Ricky Benjamin Joins Hall Booth Smith as Partner in Atlanta Office

ATLANTA – Sept. 23, 2019 – Seasoned healthcare attorney Ricky C. Benjamin has joined Hall Booth Smith, P.C. as a Partner in the Atlanta office, expanding the firm’s expertise in a wide range of healthcare regulatory, transactional and compliance matters.

Mr. Benjamin represents healthcare payer and provider clients in complex regulatory matters, extensive transactional deal making, expanded legal and regulatory compliance considerations, as well as high-exposure health care and insurance litigation.

He also counsels and defends clients in high-stakes fraud and abuse qui tam actions, complex medical malpractice and tort lawsuits involving healthcare payers and providers, ambulatory surgical center and dental group practices, home health care, skilled nursing facilities, and academic medical centers. Over a career that spans three decades, he has refined risk management techniques and best practices that help clients reduce costs, improve quality and increase access to care.

Mr. Benjamin also works with Medicaid/Medicare managed care plans, healthcare systems, academic medical centers, community hospitals and large physician groups (as well as related vendors and allied health entities) on a variety of affiliation agreements, operating agreements, joint ventures, clinical/financial integration transactions, clinically integrated networks, employment, professional service agreements (PSAs), and sale of practice transactions, pay-for-performance incentive plans, intellectual property licensing agreements, real estate leasing agreements, and a wide variety of healthcare business transactions. He also counsels clients on healthcare risk mitigation techniques, compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Stark laws, anti-kickback statutes, and tax exempt status relating to beneficiary inducement and private inurement involving charitable organizations.

Since the dawn of his 30-year career, Mr. Benjamin has litigated more than 200 cases, with dozens of favorable outcomes and jury verdicts on behalf of his clients, including resolution of government investigations by the Federal Trade Commission for Unfair Trade Practices amid allegations of inadequate data security protocols. He has also defended or responded to over 50 government fraud investigations, conducted more than 75 internal client audits, to assess risk exposure to fraud and abuse investigations, medical malpractice claims and the adequacy of data security protocols.

Having previously taught Healthcare law at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, focusing on Healthcare Compliance, and the Business of Healthcare, he has also defended or responded to more than 50 government investigations and conducted more than 75 internal client audits to assess risk exposure to fraud and abuse investigations, medical malpractice claims and adequacy of the data security protocols. Benjamin earned a J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law, and he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Southern University A&M.

“Ricky is a tenacious litigator and skilled healthcare regulatory and transactional expert who combines authoritative knowledge of the law and a strategic approach to every case, deal or client regulatory concern,” said Alex H. Booth, Managing Partner of Hall Booth Smith. “We are thrilled to have his expertise and firepower on our healthcare regulatory, transactional and litigation teams to strengthen our healthcare practice and insurance group.”

About Hall Booth Smith

Established in 1989, Hall Booth Smith, P.C. (HBS) is a full-service law firm with six regional offices strategically located throughout Georgia, as well as offices in Birmingham, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina; Jacksonville, North Palm Beach and Tallahassee, Florida; and Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; Saddle Brook, New Jersey; and New York City. Experienced across a wide range of legal disciplines, HBS attorneys pride themselves on providing knowledgeable, proactive, client-specific counsel to individuals, domestic and international corporations, state and federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The firm’s promise: “Serving to Achieve Excellence.” To learn more, please visit: www.hallboothsmith.com