backSAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 12, 2015 — King & Spalding announced today that Stephen Goff, Marcia Augsburger, John Barnes and Leslie Murphy, four highly regarded lawyers in California focused on healthcare litigation, investigation and regulation, will join the firm’s Healthcare Practice Group. All four will join King & Spalding from DLA Piper’s Health Care Sector practice, of which Goff served as co-chair.
“Steve, Marcia and their team are highly versatile and respected practitioners in California, one of the country’s largest and most regulated healthcare markets,” said Jay Harris, co-chair of King & Spalding’s Life Sciences and Healthcare Practice. “These newest members of King & Spalding’s healthcare practice solidify the firm’s commitment to California and to its position as one of the country’s leading healthcare services practices.”
The new California partners have substantial experience litigating high-stakes cases and counselling clients on a wide variety of issues—from managed care plan contracting strategies to regulatory compliance advice and defense of governmental investigations for healthcare providers. In particular, Goff is a leading lawyer in the area of provider managed care contracting and disputes with health insurers. Augsburger has deep expertise in telemedicine and medical privacy, as well as health regulatory, coding and billing, and medical tourism. All four will be resident in Sacramento, and affiliated with King & Spalding’s San Francisco office.
“It was a combination of the focus of the firm on healthcare and life sciences, the depth of specialized healthcare lawyers who collaborate across the firm, and the impressive growth trajectory that attracted us to King & Spalding,” said Goff. “We are looking forward to working with our new colleagues around the country, exchanging opportunities and expertise.”
The new team joins King & Spalding’s 270-person Healthcare Practice, which Modern Healthcare ranks as the second largest in the United States, and which is integrated across offices, including attorneys resident in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. The firm serves the entire spectrum of institutional providers, practitioners, payors, educators, researchers, inventors, suppliers, investors and manufacturers across the country.
“We welcome Steve, Marcia and team to the firm and are excited to share their healthcare litigation and compliance expertise with our clients across the country,” said Jim Boswell, King & Spalding’s Healthcare Practice Group leader. “Our clients navigating California-specific rules and the competitive environment in the state will greatly benefit from the insight and experience of our new team on the West Coast.”
Stephen Goff
Goff has practiced healthcare law for over 30 years. As his practice has matured, he has focused on provider-plan disputes and contracting, as well as risk contracting and revenue cycle enhancement strategies for providers. Over the years, he has counseled clients on many operational and compliance issues, including charging, billing, cost reporting, collection policies and financial assistance. He has also counselled clients in the formation of large, clinically integrated networks, and acted as lead counsel in the resolution of disputes that arise from these arrangements. Most recently, he has handled high-stakes healthcare litigation in state courts and in phased arbitrations, including acting as lead defense counsel on a multibillion-dollar false claims case. Goff received his B.A. magna cum laude from the University of California-Davis and his J.D. from the University of California-Berkeley.
Marcia Augsburger
Augsburger has extensive experience litigating a broad range of healthcare industry and other civil disputes and class actions. Her practice also includes investigations and risk assessments, regulatory counseling, contracting and developing policies and procedures in healthcare-related areas such as HIPAA, EMTALA, telemedicine and medical practice issues, medical tourism, fraud and abuse, ERISA and workplace wellness programs. Augsburger is an arbitrator for the American Health Lawyers Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Service and has spoken and published extensively on complex litigation, civil discovery, healthcare reform, HIPAA, telemedicine, eDiscovery, consumer-directed healthcare and wellness programs, women in the law and other legal and business subjects. Augsburger received her B.A. from Eastern Mennonite University and her J.D. from the University of California-Davis.
John Barnes
Representing clients in the managed healthcare industry for over a decade, Barnes counsels healthcare clients in risk and fee-for-service contracting, as well as provider network formation, and contract provisions that ensure network access and provider solvency. He has substantial experience in representing provider clients in negotiating major health insurance company contractual relationships, and in advising such clients regarding issues that arise under such contracts. Barnes received his B.A. from the University of California-San Diego and his J.D. from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.
Leslie Murphy
Murphy represents health care clients in high-stakes litigation matters. She has substantial experience with arbitrations involving complex medical billing and coding disputes and other payment disputes with health insurers. She has also litigated provider-provider healthcare disputes and has conducted internal compliance investigations. She counsels clients resolving problems involving billing and coding accuracy, health information documentation and data integrity. Murphy is a Certified Coding Specialist is certified in healthcare compliance. She received her B.A. from the University of California-Berkeley and her J.D. from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.
About King & Spalding
Celebrating more than 125 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 800 lawyers in 17 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality, and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com.