Health Care Law Group

Health-care industry leaders face an ever-changing legal landscape and it is critical their attorneys bring creative solutions to complex issues. Without effective legal counsel, health-care industry leaders risk sacrificing their most important mission – providing quality health-care services to their communities.

Allen Matkins' Health Care Law Group provides solutions to clients in the hospital and related health-care fields – all within one team. The firm's interdisciplinary group consists of real estate, corporate, construction, labor, employee benefits, environmental, litigation, and intellectual property attorneys with experience in health-care related matters. Solutions are tailored to the specific business advisory and litigation-related issues which leaders in the health-care industry face.

Transactional Matters

Allen Matkins attorneys provide health-care industry clients business and transactional guidance by identifying opportunities and optimal deal structures in connection with facility development projects, major capital investments, equity placements (including securities law compliance), mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures.

Facilities Development and Management

As health-care facilities management issues arise, the firm's attorneys counsel clients on legal matters related to the development and operation of their facilities including development and operation of hospitals, medical office buildings, research and development centers, and senior housing facilities.

Site Development/Acquisition

The firm's attorneys are experienced in all legal issues related to developing or acquiring sites such as dispositions, equity and debt transactions, and leasing to joint-venture vehicles and partnerships. Allen Matkins attorneys help clients address the regulatory requirements facing their operations such as land use, natural resources, and environmental issues, as well as assisting with major capital investments to build and run facilities.

Construction and Retrofitting Compliance

Allen Matkins' Health Care Law Group helps clients comply with special legal requirements affecting construction including "clean room" criteria, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), building codes, and public works requirements. In recent years, Allen Matkins has been at the forefront of seismic retrofitting projects and understands the requirements of California law including Senate Bill 1953, as well as OSHPD regulations related to various construction projects. The firm's attorneys draw upon more than 30 years of experience to anticipate and resolve issues during the design, pre-construction, construction, and commissioning phases to assist in bringing high-quality projects to timely completion and on budget.

Risk Management

Allen Matkins' Health Care Law Group has assisted clients in allocating and managing risks by strategizing on a wide range of issues, including insurance gaps, owner-controlled insurance programs, self-insured programs, indemnities, surety bonds, subcontractor default insurance, subrogation, green building risk management and numerous other complex issues.

Employment Litigation

Helping health-care clients avoid employment-related litigation including preparation of workplace policies and procedures, as well as client-specific employment training is the goal of the firm's labor and employment attorneys. When health-care clients have faced litigation, the firm's attorneys have worked with them to successfully navigate labor and employment issues including the pre-trial disposition of wrongful termination, discrimination and wage and hour class actions in both state and federal courts.

Union/Management Relations

The firm represents health-care employers in all phases of union/management relations, including union election matters, collective bargaining negotiations and arbitrations, decertification proceedings, and all aspects of NLRB proceedings. Allen Matkins attorneys have also advised clients on labor issues including strikes, handbilling and employee picketing, including obtaining restraining orders and other injunctive relief.

Benefits Administration

Representing non-profit and for-profit hospitals and health systems throughout the Western United States, the firm's attorneys have advised clients regarding ERISA matters, designed qualified retirement plans, executive and deferred compensation plans, and self-insured health and welfare plans. Allen Matkins pioneered the use of the Employee Benefits Screening Review as a diagnostic tool to reduce employer exposure with respect to IRS and Department of Labor Audits, to insure Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and best practices from a financial reporting standpoint, and to develop appropriate fiduciary practices to reduce employer exposure with respect to plan investments.