CLE Hours: 12 including 12 General, 1 Ethics, 1 Professionalism, 2 Trial Practice
Ethics |
Professionalism |
Trial Practice



| PDF Brochure | View | ||
| 2026 Agenda - Georgia Health Care Fraud Institute - Jekyll Island (NEW) (662.1 KB) | Download | ||
| PDF eBook | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.11.2026_11.00_Diesenhaus Atkinson Clarkson_FCA Developments Panel (10.9 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.11.2026_12.15_Boggs_Legal Spotlight_ A Conversation with Chief Justice Michael J. Boggs (ret (189 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.11.2026_12.15_Boggs_Notable Opinions_2 (112 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.11.2026_12.15_Boggs_Video Links - State of the Judiciary - Judicial Council of GA General Session3_ (13.4 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.11.2026_1.30_Handberg Fleming Hutton Reichert_Insiders Perspective_KSH_021026 Revised (4.4 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.11.2026_2.30_Brennan Vann_HCF Medicaid Enforcement Presentation FNL_7 (598 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.11.2026_3.45_Baker Gianatasio_Managed Care Fraud Enforcement_1 (945.9 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.11.2026_3.45_Baker Colleen_A Conversation - Managed Care Fraud and Enforcement_2 (406.3 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.12.2026_9.00_Whitley_Article - DOJ Press Release_1 (227.7 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.12.2026_9.00_Whitley_DE 105 - Cameron-Ehlen-Group-Complaint-in-Intervention_2 (605.6 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.12.2026_9.00_Whitley_DE 982 - Final Jury Instructions_3 (153.2 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.12.2026_10.00_Imperato Braley Ringholz_Compliance Programs_1 (3 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.12.2026_10.00_Imperato Braley Ringholz_Sample CIA - Fresno_Community_Hospital_and_Medical_Center_05072025_3 (307.8 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.12.2026_10.00_Imperato Braley Ringholz_Medicare Advangate ICPG_4 (1.5 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.12.2026_11.30_Caccia_Defending a Health Care Fraud Case (25.9 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 02.12.2026_1.30_Bueno_DOJ Shatters Records with $6.8 Billion in False Claims Act Recoveries - HunterMaclean (975.9 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
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.
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.
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
Private Sector Homeland Security Experience
Prosecution Experience
Kirk Ogrosky is a partner in Goodwin's Complex Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Life Sciences, and Healthcare practices where he co-leads the firm’s Healthcare Government Enforcement & False Claims Act Defense group. Kirk is recognized as one of the nation's leading white-collar defense attorneys having first-chaired 25 federal jury trials since 2000 in districts across the country. Kirk focuses his practice on defending clients accused of healthcare fraud, qui tam litigation involving the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS); False Claims Act (FCA) defense, as well as Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters involving healthcare sectors. His clients include pharmaceutical and device manufacturers; clinical laboratories; pharmacies; hospitals and integrated health networks; diagnostic testing facilities; skilled nursing facilities; physicians, senior executives; and directors; as well as private equity firms, operating companies and investors in governmental investigations.
Theodore S. Hertzberg is the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. As the district’s chief federal law enforcement officer, Mr. Hertzberg leads an office of approximately 185 prosecutors, civil litigators, and non-attorney personnel in its mission to enforce federal criminal laws, advocate for crime victims, and represent the interests of the United States in federal court.
Mr. Hertzberg began his decade-long tenure as a federal prosecutor in the Savannah headquarters of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. In Savannah, Mr. Hertzberg prosecuted violent criminals, drug dealers, fraudsters, and money launderers while also serving as chief of the asset forfeiture section. Upon relocating to Atlanta in 2018, Mr. Hertzberg transferred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, where he prosecuted gang leaders, child sex predators, gun traffickers, armed felons, and other dangerous offenders until his appointment as U.S. Attorney.
Before joining the Department of Justice, Mr. Hertzberg practiced law in the New York office of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, and he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Kristi K. DuBose of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.
U.S. Attorney Hertzberg is a graduate of Amherst College and New York University School of Law.
William R. “Will” Keyes was sworn-in as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia on June 24, 2025, by Chief U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner.
As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Keyes is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Middle District of Georgia, which covers 70 of Georgia’s 159 counties and includes Albany, Athens, Columbus, Macon and Valdosta with 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.
U.S. Attorney Keyes joined the Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Georgia in 2018. He has prosecuted a broad range of federal criminal cases, including drug trafficking organizations, violent crime, civil rights violations, child exploitation and offenses related to terrorism. He has held numerous leadership roles in the office, including the Project Safe Neighborhood Coordinator, Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council, National Security Cyber Specialist and District Election Officer. Prior to becoming U.S. Attorney, he served as the Deputy Criminal Chief.
Before joining the office, U.S. Attorney Keyes was on active duty in the U.S. Army. He served with the Office of Military Commissions in Washington, D.C., prosecuting alleged members of Al-Qaeda in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Before that assignment, he deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, where he served as a legal advisor to soldiers operating throughout Kuwait and Iraq. He began his career at a law firm in Atlanta.
In addition to his duties with the office, U.S. Attorney Keyes serves in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Judge Advocate. In this capacity, he has provided instruction on humanitarian law to forces from partner nations in East Africa and Central America. His military awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and he is a graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne School.
U.S. Attorney Keyes holds four degrees from the University of Georgia, which include his law degree, a master’s degree in economics and undergraduate degrees in economics and statistics. He remains very involved with the University of Georgia and currently serves on the alumni board for the business school. U.S. Attorney Keyes was selected to Leadership Georgia’s Class of 2026. He resides in Macon with his wife, Margaret Sullivan Keyes, and their two sons.
Mr. Teplitzky represents large health care companies and delivery networks that rely on his experience and deep knowledge of the health care industry to identify and resolve fraud and abuse issues, and to represent them in federal and state investigations.
He advises medical professional and trade associations, negotiates with state and federal authorities, and provides counsel with respect to a broad range of regulatory and legislative issues facing health care clients.
Mr. Teplitzky's practice primarily focuses on fraud and abuse issues. He has extensive experience in the development and implementation of corporate compliance programs; internal reviews and investigations; due diligence reviews for acquiring and acquired entities; voluntary disclosures; and federal and state governmental investigations arising from False Claims Act whistleblower actions. He is recognized as one of the country's top attorneys on issues related to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Self-Referral Law.
His clients include hospitals (including for-profit, not-for-profit, chains and independent hospitals, as well as major academic medical centers), nursing homes, home health agencies, institutional and retail pharmacies, medical device manufacturers, and individual and large physician practices.
Noted by both clients and colleagues for his exceptional, consistent service, Mr. Teplitzky has been selected for BTI Consulting Group's Client Service All-Stars for Law Firms seven times. In 2013, he was named a "Client Service All-Star MVP."
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Teplitzky served as an attorney for the Office of the General Counsel of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, where he provided legal advice to the Health Care Financing Administration on fraud and abuse, reimbursement and other regulatory issues under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Mr. Teplitzky had primary responsibility for developing policies and regulations to implement the Medicare and Medicaid Anti-Fraud and Abuse Amendments of 1977. Instrumental in working with members of Congress to create the OIG advisory opinion process, he is often credited with being the "father" of that process. As a representative of the American Health Law Association, Mr. Teplitzky worked with the OIG and other national organizations to develop guidelines for members of boards of directors with respect to health care compliance.
Mr. Teplitzky is a prominent member of numerous professional and civic associations. He has served on the board of directors of several Baltimore-area organizations, and served ten years on the Baltimore County Schools Board of Education. He is a former adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, where he taught a seminar on fraud and abuse for more than ten years.
Sara Vann is the Assistant Director of the Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division of the Georgia Attorney General’s Office. In that role, she oversees healthcare fraud investigations, prosecutions, and civil litigation. She also serves as the qui tam co-chair of the National Association of Medical Fraud Control Units Qui Tam Subcommittee, participating in global qui tam investigation and settlement teams. Prior to joining the Division in 2015, Sara represented whistleblowers for ten years.
Jillian is an established litigator with extensive experience in the courtroom and overseeing trial teams. She has carved out a particular area of interest in the healthcare industry, advising and counseling through internal and government investigations, complex litigation and compliance issues. She defends clients in business disputes, False Claims Act actions, Product Liability litigation and White Collar matters.
She spent nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), both as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Most recently, she served as Assistant Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit.
During her tenure with the DOJ, she tried more than 30 cases, including 16 jury trials and 17 bench trials. Her experience includes first-chairing and overseeing trials involving charges of health care fraud, violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, and the unlawful distribution of opioids. In addition, she has briefed multiple appellate issues, and argued twice before the DC Court of Appeals. She is well versed in handling cases at every stage, from investigation to indictment, to trial and post-trial litigation.
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.
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.
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.
Roger B. Handberg is a shareholder at GrayRobinson. Prior to joining GrayRobinson, Handberg served as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida from 2021 to 2025. In that role, Handberg was the chief federal law enforcement officer for the second largest district in the country by population.
Handberg served for more than 20 years as a federal prosecutor. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2002, and he served in various senior positions within the office, including as Criminal Chief (North), Chief of the Orlando Division, and Senior Litigation Counsel. During his career with the office, Handberg specialized in the investigation and prosecution of public corruption and white-collar crime cases. As part of his practice, he successfully prosecuted more than $500 million in fraud cases.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Handberg served as a Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Economic Crimes Division for the Office of the Florida Attorney (Tallahassee) and as a litigation associate at King & Spalding (Atlanta). Handberg is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Harvard Law School.
Mills Fleming co-chairs HunterMaclean’s health care practice group. Mills is a past president of the Georgia Academy of Healthcare Attorneys and a member of the American Health Lawyers Association as well as the Health Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia.
His practice concentrates on the general representation of health care systems, specialized regulatory support to health care entities, and specialized projects involving compliance planning, physician contracting, qui tam/FCA investigations, health care industry restructuring, physician contracting, tax-exempt entities and intermediate sanctions, reimbursement, fraud and abuse, managed care, and health care policy. He also assists clients with compliance self-assessments and remedial actions, hospital board governance, Stark Law compliance assessments, and the development of multi-provider joint ventures.
In addition to his work in health care law, Mills assists clients with bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters. In one of the largest hospital/health system bankruptcies in Georgia, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court appointed Mills to serve as the Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 Trustee’s special counsel for health care matters. He has also been a speaker on issues for health system bankruptcies and restructurings at the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Annual Southeast Bankruptcy Conference.
Mills is included in the most recent editions of The Best Lawyers in America. He writes and speaks frequently on health care law issues and is co-editor of the Georgia Hospital Association’s Hospital Law Manual, 5th edition (2005 and 2011). He also wrote an article on the final HIPAA privacy rules for the American Bar Association’s American Law Institute and has presented at several of the Georgia Academy of Healthcare Attorneys’ annual meetings.
Mills’ practice also focuses on immigration and nationality law; he began practicing in this area in 1990. His practice includes extensive visa work handling both temporary and permanent visa cases, J-1 waivers, and hospital-physician visa issues as well as advice regarding compliance with the I-9, discrimination, and document abuse provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Mills is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the ABA-affiliated association for attorneys practicing immigration law. He is a frequent lecturer and presenter on immigration topics, and he advises employers regarding best practices in employment-related topics.
Mills graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. in 1986 and a J.D. in 1989. He began his legal career at HunterMaclean, served for three years as general counsel with a large hospital system, and returned to HunterMaclean in 1995. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Northern Districts of Georgia as well as the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia.
Kathryn Hutton, is Managing Lead Counsel at McKesson Corporation, where she advises on regulatory compliance, commercial transactions, and risk management across the health systems business. With over two decades of legal experience, Kathryn has counseled senior leadership at UPS Healthcare, Change Healthcare, and OptumRx, on matters involving the False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Statute, HIPAA, 340B, and data privacy. Her background spans healthcare litigation, product development, and corporate governance, including leading compliance audits and managing complex contract portfolios. Kathryn earned her J.D. from William & Mary and her B.A. from Yale University. She is a member of the Georgia Bar and Immediate Past President of the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Leo Reichert joined WellStar Health System in January 2011 and serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel. In that role, Mr. Reichert provides advice and counsel to the Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team and is responsible for managing the legal function for the System and its affiliates, including oversight of the risk management and insurance functions.
Mr. Reichert currently serves as Chairman of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals having previously served as Vice Chairman and Secretary. Mr. Reichert has served on the Executive Committee of the Alliance since 2014.
Prior to joining WellStar, Leo was a partner on the Healthcare Team at Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs in Atlanta, Georgia, where he represented hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers in a broad range of litigation and regulatory matters, including commercial litigation, medical staff privilege disputes and certificate of need litigation. His experience also included representing health care providers in civil and criminal health care fraud investigations, qui tam (whistleblower) cases, internal investigations, voluntary disclosures, and in the development and implementation of compliance programs. In addition, Leo served as a registered lobbyist for the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, representing the interests of Georgia’s nonprofit community hospitals before the Georgia legislature.
Mr. Reichert was named a Georgia Super Lawyer for Healthcare Law and has been listed in Chambers USA, Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
Prior to joining Parker Hudson, Leo served in the Department of Justice as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division in the Northern District of Georgia.
Leo is a graduate of Georgetown University and Emory University School of Law.
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.
Edward Baker is a partner in Lieff Cabraser’s New York office, where he represents a broad range of whistleblowers and has extensive experience with healthcare fraud under the federal False Claims Act and equivalent state acts.
Prior to joining Lieff Cabraser, Mr. Baker was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of California, where he was the Civil Healthcare Fraud Coordinator, as well as the Elder Justice Coordinator, within the Affirmative Civil Enforcement practice group.
As an AUSA, Mr. Baker investigated numerous FCA cases, including allegations against physicians for medically unnecessary procedures, pharmacies for kickbacks to nursing homes, defense contractors and federal grant recipients for fraudulent billing, and hospitals for up-coding. He was the lead attorney for the United States in an FCA settlement against a group of Fresno cardiologists for performing medically unnecessary nuclear scans, and in a qui tam settlement against Omnicare, Inc., a national long-term care pharmacy, for improperly submitting claims for prescription drugs dispensed to patients in skilled nursing facilities. He worked closely with criminal prosecutors to enhance the district’s parallel proceedings practice and coordinated regular meetings of the EDCA Healthcare Fraud Task Force.
In September 2023, Ed published an auditing tip in the e-newsletter of the National Alliance of Medical Auditing Specialists (NAMAS) on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in U.S., et al, ex rel. Schutte, et al. v. SuperValu, Inc., et al. In December 2023, he published an additional auditing tip for NAMAS on Cigna’s 2023 $172 million False Claims Act settlement with the DOJ.
Prior to serving as an AUSA, Mr. Baker was an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Vermont, where he was the Director of the Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit. In that capacity, he was responsible for all aspects of the management and operation of Vermont’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, charged with investigating and prosecuting, both civilly and criminally, fraud and patient abuse/neglect within Vermont’s Medicaid program. He was a member of the litigation table team for thirty-six states in a qui tam lawsuit against Wyeth and Pfizer for Medicaid pharmaceutical “best price” violations that ultimately resulted in a $785 million settlement. He also laid the groundwork for the enactment of the Vermont False Claims Act and held leadership positions within the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units.
Prior to his eight years of government service, Mr. Baker was in private practice, first, as a litigator in the Government Enforcement Defense practice group of a large Boston law firm, then at a national plaintiff’s firm where he litigated antitrust and securities class actions.
Mr. Baker has a J.D. cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During law school, he was a Managing Editor of the Wisconsin Law Review, and the founder of a student organization devoted to exploring the intersection of legal theory and practice. He was elected Class Orator at graduation, and was recognized for his outstanding service to the law school, and for scholarship, character, and contribution to the greater community. In addition to his law degree, Mr. Baker has an M.A. in Religion from Yale University, and an M.A. in Philosophy from Tufts University. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Philosophy modified with Biology.
Mr. Baker is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont; as well as in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of California, Eastern District of Wisconsin, District of Massachusetts, and the District of Vermont.
Joe has significant experience handling complex litigation. He has tried over two dozen matters to a jury verdict and argued over three dozen cases before appellate courts. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
As a former federal prosecutor, Joe’s background ensures an insider’s understanding of the government’s perspective and investigative strategies. Prior to joining Fredrikson, Joe also served as the Deputy General Counsel for UnitedHealth Group where he managed significant internal investigations and responded to government inquiries for the enterprise.
Joe has represented individual and organizational clients facing a wide array of challenges, including complex business litigation and federal and state investigations and criminal prosecutions. He also regularly assists organizations as they investigate and address allegations of internal misconduct.
Bahram is an experienced civil litigator and trial attorney who has handled every stage of litigation from pre-suit investigations through trial.
Before joining Robins Kaplan, Bahram was the Deputy Civil Chief of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, where he investigated and litigated matters involving government healthcare and procurement fraud under the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute. Bahram also resolved multiple investigations into the mishandling of controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act.
At the United States Attorney’s Office, Bahram coordinated the Civil Division’s civil rights practice, where he investigated unconstitutional policing, disability discrimination, housing discrimination, sexual harassment, and the unlawful infringement of religious assembly by local governments. Bahram negotiated court-enforceable consent decrees to remedy unlawful discriminatory conduct and secure financial recoveries for aggrieved persons. Bahram’s efforts earned him a United States Assistant Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award in 2023 and 2024, and recognition by Minnesota Lawyer as an “Attorney of the Year” in 2015 and 2021.
Bahram also defended the United States of America in civil matters while at the United States Attorney’s Office. These included challenges to agency action brought under the United States Constitution, the Administrative Procedures Act, the Federal Tort Claims Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the Social Security Act.
Bahram earned his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and his B.A. from Cornell University. He previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Michael J. Davis in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.
Patrick Braley leads the Atlanta-based accounting and consulting firm, Bennett Thrasher’s, Advisory Services group and is a partner and service line leader for the firm’s Disputes, Valuation & Forensics practice. He is a CPA, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and is Certified in Healthcare Compliance. Patrick assists clients with corporate investigations, compliance program effectiveness reviews, litigation support, and a wide range of anti-fraud consulting services.
Over the past 15 years, he has overseen and conducted numerous Independent Review Organization (IRO) compliance reviews and has served as a Compliance Expert for healthcare and life sciences organizations operating under Corporate Integrity Agreements. Patrick also currently serves as a lead member of an independent monitor team as part of a Multi-District Litigation settlement involving opioid diversion control.
As a nurse-attorney, Judy Ringholz has a depth of knowledge and experience that enables her to analyze compliance issues from every perspective. Judy began her career as a perinatal nurse manager. During the second phase of her career, Judy worked as a nurse-paralegal in law firm settings to assist with defending hospitals and individual providers in malpractice litigation, then returned to the hospital setting to work in risk management. Since 2004, Judy has dedicated her career to healthcare compliance. She has served as a compliance officer at the local, regional and corporate levels in four major health systems and has served as a compliance enforcement attorney for the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG). Judy speaks on health care compliance topics at local, regional, and national conferences, as well as webinars, and she has published in Legal Nurse Consulting: Principles and Practice, the Journal of Health Care Compliance, and Compliance Today
Ralph is the chair of Wiley's White Collar and Litigation practices. He helps clients navigate complex criminal and civil government enforcement actions, corporate internal investigations, and political and congressional investigations. From members of Congress and Executive branch officials, to senior executives and corporations of all sizes, Ralph is recognized as a trusted advisor and courtroom advocate, helping his clients navigate their most sensitive and high-stakes matters.
As a former federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Ralph is adept at developing and executing legal strategies for clients across all industries in cases involving:
Ralph is highly regarded by colleagues and peers across the legal industry. Chambers USA recognizes him among the leading lawyers in his field, with clients commenting that he is “one of the best white-collar lawyers in Washington” and “has great judgment and is universally respected.”
Matt joined Nelson Mullins in 2020 after prosecuting complex white-collar crimes for seven years as an Assistant United States Attorney (“AUSA”) with the United States Attorney’s Office and three years as a state prosecutor with the First Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Matt quickly established himself in the private sector, building a diverse practice representing clients in some of the most high-profile matters in the nation. He routinely provides guidance to elected officials, corporate executives, and ultra-high net worth individuals navigating complex, high-stakes situations including government investigations and indictments, whistleblower complaints, and internal investigations.
While many of Matt’s cases are front page news, some of his greatest legal successes have come through the discrete resolution of highly sensitive matters. Whether it is trying a highly publicized case or convincing a prosecutor not to pursue charges against a client, Matt is able to adapt to difficult circumstances to achieve justice for his clients.
Recognizing the need for federal prosecutors focused on healthcare fraud, Matt earned a Master’s of Health Administration (“MHA”) in 2014. Matt continued building on his unique background as an AUSA , where he was cross-designated to handle both criminal and civil matters involving whistleblower cases, or Qui Tams, under the False Claims Act.
Matt has tried more than 20 criminal jury trials to verdict as well as a three-week complex civil trial involving faulty construction claims. He has tried cases at all levels of the South Carolina state and federal courts. He has successfully tried a number of complex cases in federal court involving health care fraud, environmental crimes, whistleblower complaints, international money laundering, bank fraud, international maritime treaties, and human trafficking. In seven years as a federal prosecutor, Matt did not lose a single trial. Matt has successfully led grand jury investigations and prosecutions of a wide range of white-collar crimes involving more than 20 different federal agencies. He has argued before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Matt is known for his ability to think outside the box, showing an ability to use the skillset he honed as both a federal and state prosecutor in creative ways across a variety of practice areas.
Brian Rafferty is an experienced trial lawyer, former federal prosecutor and federal criminal defense attorney. He focuses on the representation of individuals, business executives, health care professionals and corporate clients in white collar criminal investigations, prosecutions and enforcement proceedings. His national federal criminal defense spans an array of industries, including health care, government contracting and financial industries, and includes investigations and prosecutions of allegations of health care fraud, government procurement fraud, securities fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, bribery, public corruption and money laundering.
While at the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Georgia, Brian directed a staff of 25 assistant U.S. attorneys, contractors and support staff, actively managing and supervising all criminal prosecutions in the District. For the last three years, he served as the 11th Circuit representative on the Criminal Chiefs Working Group, providing counsel and input to the Attorney General’s Advisory Counsel on a variety of issues related to. federal criminal prosecutions. Prior to that, Brian also served as the office’s Criminal Healthcare Fraud Coordinator for several years, where he supervised investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) into a variety of health care offenses, including investigations involving medical practitioners, pharmacies, pharmaceuticals and medical devices
Patricia G. Rhodes,
Assistant United States Attorney
Chief, Criminal Division
Southern District of Georgia
Patricia (Tricia) Rhodes graduated from the University of Georgia with a BBA in Finance in 1989. Tricia returned to law school in 1991 at Mercer University, where she earned her JD in 1994. Upon graduation from law school, Tricia served as a law clerk for Superior Court in the Oconee Judicial Circuit, State of Georgia. In
1995, Tricia returned home to Augusta and served as an Assistant District Attorney for 8 years, where she had the opportunity to try more than 100 jury trials, including death penalty cases, a complex RICO case, and a plethora of other crimes. She joined the USAO in 2003 and has tried 37 federal trials, including several health care fraud cases. She has served as Branch Office Chief and Deputy Chief and currently serves as Criminal Chief.
Edgar Bueno is co-chair of HunterMaclean’s health care practice group where he advises clients on a broad range of regulatory and compliance-related matters, including the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Physician Self-Referral (Stark) Law, Medicare/Medicaid regulations, professional licensure, voluntary self-disclosure, OIG program exclusions, corporate integrity agreements, EMTALA, and HIPAA.
Edgar is also a partner in the litigation practice group where his focus is on defending individuals and organizations involved in healthcare fraud investigations, False Claims Act litigation, payer audits, and other civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings brought by federal or state authorities.
Because of his litigation and prior government experience, Edgar is also called upon to conduct compliance reviews and internal investigations for business organizations to assess and respond to risk.
Edgar is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Civil Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. In this role, he supervised the entire division and managed all aspects of federal court litigation for numerous high-profile cases. Under his tenure, the office achieved an unprecedented number of FCA actions and recoveries on behalf of the United States. He started his legal career as an enforcement attorney with the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Edgar is nationally recognized for his knowledge and expertise in healthcare fraud and compliance and is a frequent author and speaker on those subjects. Edgar is also an adjunct instructor of health law and teaches a course about the federal healthcare programs. He has served as an instructor at the Department of Justice training center (NAC) and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). Edgar has received several recognitions from the Office of Inspector General for exceptional achievement in combatting healthcare fraud.
Jonathan Porter is a partner with the healthcare and white collar groups at Husch Blackwell LLP. Jonathan uses his years of experience as a federal prosecutor to guide clients through the challenges associated with government investigations and regulatory compliance.
Jonathan brings to clients a thorough working knowledge of how the U.S. government targets and pursues criminal and civil investigations, particularly those involving the healthcare industry. He is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, and in that capacity, he brought charges against numerous individuals and companies under federal law, including criminal charges of health care fraud, wire fraud, and violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute, and civil complaints alleging violations of the False Claims Act.
In addition, Jonathan is a frequent speaker and author on emerging topics at the intersection of healthcare and enforcement and teaches white collar crime as an adjunct professor at Mercer University School of Law.
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.
Habib F. Ilahi counsels business entities and individuals in highly regulated industries through complex health care, procurement, and other government enforcement investigations and litigation, as well as through general white collar criminal and civil defense matters. As a former Trial Attorney with the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Mr. Ilahi gained extensive expertise in matters involving the False Claims Act (FCA), the Anti-Kickback Statute, and the Stark Law. Mr. Ilahi has continued his FCA practice in the private sector and has unique experience representing clients on all three sides of the FCA – as defense counsel, relator’s counsel, and government counsel during his DOJ tenure. As defense counsel, Mr. Ilahi has advised and represented pharmaceutical and life sciences companies, hospital systems, national nursing home and long-term care facility chains, large and small government contractors, state and federal grant recipients, and a variety of other types of businesses and individuals in FCA investigations and litigation involving government programs.
Outside of FCA matters, Mr. Ilahi has advised and represented numerous government contractors, foreign and domestic business entities, and individuals in criminal, civil, and administrative government investigations, including those involving government contracting and procurement fraud, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, securities and accounting fraud, tax fraud, civil and criminal conflict of interest violations, lobbying violations, and sanctions and export-control violations.
Joey Burby is a co-leader of the White Collar, Government & Internal Investigations Team. Drawing on his more than 25 years of experience as both a prosecutor and defense attorney, Joey defends companies and individuals in criminal and civil investigations by the Department of Justice as well as regulatory investigations and enforcement actions by the SEC and other federal and state agencies. He has significant experience handling matters involving securities fraud, insider trading, health care fraud, the False Claims Act, antitrust violations, bribery, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, money laundering, tax fraud, and environmental violations. He has also served as lead counsel in over 30 jury trials, including a recent federal case in which the jury acquitted his client of all charges.
Joey also conducts internal investigations on behalf of public and private organizations and their boards, often prompted by whistleblowers, and counsels clients on remedial actions and disclosure decisions.
Joey previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, focusing primarily on complex financial crimes and public corruption. He successfully tried numerous cases, including the first criminal securities fraud trial in Georgia and a capital murder case. He was also part of the team that prosecuted Centennial Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph, for which he received The John Marshall Award, the Justice Department’s highest honor.
Jacklyn DeMar is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Anti-Fraud Coalition, a public interest non-profit organization dedicated to empowering whistleblowers who expose fraud against the government and in the financial markets. In her role, Ms. DeMar works closely with whistleblowers, their legal counsel, and government attorneys on matters related to various whistleblower programs. She is a key legal voice for the organization, filing amicus curiae briefs in federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. She also meets often with federal and state lawmakers, educating them on the importance of whistleblowers and whistleblower laws. Ms. DeMar's career has been largely focused on combating fraud, particularly through the lens of the False Claims Act. She joined The Anti-Fraud Coalition in August 2014 as a staff attorney and later became the Director of Legal Education before her appointment to President and CEO. Prior to her work with the Coalition, she practiced at large law firms in Washington, D.C., and gained extensive experience in the e-Discovery field. Ms. DeMar earned her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from American University's Washington College of Law and is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia bars. She also serves on the American Bar Association’s Health Law Section Publications Board.
Jenna Solari serves as the co-leader of the firm’s National Security Investigations and Litigation Task Force. She is known among her peers as a formidable adversary in the courtroom. She has tried and won cases of bank and wire fraud, money laundering, sanctions evasion, theft of trade secrets, embezzlement, drug and firearms trafficking, murder-for-hire, premeditated murder, arson and more. She focuses her practice on internal investigations, government matters and white-collar defense. She represents corporations, top executives and officers in investigations and litigation involving financial fraud, federal tax violations, securities fraud, intellectual property theft, trade sanctions violations, antitrust compliance, public corruption, money laundering, the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. As a national security practitioner, Jenna also counsels clients on supply chain resilience, economic security and indicators of malign foreign interest.
As an Assistant U.S. Attorney for over 11 years, Jenna served as her District’s Health Care Fraud Coordinator, National Security Cyber Specialist, Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Specialist, Deputy Criminal Chief and Senior Litigation Counsel. As Senior Litigation Counsel, Jenna managed and personally handled high-profile litigation involving intense public and media scrutiny. She successfully led the first U.S. prosecution of Russian sectoral sanctions violations, resulting in the conviction, entity listing and debarment of several U.S. and foreign nationals and foreign corporations. She also tried the District’s first cases of intellectual property theft, obtaining lengthy sentences for insiders who conspired to steal proprietary data from multiple aerospace companies. As the lead National Security prosecutor for the Southern District of Georgia, Jenna also investigated and prosecuted cases under the Espionage Act and the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA), working closely with DOJ’s Office of International Affairs and numerous U.S. and foreign intelligence agencies.
Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Jenna served as a prosecutor in the U.S. Navy and a Special Agent in the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and taught law at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers. She has been invited by the DOJ and numerous federal agencies to teach courses in counterproliferation, electronic evidence, trade secrets, parallel investigations and computer crimes in locations throughout the U.S.
Tom enjoys advising health care and life sciences clients on regulatory compliance and health care fraud and abuse matters. He regularly provides strategic analysis regarding business arrangements and proposed transactions, including customer contracts, discount and rebate arrangements, business courtesies, consulting agreements, marketing programs, aggregate spend reporting, and charitable programs. Tom's experience with OIG and as an advisor to multiple life sciences and health care companies allows him to benchmark against industry standard practices and agency perspectives. This broad vantage point helps ensure that clients are simultaneously able to meet legal requirements and engage in competitive business arrangements.
Tom had a distinguished career in government before joining his previous international law firm. He served as senior counsel for HHS OIG, where he helped resolve major FCA cases involving Anti-Kickback Statute violations, off-label marketing, drug pricing, and Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement, and served as a monitor for manufacturers and providers operating under Corporate Integrity Agreements. He was also a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, serving as a prosecutor for the Department of Justice's Medicare Fraud Strike Force in Detroit, Michigan. In that role, he oversaw all phases of investigations into violations of criminal health care fraud laws, including jury trials.
Tom is a frequent national speaker and author on topics related to health care fraud and abuse, white collar criminal defense, and compliance matters.
Jim Durham is a founding member of Griffin, Durham Tanner & Clarkson LLC, and a nationally recognized trial lawyer in both civil and criminal cases. He maintains a trial practice representing businesses and individuals in bet-the-company business litigation and white-collar criminal matters, whistleblowers in False Claims Act cases, and victims of negligence and intentional acts.
Jim graduated from Princeton University in 1990, chose to teach history for two years at a public high school in Brunswick, Georgia, before attending law school at the University of Georgia. He graduated cum laude in 1995, joined Chilivis, Cochran, Larkins & Bever, specialized in complex civil and criminal litigation, and became a partner in 2001. In 2002, the call of public service led Jim to leave his partnership and become an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, where he became recognized as a superior trial lawyer and was rapidly promoted through a succession of leadership roles, as the Health Care Fraud Coordinator (2004-2007), the Criminal Chief (2007-2010), the First Assistant (2010-2017), and concluding with his appointment as Acting U.S. Attorney in 2017. In recognition of his exceptional years of service with the DOJ, Jim received the 2023 William H. Webster’s Profiles in Leadership Award, one of the most prestigious public service awards in the country.
As a federal prosecutor, Jim was three times awarded Director’s Awards (2006, 2011, 2017), one of DOJ highest honors, each relating to successful jury verdicts he secured involving public corruption and massive fraud and money laundering schemes. In one of those cases, Jim was lead prosecutor in a complex RICO-Healthcare Fraud trial - the longest trial in his district’s history, involving over $150 million in fraud schemes, 100,000 pages of exhibits and over 120 witnesses. After the trial of that case, U.S. District Court Judge B. Avant Edenfield wrote to the then serving U.S. Attorney General, “In the forty-eight years I have served as a trial lawyer and federal district judge, I have never seen a lawyer do a better job. . .. In short, Mr. Durham . . . represents the very best of American courtroom advocacy and values.”
One month after leaving the DOJ, in his first trial back in private practice, Jim secured a $10 million jury verdict on behalf of a rape victim against the apartment complex where she lived. Recently, Jim was co-lead trial counsel in an unsuccessful two-month Brunswick, Georgia trial, involving a first-of-its-kind case brought by individual family members of opioid addicts trying to hold some of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distributors responsible for their role in the opioid epidemic.
In recognition of his superior trial skills, Jim was inducted in 2014 in the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Please be advised that your credit will not be reported to the State Bar of Georgia CLE Regulation Department until after you have completed the steps necessary to earn credit for that program.
Self reporting is required for all other jurisdictions.
The information presented is solely for educational purposes. The opinions expressed by the faculty in their materials and presentations are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the State Bar of Georgia, its officers, directors and/or employees. The faculty is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional advice and these presentations and publications are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. All publications and presentations were created to serve the continuing legal education needs of practicing attorneys.
Clicking the Add to Cart button signals acceptance of ICLE’s registration guidelines.
You can find FAQs here.