National law firm Husch Blackwell became the first firm to simultaneously hold the top national ranking from American Bar Association's (ABA) Health Law Section and the American Health Law Association (AHLA).
Released May 3 by AHLA, Husch Blackwell moved up from its No. 3 ranking in 2022. In 2012, Husch Blackwell first appeared on the AHLA list when it was ranked No. 14. Top Honors “recognizes organizations behind AHLA’s members: law firms, organizations, health plans, businesses and government agencies that consistently and enthusiastically encourage and sustain their members’ and employees’ affiliation with AHLA.” The latest ranking comes after the firm’s November 2022 recognition from the ABA Health Law Section.
“As part of the firm’s strategic plan implemented 10 years ago, we were determined to move from being a regional health law firm to a nationally recognized player,” said partner Curt Chase, leader of the firm’s Healthcare, Life Sciences, and Education industry team. “We accomplished that and continue to grow in an effort to support our clients’ growing needs. Our team has grown from 70 attorneys to more than 280 industry professionals.”
Since 2013, Husch Blackwell merged with Brown McCarroll, which established the firm’s Texas healthcare presence. In 2020, it landed two lateral groups from different firms in Wisconsin to expand its healthcare transactional capabilities as well as the hospice and palliative care team. And in 2021 the firm expanded into New England with the addition of an 11-attorney healthcare boutique. The firm has also added healthcare laterals in California, Minnesota and the Southeast.
In addition to topping the ABA and AHLA lists, Husch Blackwell’s healthcare team has received numerous accolades over the past year, including national rankings from Chambers USA and Legal 500 US in their healthcare law categories.
“Our firm has a track record of deep involvement with both the ABA and AHLA that spans decades,” said partner Tom Shorter, who currently serves as the president of AHLA. “Countless others have helped lay the groundwork for our firm’s success by participating in leadership roles with these organizations including Hal Katz as the most recent Past Chair of the ABA Health Law Section. These organizations have established our attorneys as thought leaders, provided us additional opportunities to develop our careers and allowed us to develop long lasting relationships that have made us better advocates for our clients.”