Michael Austin’s Return Will Enhance Firm’s Health Care Litigation Capabilities

International law firm McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to announce that Michael Austin has returned to the firm as a partner in its Miami office. Early in his legal career, Mr. Austin spent more than a decade at McDermott and is now re-joining the Firm in its Litigation Practice Group. He will focus his practice on complex commercial litigation with a particular emphasis on providing litigation services to clients in the health industry and private equity sector.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mike home to his McDermott family”, said Jerry Sokol, Managing Partner of the Miami Office. “Mike’s return is really a testament to our exciting and extremely collaborative firm culture, as well as the tremendous strength of our platform, particularly for attorneys who practice in one of our firm’s “Power Alleys”.  With our emphasis on health care and private equity, which are Mike’s two areas of focus, we are confident that his already stellar practice will explode with growth.”

Mr. Austin is joining from DLA Piper’s Miami office where he served as the hiring partner and the leader of the office’s health care litigation practice.  He has experience representing a wide range of health industry clients including hospitals, health systems, ambulatory surgical centers, physician practice groups, as well as investors and other entities facing complex health care litigation matters.

“Mike’s arrival strengthens our Miami litigation capabilities and enhances our nation-wide bench of health care litigators,” said David Rosenbloom, global leader of McDermott’s Litigation Practice Group. “McDermott boasts core capabilities in the health care industry, and Mike will enhance our ability to provide top-notch litigation counsel to the firm’s clients in this industry in Miami and around the world.”

Mr. Austin’s focus on complex health care litigation will bolster McDermott’s nationwide bench of highly-regarded health care litigators, including Eliot Burriss, who joined McDermott’s Dallas office in April.  By strengthening the Firm’s capabilities to service its clients in key markets like Florida and Texas, McDermott is adding even more depth to one of the most sophisticated health care litigation groups in the US.  These additions come after the Firm’s hiring of Rebecca Martin in late 2016. Ms. Martin was the former co-chief of the Civil Frauds Units and health care fraud coordinator for the Southern District of New York, adding to the bench her broad experience in investigations, litigations and settlements involving the False Claims Act and other civil health care and financial fraud matters.

Mr. Austin received his JD from the University Of Miami School Of Law where he graduated first in the class and was Editor of the University of Miami Law Review.