Crowell & Moring Strengthens Health Care Group With New Partner

Christine Rinn Joins Former Colleagues in One of Nation's Top Health Law Practices

Washington, D.C. - October, 11 2005: Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce the addition of partner Christine C. Rinn to the firm's expanding Health Care Group. Based in the Washington, D.C. office, Rinn boasts 20 years of experience with managed care law issues, most recently as partner with McDermott Will & Emery. The move reunites Rinn with her former colleagues from the Michaels & Bonner, P.C. Health Law Firm, which combined with Crowell & Moring in 2000. The Crowell & Moring practice of more than 25 attorneys is now ranked one of the top 20 health law groups in the nation, based on size. Rinn's arrival follows the firm's recent additions of counsel Lisa Meengs Joldersma, formerly with the federal Medicare program office and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, employee benefits counsel William J. Flanagan, and associate Michael W. Paddock.

"Christine joins us at a time when health industry clients are very interested in Medicare's Prescription Drug Benefit , the expanded Medicare Advantage program, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. She is a perfect fit to help our clients address what's coming next in the industry, and she is a strategic addition who fits well with the consistent growth of our practice," said John T. Brennan, chair of Crowell & Moring's Health Care Group.

Rinn's practice also encompasses assisting managed care organizations and other health care firms in obtaining and maintaining state and federal licenses, contracts and approvals, and in joint ventures and contracting matters. Her clients include health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations, health insurers, physician group practices, individual practice associations, and trade associations. Rinn's client work at Crowell & Moring will include representation of Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, Coventry Health Care, Inc., Health Net, Inc., Humana, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., and UnitedHealth Group.

Franklin Tom, Vice President, Legal, and Assistant General Counsel for Health Net, Inc. said, "Christine Rinn has been extremely helpful to our company. For example, her expertise on a Medicare related matter was matched by her willingness to provide us with immediate and thorough assistance."

Rinn has written extensively on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). She earned her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law.

“We have had the pleasure of working with Christine in the past and had always hoped we could reunite her with her colleagues. Her clients clearly respect her skills as a talented lawyer, and the depth of her expertise in key areas for health care organizations, as well as her current client base, are a perfect complement for our growing group,” said Crowell & Moring partner Arthur N. Lerner, who is also chair of the antitrust practice group of the American Health Lawyers Association.

Crowell & Moring LLP's Health Care Group provides a full range of legal services to health care clients nationwide. From individual providers to hospitals, academic medical centers, insurers, managed care companies, pharmaceutical companies, and both established and start-up health information technology and biotech companies, clients rely on Crowell & Moring's expertise and interdisciplinary approach to provide strategic solutions to the challenges of a dynamic industry.

Crowell & Moring LLP is a full-service law firm with approximately 300 attorneys practicing in litigation, antitrust, government contracts, corporate, intellectual property and more than 40 other practice areas. More than two-thirds of the firm's attorneys regularly litigate disputes on behalf of domestic and international corporations, start-up businesses, and individuals. Crowell & Moring's extensive client work ranges from advising on one of the world's largest telecommunications mergers to founding the nation's leading victims of terrorism practice. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm has offices in Brussels, California and London.