Global law firm Reed Smith today announced the addition of a 15-person team from Norton Rose Fulbright to its Life Sciences Health Industry Group (LSHI). As part of this expansion, Reed Smith will open an office in Austin, Texas, its second in Texas and 28th worldwide.

The group joining Reed Smith includes seven partners: Rick Robinson, former Global Head of Life Sciences and Healthcare at NRF, and Lesley Reynolds, in Washington, D.C.; Jeff Layne and Ben Koplin in Austin; and Cori Goldberg in New York. Former NRF associates Selina Coleman in Washington, D.C. and Sara Brinkmann in Houston will also join the firm as partners. In addition, the group includes one counsel, six associates, and one manager.

“We are combining two of the leading health care and life sciences practices in the world,” said Global Managing Partner Sandy Thomas. “At Reed Smith, the Life Sciences Health Industry Group is among the firm’s five core industry sectors, and this group adds an incredible depth of experience to an already power-packed team.”

Robinson will serve as the firm’s new Head of International Life Sciences Development, and he will spend a significant portion of his time helping to further develop and expand the firm’s life sciences practice internationally.

The new team brings broad capabilities to the firm’s existing practice with a significant focus on government investigations, and complex regulatory compliance issues impacting health care and life sciences companies. Their experience includes criminal and civil investigations, regulatory counseling and compliance work, False Claims Act defense, administrative litigation, consumer class actions, and internal investigations. Goldberg brings FDA counseling capability, with a particular focus on food safety, which will add to the firm’s existing strength in drugs, medical devices, and compounding pharmacies.

“This is a fantastic group of lawyers. It will bring together two historical health care and life sciences practices with the accompanying relationships and experience. I don’t know of any other team that will have as much skill handling complicated high-stakes matters,” said Scot T. Hasselman, who co-chairs the firm’s LSHI Group. “Additionally, they bring hands-on practical knowledge and experience with client-value technology systems, which Reed Smith has embraced and utilizes in a majority of matters.”

“Having spent most of my 36-year legal career working for life science and health care clients, I have long been aware of Reed Smith’s reputation as a leading firm in the sector, and its strong domestic and international platform was a key factor in our decision to move,” said Robinson. “As a team, we have often worked alongside Reed Smith lawyers as co-counsel, and have always been impressed with the firm’s commitment to quality, diversity and client service, as well as the LSHI Group’s depth of industry knowledge and legal skill.”

Reynolds has worked extensively on litigation and investigation issues affecting clients within the health care and life sciences industry, and will add leadership and additional strength in D.C. in an area in which Reed Smith handles significant work nationwide. Brinkmann and Coleman have considerable experience in Medicare and Medicaid billing issues, as well as qui tam matters and internal investigations.

Layne and Koplin will open Reed Smith’s newest office in Austin, the firm’s second in Texas after opening in Downtown Houston in 2013. They will be joined by counsel Craig Tanner, who will relocate from Houston to help facilitate the new Austin office’s integration into the firm’s global, 28-office platform. Layne and Koplin also have significant experience in using new legal technologies to solve their clients’ challenges. This knowledge will be supported and further developed by Reed Smith’s in-house Innovation Team, as well as the firm’s new independent technology subsidiary, GravityStack.

In the Washington, D.C., office, the team includes Lara Parkin, counsel; and Megan Engel, Daniel Fundakowski, Andrew Lu, Jessica Christensen, associates. In Texas, joining as associates are Sarah Cummings in Austin and Caitlin Chambers in Houston, and Grant Hewlett as manager in Austin.

Partner Biographies

Frederick “Rick” Robinson (Washington, D.C.) is a seasoned litigator who represents clients in all phases of trial and appellate practice in both criminal and civil cases, including qui tam lawsuits under the federal False Claims Act. He has also represented clients in litigation affirmatively challenging regulations and policies adopted by government agencies. Rick regularly advises health industry clients on a wide variety of regulatory matters, including internal investigations, voluntary disclosure issues, and the design and implementation of regulatory compliance programs. Rick’s clients include hospitals, academic medical centers, managed care organizations, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, retail and specialty pharmacies, clinical laboratories, physicians, and other health care providers.

Rick received his J.D. with honors from Duke University Law School, and his B.A. in Political Science from Duke University.

Lesley Reynolds (Washington, D.C.) focuses her practice on health care compliance and litigation matters, including internal investigations and self-disclosures, and has extensive experience representing clients on class action issues. She counsels hospitals, managed care organizations, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, LTACHs, hospices, medical schools and other health care entities. Lesley also has extensive experience representing hospitals, health systems and manufacturers in the health care and life sciences industry in complex litigation in state and federal courts. Additionally, she routinely represents clients in complex administrative litigation in front of agencies and subsequent federal court appeals. Previously, Lesley had experience working in-house at a health maintenance organization in the Washington, D.C., area.

Lesley received her J.D. with honors from George Washington University Law School, and her B.S. in Administration of Justice and Sociology from Rutgers University.

Jeff Layne (Austin) represents clients in complex government and internal investigations and related litigation. He defends health care and life sciences companies in criminal, False Claims Act, commercial, and administrative litigation related to a wide variety of fraud and abuse, bribery, billing, marketing, and other regulatory allegations. He advises clients across the health care spectrum, including pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, hospital systems, universities, retail and specialty pharmacies, distributors, suppliers, and managed care organizations. Jeff brings extensive experience with the development and adoption of new legal solutions and services, including industry-leading risk mitigation services and tools to help clients avoid future litigation.

Jeff received his M.P.H. from Harvard University and his J.D. from Duke University Law School.

Ben Koplin (Austin) focuses primarily on health care compliance and the federal regulation of health care providers and suppliers, and medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors through the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, state and federal false claims acts, and rules governing the privacy and security of health information (HIPAA). He consults with Fortune 500 companies, performing complex business analysis to address legal risks stemming from business operations subject to regulatory investigations and litigation. Ben leads complex investigations and defense teams, and assists in design and implementation of corporate compliance programs and various transactional matters involving health care entities. Additionally, he works with in-house lawyers, compliance staff and operations professionals to design right-sized risk solutions, including information management processes, product architecture and development, and technology procurement. Ben has direct experience in dozens of technologies and is an accomplished full-stack developer

Ben received his J.D. with honors from Harvard University Law School in 2006, and received his B.A. magna cum laude from Boston University in 2003.

Cori Goldberg (New York City) handles FDA regulatory compliance issues, transactional matters, government and internal investigations, and white collar criminal defense for food, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies. She provides counsel on food and drug law issues, including labeling analysis, FSMA implementation, and food safety concerns; clinical research considerations; corporate compliance concerns; and fraud and abuse issues. She assists clients during FDA inspections, in responding to FDA 483s, and with recalls of products. She also represents large corporations in investigations by federal and state agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Previously, Cori served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Clayton Greene, Jr. on the Court of Appeals of Maryland.

Cori received her M.P.H. from University of Maryland School of Medicine, and her J.D. cum laude from University of Maryland School of Law, with a Certificate in Health Law.

Selina Coleman (Washington, D.C.) focuses on regulatory and litigation matters, and assisting her health care clients in responding to government investigations of Medicare and Medicaid billing matters, conducting internal investigations of compliance matters, analyzing data reported under the Open Payments / Sunshine Act, and preparing self-disclosures to resolve Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and other fraud-and-abuse matters. Her clients include hospitals, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, and national retail pharmacy chains.

Selina received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, and she also holds a B.A. summa cum laude in English from The College of William & Mary.

Sara A. Brinkmann (Houston) counsels life sciences companies and health care providers in complex litigation disputes and regulatory enforcement matters, including fraud and abuse matters, responding to government investigations of Medicare and Medicaid billing, conducting internal investigations, defending against qui tam and whistleblower lawsuits under the federal False Claims Act, and other regulatory matters regarding the federal Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute. Sara has also represented clients in securities investigations and litigation; was seconded at one of the world’s largest plastics, chemical and refining companies; and previously served as a special prosecutor with the city of Houston’s Legal Department through a 20-week attorney loan program.

Sara received her J.D. cum laude from University of Houston Law Center. She also holds an MBA from the University of Houston C. T. Bauer College of Business, and a B.A. magna cum laude from Baylor University.

About LSHI

The LSHI Group at Reed Smith includes more than 250 attorneys and other professionals who work in almost every sector of the life sciences and health care industry, including representing many of the largest health care providers, managed care entities, and pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. For more than 40 years, the firm has represented clients in critical investigations and regulatory matters, “bet the company” litigation, complex corporate matters, and key domestic and cross-border transactions.

Follow the LSHI Group on Twitter at @ReedSmithHealth, or read our subject-matter blogs at healthindustrywashingtonwatch.com and lifescienceslegalupdate.com.

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