PA Bar 22nd Annual Health Law Institute

2016/03/15

Marc S. Raspanti will present “So You Want to Represent a Whistleblower: What Do you Need to Know to Succeed” regarding the ethics of representing whistleblowers, at the Pennsylvania Bar Institutes’ 22nd Annual Health Law Institute in Philadelphia. Read More

Michael A. Morse to Present at the 20th Annual Compliance Institute

March 7, 2016

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Michael A. Morse, partner at the law firm Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP, will present at the 20th Annual Compliance Institute in Las Vegas, NV.  He will discuss “False Claims Act Developments” at 9:00 am on Sunday, April 17, 2016. The 2016 Compliance Institute, presented by the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), will take place from April 17-20 at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.  Mr. Morse will be part of a panel discussing the fundamentals of the False Claim Act’s liability, damages, procedures, and whistleblower provisions from the viewpoint of the compliance official. They will also discuss whistleblower, government and defense perspectives on the filing, investigation, litigation and settlement of qui tam cases. As an attendee at the Compliance Institute, you will be attaining knowledge from the most comprehensive conference for today’s healthcare compliance professional. Mr. Morse serves as Chair of the Qui Tam Practice Group and also is a member of the Government Enforcement, Compliance, and White Collar Litigation Group as well as the Health Care and Litigation Practice Groups at Pietragallo. He is a former prosecutor who has developed a nationwide practice representing whistleblowers under federal and state false claims acts.  Mr. Morse has served as counsel for the lead whistleblowers in a number of the most successful false claims cases in United States history, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries for federal and state taxpayers. Mr. Morse currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Federal Courts Committee. He has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 2013, 2014, and 2015 in the area of White Collar Criminal Defense.  Mr. Morse received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Emory University Law School. For more information regarding the upcoming Health Care Compliance Institute or to register, please visit http://www.compliance-institute.org/. Read More

Pamela Coyle Brecht to Present at the 20th Annual Compliance Institute

March 7, 2016

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Pamela Coyle Brecht, partner at the law firm Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP, will present at the 20th Annual Compliance Institute in Las Vegas, NV. She will speak on “Managed Care Fraud: Enforcement and Compliance” on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 at 11:00 am. The four-day event takes place from April 17-20 at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.  The 2016 Compliance Institute, presented by the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), will help attendees better understand the chaos of healthcare reform, hospital physician alignment, compliance effectiveness, and HIPAA Privacy/Data Breach; which are adding complexity to the regulatory compliance challenges facing healthcare professionals today. Professionals such as healthcare specialists, risk managers, attorneys, regulators, physicians and more will learn how recent laws, regulations, and enforcement actions will affect compliance programs. Ms. Brecht is an active member of the Qui Tam Practice Group at Pietragallo. She is also experienced in employment law, internal investigations, white collar criminal litigation, and complex health care litigation. She litigates some of the most complex Qui Tam cases filed in the United States. Her cases have included alleged fraud by a large multi-state Medicaid managed care contractor, FCA violations by three of the largest hospital corporations in the country, and complex financial relationships among healthcare providers, as well as pharmaceutical fraud. She is also part of the team that is advancing one of the first national cases alleging fraud against the Medicare Part D program. Ms. Brecht is a 1988, cum laude, graduate of Villanova University and a 1991 graduate of Temple University School of Law. While attending Temple University School of Law, Ms. Brecht served as a member of the Temple Law Review and received honors for Distinguished Class Performance. Ms. Brecht is a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, the American Health Lawyers Association, the Health Care Compliance Association, the Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Section, the Brehon Law Society, and the Justinian Law Society. Read More

ABA Section of Litigation Healthcare

November 3, 2015

Pamela C. Brecht will speak about current events at the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Section of Litigation Healthcare LA Regional Conference. Michael A. Morse will present on “Complexities of Parallel Proceeding Under the False Claims Act.” Read More

National Community Pharmacists Association’s 117th Annual Convention and Trade Exposition

October 13, 2015

Kenneth D. McArthur, Jr. and Pamela C. Brecht will speak at the National Community Pharmacists Association’s 117th Annual Convention and Trade Exposition in Washington, DC  on “Top 10 Recent Legal Developments Impacting Community Pharmacy Practice.” Read More

Attorneys And Law Firms Remain On Sec’s Radar For Insider Trading Cases

September 30, 2015

A series of recent high profile prosecutions of attorneys or persons affiliated with law firms for insider trading has highlighted the government’s concern about attorneys and law firm personnel misusing information shared by clients.  Law firms, particularly those representing public companies, are entrusted on a regular basis with sensitive information regarding proposed mergers, acquisitions and tender offers.  Protecting this information from threats inside the organization is a challenge just as critical as protecting it from outside threats. Attorneys advising or representing highly placed executives or board members in public companies are also frequent recipients of potentially market-moving information. It is correspondingly critical that these individuals restrict their use of this information to those purposes necessary to serve their client and nothing more.  When sensitive information regarding public companies is misused for personal gain, those using it can expect the government to come calling.  On Monday, the most recent example of this peril came to light when the SEC charged five Florida residents, including two lawyers and an accountant, with insider trading in advance of the acquisition of Pharmasset, Inc. by Gilead Sciences, Inc. The charges are set forth in a civil complaint filed in the U.S. District in Newark, New Jersey, alleging that attorneys Robert L. Spallina and Donald R. Tescher, as well as accountant Stephen G. Rosen, used information obtained from a mutual client to trade in advance of the sale of Pharmasset to Gilead.  According to the complaint, during a meeting on November 8, 2011 regarding year-end personal tax and estate planning, the mutual client, who was a Pharmasset board member, discussed with his advisors the fact that the Pharmasset board was negotiating to sell the company at a significant premium.  Three of those advisors, Spallina, Tescher and Rosen purportedly used that information and purchased Pharmasset securities.  According to the complaint, Spallina also told a financial advisor, Thomas J. Read More

Health Law Handbook (2015 Edition) “Sexual Misconduct In Health Care”

December 9, 2014

Kevin E. Raphael, Leslie A. Mariotti, and Sarah R. Goodman are featured in the chapter on sexual misconduct in the 2015 edition of Health Law Handbook. Related Information: http://legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/law-products/Treatises/Health-Law-Handbook-2014-ed-Health-Law-Series/p/100259200 Read More

Twenty-Three Pietragallo Law Firm Lawyers Named PA Super Lawyers

June 2, 2014

PITTSBURGH and PHILADELPHIA, PA – William Pietragallo, II, founding partner of the law firm of Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP was selected as a Pittsburgh Top 50 Lawyer by Super Lawyers 2014. Mr. Pietragallo was recognized for his work in Business Litigation. Marc S. Raspanti, name partner in the firm, was selected as a Philadelphia Top 100 Lawyer and a Top 100 Lawyer in Pennsylvania by Super Lawyers 2014. Mr. Raspanti was recognized for his work in the White Collar Criminal Defense Practice Area. These designations are awarded to lawyers who received the highest point totals in the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers 2014 nomination, research, and blue ribbon review process. Twenty-three attorneys in total were named by the publication as 2014 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers. In addition to Pietragallo and Raspanti, the following firm counsel were recognized by the publication as 2014 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, Gaetan J. Alfano, Joseph J. Bosick, Mark Gordon, Christopher A. Iacono, Kathryn M. Kenyon, James W. Kraus, Daniel J. McGravey, Michael A. Morse, Shelly R. Pagac, Francis E. Pipak, Jr., Kevin E. Raphael, Douglas Rosenblum, Eric G. Soller, Clem C. Trischler, and Paul K. Vey. The following firm attorneys were recognized as 2014 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Ethan J. Barlieb, Sarah R. Lavelle, Leslie A. Mariotti, Alicia M. Passerin, John A. Schwab, and Peter S. Wolff. Selection as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer is an honor reserved for only 5% of the Pennsylvania Bar. The arduous selection process encompasses a strict nomination, research, and review process. Read More

FCPA Compliance In The Healthcare Industry

June 1, 2014

This article was originally published in the June 2014 issue of New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, a publication of the New Jersey State Bar Association, and is reprinted here with permission. Related Information: FCPA Compliance in the Healthcare Industry Read More

PBI’s Health Law Institute

2014/03/13

Daniel J. McGravey and Sarah R. Lavelle will be presenting at PBI’s Health Law Institute on “Current Employment Issues and Developments Facing the Healthcare Provider Community” in Philadelphia, PA on March 13-14, 2014. Read More