Morgan Lewis announced today that Thomas Zielinski—former executive vice president and general counsel at Coventry Health Care, Inc.—has joined the firm as a partner in its Litigation Practice, resident in Philadelphia.
As Coventry’s general counsel, a position he assumed in 2001, Mr. Zielinski focused on healthcare transactional, regulatory, provider reimbursement and litigation matters for what was one of the country’s largest health insurers before its acquisition by Aetna, Inc. Mr. Zielinski eventually took on the additional role of executive vice president, expanding his operational and financial duties and responsibilities within the company. Prior to joining Coventry, Mr. Zielinski maintained a successful litigation practice as a partner at another international law firm. He began his career serving for two years as an assistant district attorney in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
“Tom’s extensive litigation experience, coupled with the healthcare regulatory expertise he developed during his time at Coventry, will prove invaluable to our clients in and beyond the healthcare industry,” said Firm Chair Francis M. Milone. “I have worked with Tom on a case previously, and can say from experience that he is an outstanding, ethical, and zealous advocate for his clients. We are fortunate to have him among our ranks.”
Mr. Zielinski has more than 10 years of experience in healthcare litigation, as well as a deep background in commercial litigation. In his practice, he will advise health insurers, healthcare providers, and specialty insurers across the United States on matters involving fraud and abuse litigation, negotiations with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and other regulatory issues with state and federal agencies.
“Tom’s arrival will benefit our healthcare regulatory, healthcare litigation, and healthcare transactions practices, further solidifying the three as marquee practices in the industry,” noted Jami McKeon, Leader of the firm’s Litigation Practice.
Mr. Zielinski joins a team of nearly 700 litigators working from 20 offices around the world. The firm’s deep bench of trial lawyers, armed with extensive skills in alternative dispute resolution and combined with its technology-savvy discovery teams, work to guard clients’ short-term and long-term interests inside and outside of the courtroom. In one representative three-year period the firm litigated some 10,000 cases and took cases to trial in every major U.S. jurisdiction, as well as in the United Kingdom and Europe. Morgan Lewis litigators serve a wide array of industries, including financial services, technology, life sciences, pharmaceutical, energy, retail and healthcare.
