Global law firm Goodwin today announced that Gregory E. Demske joined the firm’s Healthcare and Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution practices as a partner, resident in the Washington, D.C. office. Demske joins the firm after serving for the past decade as Chief Counsel to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS-OIG).
“A critical issue facing many of our life science and healthcare clients is whether HHS-OIG and the U.S. Department of Justice consider certain business practices to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. There is no one in the nation better suited to answering that question than Greg,” said Mitchell Bloom, Global Chair of Goodwin’s Life Sciences practice.
During his tenure at HHS-OIG, Demske served in multiple staff and leadership roles, including as Acting Principal Deputy Inspector General and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.
A nationally known expert in healthcare fraud and False Claims Act (FCA) matters, Demske has handled hundreds of FCA qui tam cases, Corporate Integrity Agreements, and HHS-OIG Advisory Opinions, among countless other matters. At HHS-OIG, Demske supervised the work of over a hundred attorneys and other staff and led tremendous growth in the office. He has led litigation and negotiations, supervised compliance and remedial measures, and issued advisory opinions regarding the applicability of Anti-Kickback Statute and other fraud statutes in matters across the healthcare and life sciences industries involving: manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, biologics, and medical devices; clinical laboratories and diagnostic testing facilities; pharmacies; hospitals and health systems; ambulatory surgery centers; physicians, physician practice management companies, and accountable care organizations; as well as Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans, among others.
“After serving more than 30 years as a leader at HHS-OIG, I am looking forward to partnering with Goodwin’s expert team helping companies get compliance issues right before enforcement actions arise. I am excited by the opportunity to join Goodwin’s talented and growing team,” said Demske. “The firm’s depth of legal talent, experience, and collaborative culture was a big draw for me.”
Goodwin is consistently ranked by The Legal 500 United States and Chambers USA as a leading advisor for healthcare law across the country. Mergermarket has ranked Goodwin as the number one U.S. advisor for healthcare & life sciences M&A (by deal count), while PitchBook recently named Goodwin the number one global legal advisor (by deal count) for venture capital deals in the healthcare devices & supplies sector.
Goodwin has been recognized as an industry leader in government investigations and enforcement and white collar defense by top publications including Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and Benchmark Litigation. Demske is the latest addition to Goodwin’s deep bench of former government regulators and federal prosecutors from key U.S. Attorney’s offices and the DOJ. His arrival follows the recent additions of Kirk Ogrosky, chair of Goodwin’s Healthcare Government Enforcement & False Claims Act Defense group and a former healthcare prosecutor, and Ilene Albala, also a former healthcare prosecutor and a member of the same practice.