Akin Gump merges to boost healthcare dept

Washington DC firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld is merging with an 11-partner healthcare firm, making its health industry practice one of the largest in the US.

The link-up with Green Stewart Farber & Anderson boosts Akin Gump's national practice to more than 40 lawyers.

The firm already represents a broad range of healthcare bodies including hospitals, health systems, integrated delivery systems, physician groups and managed care organisations.

David Eisenstat, national chair of Akin Gump's health industry practice group, says: "This merger is a perfect fit and will enhance our ability to deliver creative and bottom line-oriented solutions to clients in an industry fraught with economic and regulatory pressures."

Green Stewart acts for a wide range of medical centres and healthcare providers and will give Akin Gump more expertise in areas such as outsourcing arrangements, equipment acquisition deals, joint ventures and mergers among top industry players.

Green Stewart founding partner Philip Green says his firm has been approached by a wide variety of bigger practices about a merger.

He says: "We ultimately chose to combine forces with Akin Gump because of our long-standing relationships with the firm's distinguished team of health industry lawyers.

"And Akin Gump's extensive resources in a wealth of practice areas will really boost the capabilities and services we can offer our clients."

He says his firm will benefit from the firm's antitrust, tax, corporate, securities, labour and intellectual property practices.

Akin Gump has more than 900 lawyers and eight offices in the US as well as offices in London, Brussels, Moscow and Saudi Arabia.