Checking In: October 19, 2021
Baker Donelson Adds Six NC Lawyers to Health Law Group
Baker Donelson recently announced the addition of a team of six North Carolina attorneys to its Health Law Group. The Raleigh-based attorneys, led by shareholders Kenneth L. Burgess and Matthew W. Wolfe, represent the firm’s first North Carolina presence. Joining them are Matt Fisher and Iain Stauffer, who both join as of counsel, and Mysty Blagg and E. Bahati Mutisya, who join as associates.
Matt Wolfe serves on the North Carolina Bar Foundation Board of Directors. He is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and currently serves as vice chair of its Behavioral Health Practice Group. He is also a member of the North Carolina Society of Health Care Attorneys Board of Directors and previously chaired the national Health Law Section of the Federal Bar Association. A member of the Health Law and Administrative Law Sections of the North Carolina Bar Association, he co-chairs the Legislative and Ethics Committee of the Health Law Council and has served on the NCBA’s Strategic Planning and Emerging Trends Committee and the Future of the Law Committee.
Kenneth Burgess previously served as the Senior Director of Legal Services and Facility Operations of the American Health Care Association and as the General Counsel of North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association. He is past president of the North Carolina Society of Healthcare Attorneys, and a past member the NCBA Health Law Section Council. He received the Health Law Section’s Distinguished Service Award in 2016. He is a legal consultant and member of the North Carolina Medical Society Ethical and Judicial Affairs Committee and serves as chair of the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association Associate Advisory Committee. He currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of FutureCare Foundation of North Carolina.
Matt Fisher represents health care providers, with an emphasis on HIPAA compliance, privacy, and information security matters, and Certificate of Need law. He is a member of the American Health Law Association and the North Carolina Bar Association, and is active in the North Carolina Society of Health Care Attorneys, where he currently serves as chair of the Governance & Planning Committee.
Iain Stauffer served in the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office for more than a decade, most recently with the Public Assistance Section. As a Special Deputy Attorney General, he represented the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in multiple federal class action lawsuits. Stauffer is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association Health Law Section Council and the American Health Law Association.
E. Bahati Mutisya represents health care providers in legal proceedings and helps them navigate complex regulatory requirements. Her clients include hospitals, behavioral health providers, hospice providers, and assisted living facilities. She has experience with Medicaid and Medicare regulations and audits, including defending clients who have received recoupment and termination notices from those programs.
Mysty Blagg represents health care providers in matters involving regulatory compliance, litigation, and operations issues. In her previous career as a health care compliance investigator, she gained invaluable experience with reviewing medical charts, complex problem solving, North Carolina Medicaid Policy, False Claims Act, and occupational licensing. She is a member of the American Health Law Association and the Health Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association.
Cranfill Sumner LLP (CSH Law) Welcomes New Attorneys
RaShawnda Murphy has joined Cranfill Sumner LLP (CSH Law) as an associate attorney. Murphy will practice in the firm’s Raleigh office and in the civil litigation section, and she will focus on education and employment law. She has prior experience serving as a clerk with Supervisory Administrative Judge Regina Stephens of the EEOC, and she was an extern with the N.C. Central University Office of Legal Affairs. She earned a J.D., magna cum laude, from North Carolina Central University School of Law, and B.A. degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Pete Colbert has joined the firm’s Charlotte office as an associate attorney, and he will practice in the firm’s civil litigation section. Colbert has prior experience as an intern for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, E.D.N.C., and the N.C. General Assembly. Before going to law school, Colbert was an Operations Manager at Wells Fargo. He also served in the United States Army for five years, earning the rank of Captain. He received a J.D. from Campbell Law School and a bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Essex Richards Names New Partner
Bree Laughrun has joined Essex Richards as a partner, and she will practice in the firm’s family law group. Laughrun has practiced law for more than ten years. She earned a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Richmond School of Law, where she received a certificate of concentration in Family Law. Following her graduation from law school, she joined the the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office as an Assistant Public Defender before beginning her career as a family law practitioner in Charlotte. Laughrun also holds a B.S. in business administration from the College of Charleston.
Ken Sack Joins The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin
Ken Sack has joined the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin and is a part of the firm’s eminent domain practice. Sack has practiced as an attorney for more than 20 years and has ten years of experience in eminent domain law. He previously worked for the North Carolina Department of Justice, where he represented the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). Sack received a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and a B.A. in political science from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Snyder Promoted to Deputy City Clerk in Salisbury
Connie Snyder, a certified paralegal, is now Deputy City Clerk. In this role, she serves under the City Clerk and works with City Council. Snyder has several responsibilities as part of her new position, including Council meeting agenda preparation, meeting minutes and public notices. She also utilizes her paralegal expertise by providing support to the City Attorney. Snyder received an associate’s degree in microcomputer systems technology from Davidson Community College and a diploma of paralegal technology from Forsyth Technical Community College. She is a member of the NCBA Paralegal Division.
Schell Bray Announces Special Counsel
Timothy A. Nordgren has joined Schell Bray as Special Counsel. He will practice in the firm’s office in Chapel Hill and with the Trusts and Estates Practice Group. Nordgren has more than 25 years of experience in trusts and estate planning and administration. He is a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law. Nordgren earned a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa.
Kevin Sink Joins Waldrep Wall Babcock & Bailey PLLC
Kevin L. Sink has joined the firm and will lead the new Raleigh office, which opened on Oct. 1. Sink has more than 27 years of experience practicing law. His areas of specialty include bankruptcy, business, litigation, and real estate law. Sink has been certified as a Business Bankruptcy Law Specialist by the North Carolina State Bar and as a Chapter 7 Panel Trustee for the Eastern District of North Carolina. He obtained a J.D., with honors, from the University of North Carolina School of Law, and a B.A., summa cum laude, from North Carolina State University.