represents healthcare providers and government contractors in False Claims Act cases. Previously, Aaron was an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. As a federal prosecutor, he investigated and prosecuted both domestic and international white-collar criminal fraud cases. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Aaron was a public-school teacher in Louisiana, where he also coached a state-championship high school wrestling team. He is a graduate of Harvard University and Georgetown University Law Center.
Ms. Lawanda Nowlin Hodges, The Law Firm of Lawanda Hodges LLC
Lawanda Nowlin Hodges, Esq. is the managing partner of The Law Firm of Lawanda Hodges, LLC, a white collar and high-stakes criminal defense firm. She practices in both federal and state courts and is one of the few attorneys in Georgia who has Top Secret Security (SCI) Clearance with the United States Department of Justice.
As a former prosecutor, Lawanda has over a decade of experience prosecuting major felonies, ranging from public corruption to homicide. As a Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit, Lawanda prosecuted some of the most heinous crimes, earning her numerous awards including, but not limited to, Attorney of the Year and The Lewis Slaton Award (awarded to the highest achieving prosecutor in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit).
As lead counsel in over 50 felony jury trials, Lawanda is a seasoned trial attorney. She has handled sophisticated criminal matters that required jury pools of over 200 jurors and jury questionnaires due to their complexities. She has successfully prosecuted and assisted in the investigation of over 500 felony matters, interviewing and assessing hundreds of witnesses. Lawanda understands all stages of a criminal investigation, as she has directly orchestrated legal search warrants and presented dozens of matters before the grand jury, including those involving public officials. Such vast experience caused Lawanda to be selected on the Criminal Justice Act Panel, a group of attorneys deemed eligible for appointment by the Court to represent indigent individuals in federal criminal cases.
As a former Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney of public integrity and white collar units, Lawanda also directly supervised and managed large-scale white collar and public corruption investigations that took several months (and in some cases, years) to investigate. In this role, she managed parallel and multi-agency investigations, involving agencies such as the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
Lawanda is active in the legal community. She is a member of many bar associations, including the Women's White Collar Criminal Defense Association, the National Bar Association (NBA), the Federal Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. Lawanda has been recognized as one of NBA's Top 40 Under 40, The Network Journal's Top 40 Under 40, and America's Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys.
In her time away from the law, she enjoys coaching Spelman College's Mock Trial Team and spending quality time with her husband and three sons.
Mr. James Philip Mooney, Georgia Department of Law
Jim serves as the Deputy Attorney General of the Medicaid Fraud Division. In this capacity, Jim oversees the Division’s criminal and civil enforcement efforts related to fraud committed upon the Georgia Medicaid program. The Division also investigates and prosecutes incidents of abuse, neglect, and exploitation committed against some of Georgia’s most vulnerable citizens.
He joined the Office of the Attorney General in 2013. Since that time, Jim has prosecuted criminal healthcare fraud matters at both the state and federal level, including multiple jury trials.
He has served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in all three of Georgia’s federal districts. Jim also has extensive experience investigating and litigating civil matters brought under the Georgia False Medicaid Claims Act. Jim's been a part of state initiatives including the opioid response taskforce and the elder justice roundtable. He's served as a trainer for multiple events sponsored by the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units.
Jim earned his bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Notre Dame in 2005 and a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2009.
Ms. Summer Harris Martin, Holland & Knight LLP
Summer Martin is a healthcare attorney in Holland & Knight's Atlanta office. Ms. Martin has a deep understanding of the healthcare sector and collaborates with clients on strategic matters, helping them achieve their goals amid a complex regulatory environment.
Ms. Martin assists clients in the structuring of business ventures, including complex mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and other affiliations and integration transactions, as well as with numerous operational and contractual matters. She brings to her transactional representations in-depth experience in healthcare regulatory and compliance matters, including assisting clients in responding to internal and governmental investigations and False Claim Act (FCA) actions, advising on fraud and abuse (including Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute), corporate compliance and integrity programs, and Medicare and Medicaid overpayments matters, as well as counseling clients on complex
reimbursement matters. She also advises clients on issues relating to human subject clinical research programs and studies.
Ms. Martin's clients include not-for-profit and for-profit healthcare systems and providers, including hospitals, physicians and physician organizations, as well as suppliers, manufacturers and managed care organizations (MCOs).
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Martin led the healthcare mergers and acquisitions team for a global law firm in
its Atlanta office.
Mr. Ryan Karim Buchanan, US Attorneys Office
Ryan K. Buchanan is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. Mr. Buchanan was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on November 15, 2021, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 27, 2022.
As the chief federal law enforcement official in the Northern District of Georgia, U.S. Attorney Buchanan oversees the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought in the district on behalf of the United States. He leads an office of approximately 250 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel in its mission to enforce federal criminal law, advocate for the victims of crimes, and represent the United States' interests in federal court-including in matters involving domestic and international terrorism, organized crime, gang violence, public corruption, cybercrime, narcotics trafficking, civil rights violations, whistleblower actions, and financial and healthcare fraud. The district serves over seven million people.
Mr. Buchanan serves on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee (AGAC), a select group of United States Attorneys who advise the Attorney General on matters of policy, procedure, and management. Specifically, Mr. Buchanan serves as Vice-Chair of the AGAC's Terrorism and National Security Subcommittee and leads the Foreign Influence and Nation-State Threats Working Group. Mr. Buchanan also serves on the AGAC's Office, Management, and Budget Subcommittee.
Mr. Buchanan joined the Department of Justice in 2010. From 2010 to 2013, Mr. Buchanan served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Alabama. Since 2013, he has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia, where he has also served as the National Security and Anti-Terrorism Council Coordinator and as Deputy Chief of the Violent Crime and National Security Section.
As a federal prosecutor, Buchanan has prosecuted cases involving the support of foreign terrorist organizations and attempts by would-be domestic terrorists to acquire weapons of mass destruction. He has also prosecuted and supervised cases involving violent crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking; crimes involving the exploitation of children via child pornography production and distribution; and organized crime cases involving national gangs.
Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Mr. Buchanan was in private practice at McGuireWoods LLP. He also served as a law clerk to Judge Inge P. Johnson of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Mr. Buchanan received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2005 and his B.S. from Samford University in 2001.
Mr. Peter Decklin Leary, Troutman Pepper Locke
Peter D. Leary was sworn in on December 12, 2022, as the 17th presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. President Joe Biden nominated Mr. Leary on November 14, 2022, and the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination on December 6, 2022. Prior to receiving the presidential nomination, Mr. Leary served as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia in acting and then interim capacities - appointed by order of Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and then by Chief District Judge Marc T. Treadwell - since December 2020.
Mr. Leary serves on two Attorney General Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC) subcommittees: Violent Crime and Cyber and Intellectual Property. Mr. Leary has served the citizens of the Middle District of Georgia as a prosecutor since 2012. Since joining the United States Attorney's Office (USAO), he has worked as the office's Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) coordinator, Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) prosecutor, National Security Cyber Specialist (NSCS), and as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney.
In 2021, along with other members of the U.S. Attorney's Office, he received an Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) Director's Award for Superior Performance in Prevention and Reentry Activities for work on a campaign aimed at educating youth about gun
possession: www.armedwithknowledge.com. In 2019, he received the Anti-Defamation League's SHIELD award with FBI and Department of Justice partners, and he shared the 2018 International Association of Chiefs of Police/Thomson Reuters Award for Excellence in Criminal Investigation with the FBI and GBI.
As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Leary is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Middle District of Georgia, which covers 70 of Georgia's 159 counties, includes Albany, Athens, Columbus, Macon and Valdosta, and has a population of approximately 2,045,000 people. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, fraud, firearms, illegal gangs and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.
Raised in Watkinsville, Georgia, and a graduate of Athens Academy in Athens, Georgia, Mr. Leary received his B.A. and J.D. from University of Virginia, where he was a Jefferson Scholar. After law school, Mr. Leary clerked for U.S. District Judge Hugh Lawson of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. Following his clerkship, Mr. Leary joined the Federal Programs Branch of the DOJ through its Honors Program, where he worked extensively with the Intelligence Community.
Mr. Timothy Jefferson, The Fulton DeKalb Hospital
Timothy Jefferson joined Grady in 1998 as the health system’s general counsel. In addition to his general counsel role, Timothy has served Grady as chief operating officer from 2001 to 2003 and interim president and CEO in 2007.
Jefferson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Juris Doctorate from Columbia University Law School. He is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta and a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the National Association of Health Services Executives, and the American Health Lawyers Association.
Ms. Elizabeth McFall Leddy, Piedmont Healthcare Inc
Elizabeth Leddy joined Piedmont Healthcare as Chief Legal Officer in 2017. She leads the system’s legal, compliance and risk management departments. Leddy is a member of Piedmont’s senior leadership team, which provides strategic direction and guidance to the organization. She also serves as a senior advisor to the Piedmont Healthcare Board of Directors for all governance related matters.
Elizabeth’s career includes more than 25 years specializing in healthcare law. She has served as both in-house and outside legal counsel for healthcare entities. Before joining Piedmont, she was Associate General Counsel for Providence St. Joseph Health in Seattle, a nonprofit health system comprised of more than 50 hospitals in five states.
Elizabeth earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
Ms. Mina Rhee, Emory University
Mina Rhee is an associate general counsel focusing on health care matters. Before joining the Office of the General Counsel, Mina served the federal government for 11 years as an assistant US attorney in the Northern District of Georgia and as a trial attorney for the Department of Justice's Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Fraud Section, where she handled primarily civil False Claims Act cases in the areas of health care and procurement. She worked for the Republic of Palau, an island nation in the Micronesia region that is under a Compact of Free Association with the United States, as attorney general and assistant attorney general from 2000 to 2003, prior to moving to Atlanta. Mina was a law clerk to the Honorable David Alan Ezra, United States District Court Judge, in Honolulu, Hawaii, after she graduated from Rutgers-Newark School of Law and admitted into the Order of the Coif in 1995. She also holds an MBA in international business and a BS in marketing from Rutgers University. Mina is a member of the State Bars of Georgia and New Jersey.
