International law firm McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to announce the return of partner Nicholas (Nick) Alarif to the Healthcare Practice Group in Washington, DC. Previously a partner at the Firm and most recently serving as in-house counsel to the country’s largest nonprofit health system, Nick’s practice primarily focuses on healthcare regulatory matters with an emphasis on fraud and abuse and other healthcare compliance situations.

“Nick rejoins and further strengthens our best-in-class fraud and abuse team, which had a number of powerful additions last year, including Denise Burke and Lester Perling,” said McDermott’s Global Head of Healthcare Jerry Sokol. “We are excited that Nick enjoyed working at McDermott and has chosen us for his return to Big Law. His choice is a testament to the quality of our healthcare practice and the strength of our culture and the bonds we have with each other.”

Nick focuses his practice on healthcare regulatory and fraud and abuse matters, including the physician self-referral or Stark law, False Claims Act, the Federal Anti-Kickback statute and other healthcare compliance matters. He also advises clients on the complex legal and factual issues surrounding Medicare Parts A–D reimbursement and other Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services payment policies. With his combination of in-house, federal government and law firm experience, Nick provides well-rounded and actionable counsel to healthcare clients, with business objectives and compliance at the forefront.

“I rejoined McDermott for multiple reasons, but at the top of my list are the extraordinary lawyers at the firm. Nowhere else matches the overall legal acumen of the team combined with the extraordinary culture within McDermott,” Nick adds.

Prior to rejoining McDermott, Nick was a system director and senior corporate counsel for one of the country’s largest nonprofit health systems. In addition to his in-house experience, Nick held roles at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services where he focused on Stark Law matters and at the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals as an Attorney Advisor. He received his BS from the University of Delaware and his JD from American University, Washington College of Law.

Nick is the most recent addition to the Firm’s healthcare practice, following the arrival of Denise and Lester, as well as partners Alya Sulaiman and Heili Kim and counsel Purnima Boominathan.

McDermott is the nation’s leading healthcare law firm and the only healthcare practice to receive top national rankings from U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms,” Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US and Law360. The practice was also recognized by Chambers as “Healthcare Team of the Year” in 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019 and 2022. McDermott has also held the top spot in PitchBook’s League Tables as the most active firm for healthcare private equity since 2017.

McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,400 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.