Former FTC Attorney Christine White Joins Crowell & Moring’s Health Care and Antitrust Groups

Washington, D.C. – January 30, 2008: Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce the addition of partner Christine L. White to its New York office as a member of the firm's Antitrust and Health Care groups. White joins from Bingham McCutchen LLP, where she helped found and co-chair the firm's Healthcare Industry Group. White is also a former staff attorney for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), where she investigated and prosecuted mergers, joint ventures, and conduct cases involving health care entities. White's extensive experience in antitrust counseling and litigation will augment the firm’s premier Health Care and Antitrust groups.

"Chris offers clients the in-depth experience that comes from working as both a government antitrust enforcer and trusted advisor to many of America"s leading health care providers and payors. The combination of her public and private health care antitrust experience positions her to handle critical transactions and represent clients in government investigations and complex private litigation," said John T. Brennan, Jr., chair of Crowell & Moring"s Health Care Group.

White concentrates her practice on antitrust counseling, antitrust civil litigation, and trade regulation matters. She provides counseling on a range of antitrust issues, including mergers, joint ventures and other collaborations among competitors in diverse industries. She has represented corporate, trade association and health care industry clients, such as local and national health care systems, multi-institutional systems, hospital districts, third party payors, provider network organizations, physician groups, and long-term care facilities. She also has represented medical device and pharmaceutical companies.

"Crowell & Moring offers my clients the opportunity to draw from among the largest and most esteemed health care and antitrust legal practices in the country. Health care clients require highly focused counsel from attorneys who understand both the complexities of their industry and the importance of antitrust concerns that can affect their growth and ability to stay competitive. I am excited to join the firm because it is truly unique in terms of the depth and breadth of its health care industry client service," said White.

Before joining the FTC, White worked on legislative issues for U.S. Representative Paul E. Kanjorski. In addition to working on health care industry mergers and conduct cases while at the FTC, she also spent six months as an antitrust advisor to the Russian Federation.

White's work has included defending clients in civil actions and state and federal antitrust investigations. She has advised on matters involving allegations of price fixing, group boycott, monopolization and unfair trade practices, as well as concerns involving providers and payors on a variety of contracting issues, such as the use of tying and bundling discount arrangements. She also has represented buyers and sellers in connection with Hart Scott Rodino pre-merger notifications and related federal and state antitrust investigation. In addition, Chris has conducted many antitrust audits and compliance training programs for medical staffs, purchasing organizations, payors, trade associations and network joint ventures.

White is a Vice Chair of the Programs Committee of the American Bar Association's Antitrust Section and also a Vice Chair for the Antitrust Practice Group of the American Health Lawyers Association. She received a Master of Public Health from the Boston University School of Public Health and a law degree from Boston University School of Law.

"As an attorney who also started my career working on antitrust health care issues for the FTC, I have had the pleasure of knowing Chris for years. She brings clients the unique perspective that comes from having sat at the other side of the table, and she brings our partnership the brand of leadership experience that will help us to grow and to continue to recruit the best and brightest," said Arthur N. Lerner, a partner in Crowell & Moring's Health Care and Antitrust groups. Lerner directed the FTC's health care antitrust program from 1982 to 1985.

Crowell & Moring's Health Care Group has grown sharply. New partners include Karen A. Gibbs, the former lead in-house counsel at medical device company Applied Medical, and Robert Rhoad, who focuses on antitrust recovery actions, False Claims Act litigation and fraud and abuse. In 2006, the group added three health care litigation partners from King Pagano Harrison, and, in 2005, Christine Rinn, a leading managed care specialist.

Crowell & Moring LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 400 lawyers practicing in litigation, antitrust, government contracts, health care, corporate, intellectual property and a variety of 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 representing governments and corporations on international arbitration matters. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm also has offices in California, New York, London, and Brussels.

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