02
Leading with Purpose
// Community & Commitment Report
When Oxford needed a US law firm to help document the state of American climate legislation, it came to Mintz. Member and ESG Practice Co-chair Jacob Hupart and Associate Will McKitterick took on the work as a pro bono engagement. Jacob and Will worked through hundreds of federal regulations, statutes, and executive orders. Now in its third year, the project expanded this past year to include the state of California.
Several years ago, the University of Oxford began tracking global progress toward this goal, documenting climate-related tools and policies and assessing whether, and how, commitments are being implemented in practice.
With the environmental threat of climate change looming, countries around the world committed to achieving net-zero emissions under the Paris Agreement. Governments then faced the more complex task of translating those commitments into domestic law, applying a range of principles and policy approaches.
Hear Ayaz and Adam reflect on the work and its significance.
Global Climate Research
Gentle Earth
In this video, Kim reflects on the breach of contract case that sparked the vision for a dedicated insurance practice. She shares how a client‑first approach turned a single engagement into one of Mintz’s most enduring client relationships.
One night, while walking home, she was intercepted by gang members, sexually assaulted, and threatened with further harm and death. She returned home and spoke with her parents, who told her they could not protect her and advised that she leave El Salvador for her safety. This was especially troubling because her father was a detective and knew the potential risks Marisol faced if she stayed. Marisol subsequently traveled to the United States.
Legal Victory Protects Survivor Days Before Policy Shift
// Immigration
Through volunteer programs, fundraising, cultural events, and firm-led initiatives, our colleagues show up in meaningful ways. Many of these efforts have become lasting traditions, and the organizations we partner with count on our support year after year.
Mintz in the Community
Read more
Mock Trial and Mock Appeal Program with Discovering Justice
Read more
PK Day of Community Service
Read more
Back-to-School Backpack Project
Through a long-standing partnership with Discovering Justice, Mintz Project Analysts and attorneys in Boston dedicate a full semester to mentoring middle school students and preparing them for a mock legal case. In the fall, students conduct a complete trial in federal court, delivering opening and closing statements and examining witnesses before a sitting state or federal judge. In the spring, they draft appellate briefs and present oral arguments before a judicial panel.
Mock Trial and Mock Appeal Program with Discovering Justice
Former Managing Member, Washington, DC
— Bruce Sokler
Peter was one of the most popular and well-connected people in the office. He was an excellent lawyer, but he was an even better colleague.
Each summer, the Washington, DC office honors the memory of Peter Kimm, a young Member killed in an automobile accident in June 1995, with an annual day of community service. Peter was an extraordinary attorney and a deeply committed member of his community, and the DC office launched PK Day in his honor that same year. Three decades later, the entire DC office comes together each summer to volunteer with local organizations, carrying forward the spirit of service that defined Peter’s career.
PK Day of Community Service
Since 2003, Mintz has provided more than 5,800 backpacks to children living in shelters. Each child receives a backpack filled with school supplies and a new outfit to wear on the first day of school, tailored so it feels personal and special.
Back-to-School Backpack Project
Our Community & Commitment Report highlights the interconnected initiatives — pro bono, DEI, community engagement, and leadership — that define who we are. We welcome opportunities to partner with clients and colleagues to amplify these commitments and build a more inclusive future.
© 2026 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. All Rights Reserved.
Learn more about Mintz's culture and how you can join us in shaping what’s next.
Learn more
Shaping What’s Next, Together
03
Learn more
Learn about the initiatives that strengthen the Mintz community, highlighting individual journeys, inclusive engagement, and meaningful connections across the firm.
Building Our Community
01
Learn more
Understand who we are through a collection of insights, leadership perspectives, and key highlights — from impactful stories and firm milestones to profiles of the individuals shaping our inclusive community.
Who we are
Over a decades-long career, Kim Marrkand built Mintz’s nationally recognized Insurance Practice Group, representing insurers in property and casualty, directors and officers liability, and reinsurance matters.
Spotlight: 2025 Richard Mintz Pro Bono Award Winner Courtney Herndon
Hear Pro Bono Committee Chair Sue Finegan and Courtney discuss what this recognition means and the impact of pro bono work at Mintz.
Across every office, Mintz attorneys and professional staff invest in programs that expand opportunities, build career pathways, and strengthen our communities.
Explore how Mintz gives back and the community partnerships that make lasting impact possible.
Learn more
Over the course of roughly a year, the team built a bespoke Letter of Authorization, the core agreement between a host government and a project developer that establishes land and operational rights and makes a project financeable under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The work spanned multiple legal systems and jurisdictions, including civil law countries and the United Arab Emirates, all with the shared objective of directly supporting environmental restoration and, in turn, promoting economic stability, in developing countries.
To transform that vision into reality, Gentle Earth’s innovative founder needed legal support, and turned to Ayaz Shaikh, Mintz Member and Chair of the Projects and Infrastructure Practice. Ayaz, who had spent years working with the World Bank on the early implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, brought in Adam Banack, Partner in the Sustainable Energy and Infrastructure Practice. Together, they took on Gentle Earth as a pro bono client.
In Haiti, hurricanes and other climate-related forces have left the country effectively deforested, with devastating consequences for its ecosystem. To address ongoing degradation and mitigate the inevitable climate impacts of deforestation, a Dubai-based entity, Gentle Earth, was formed to offer carbon offsets that support reforestation projects in developing countries.
The work featured here includes a state supreme court climate ruling, a False Claims Act resolution for a national health care network, nearly 40 concurrent federal and state investigations, and
a client relationship spanning nearly two decades.
Trusted Strategists, Lasting Impact: Women Leading Across Key Client Matters
— Shelter Volunteer
This project is marvelous for the children’s self-esteem. They go back to school dressed as nicely as their peers, with backpacks filled with supplies. It makes them feel good about themselves, encourages them to look forward to the new school year, and lets them know their community cares about them and their education.
RESPOND, Chief Executive Officer
— Victoria Helberg
Shelter partners see the impact every year. Our kids come into the shelter with sometimes nothing. No clothes, no toys, nothing. This gives them that excitement of going back to school, of getting their backpack and all their school supplies.
Mintz women attorneys serve as strategic advisors to companies across the women’s health ecosystem, from venture firms backing health and technology companies to artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biotech startups, precision medical device companies, and the nation’s largest physician-led fertility network. The work spans patent strategy, intellectual property (IP) diligence, AI compliance, health law, and corporate financings, often for clients operating in areas where the legal frameworks are still developing.
Women Attorneys Powering Women’s Health Innovation
Mintz women are building networks, mentoring the next generation, and driving community impact — from boardroom gender parity initiatives and public finance leadership to youth development.
Women Connecting Leaders and Expanding Opportunities
Read more
Supporting Nonprofits with Clinic in a Box®
Read more
Mintz at the BizGrow Conference
Watch the video to learn more from Mintz Members Alex Civetta and Josh Fox.
Advancing Local Entrepreneurs: Mintz at the BizGrow Conference
Gentle Earth: Building a Legal Framework for Global Reforestation
Listen as Jacob and Will discuss the partnership and why it matters.
Member
Amanda B. Asaro
Associate
Elizabeth M. Platonova
Senior Project Analyst
Isabel Coberly
Pro Bono Team
In her home country of El Salvador, “Marisol” and her family faced threats from gang members seeking to target her father, a police officer who investigated gang activity. Marisol began receiving anonymous phone calls and, fearing for her safety, limited her movements outside the home.
After several years pending before the BIA, the Board issued a favorable decision, holding that the immigration court had applied the incorrect legal standard. The BIA clarified that Marisol’s status as the daughter of a detective need only be “at least one central reason” for her persecution rather than the sole reason, and remanded the case to the same immigration judge for reconsideration under the corrected standard.
After arriving in the United States, Marisol applied for asylum, but her initial application was denied by an immigration judge who found that while Marisol was targeted because of her status as the daughter of a detective, there were other reasons the gang targeted her so her status as the daughter of a detective was not the primary reason as required under the law. Over the course of nearly a decade, the case wound its way through litigation — first before the immigration court, then through multiple appeals — ultimately reaching the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
The judge strongly suggested the earlier date, warning that current law favored Marisol but might soon change. Liz consulted Amanda, conferred with the client in the room, and accepted the 10-day hearing. With support from Senior Project Analyst Isabel Coberly, the Mintz team rose to the challenge and pivoted immediately to prepare.
Following a referral from the New York City Bar Justice Center, one of several immigration nonprofits through which Mintz’s pro bono program provides asylum representation, Mintz Member Amanda Asaro and Associate Liz Platonova stepped in to help. After two earlier master calendar hearings and repeated settlement outreach to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the master calendar hearing presented an extraordinary and unexpected choice: a merits hearing in 10 days or a date in late 2028.
A Race Against Time
Navigate to read full story
Read Full Story
Legal Victory Protects Survivor Days Before Policy Shift
Pro Bono & Advocacy: Incredible Impact Stories
With only a week to prepare, the team compressed months of work into days. They held at least three intensive preparation calls with Marisol to walk through her testimony and potential crossexamination, while simultaneously assembling the briefing and supporting evidence. Although the judge indicated that expert evidence was not required, Isabel secured a tailored country conditions expert report before the deadline. This submission, together with a new legal brief and the existing record regarding familial targeting as the daughter of a police officer, formed part of the written materials presented to the court.
Building the Case Under Pressure
Impact Beyond the Case
On the day of the hearing, the judge ruled on the papers and granted asylum in a three-minute hearing, just before the legal precedent on which the case relied shifted. After nearly 10 years, Marisol’s ordeal ended and she could finally begin a new chapter in safety.
Victory in Three Minutes
Associate
— Elizabeth M. Platonova
It was stressful and nerve-racking but having [Marisol] in the room and a strong remand decision gave us confidence.
For the Mintz team, whose attorneys and professionals across roles contributed their skills to the case, the experience reinforced why this work matters. As Liz reflected, “This is why I wanted to be a lawyer.”
Member
— Amanda B. Asaro
Helping even one person reminds you that your skills can right the world on a micro scale.
Read Full Story
How Mintz Advocates Helped a Survivor Reclaim Her Life
Read Full Story
Providing Stability for Children Through Adoption
Read Full Story
Expanding Access to Legal Aid for Veterans
Director of VLS
— Angie Vargas
For the past decade, Mintz team members have volunteered their time and expertise to support Massachusetts veterans through legal clinics like the one at the Brockton VA Medical Center, where they helped VLS quadruple the number of veterans served. Mintz attorneys have also represented individual veterans, including preventing an eviction for a veteran and his family just before the holidays.
Hayley Wolf, staff attorney with The Veterans Consortium, reflected on the partnership.
Mintz’s commitment to veterans extends beyond its partnership with VLS. Through a collaboration with The Veterans Consortium in Washington, DC, Mintz supports a national virtual intake and referral clinic, addressing veterans’ legal needs. In 2025, 34 volunteer attorneys and professionals from six Mintz offices, including Summer Associates and several inhouse client teams, conducted assessment interviews and provided referrals for 50 veterans nationwide.
Expanding Support Beyond Massachusetts
With virtual clinics now underway, Mintz and VLS expect to reach even more veterans in the coming year, continuing to offer legal support and reduce barriers for those who have served.
Guiding this effort is the Mintz VLS leadership team: Associates Amanda Metell and Michael Pollack, former Mintz Associate Tara Dunn Jackson, and Project Analyst Jordyn Flaherty. The team recruits volunteers, helps VLS staff with managing the clinics, and sustains the firm’s partnership with VLS — all while continuing to volunteer to provide brief legal services during the clinic.
In 2025 alone, 15 Mintz attorneys, Project Analysts, and staff members contributed 195 pro bono hours in support of 51 veterans across the Commonwealth.
They explained that Marcus could not be forced to leave without proper legal notice, walked him through what to expect if formal eviction proceedings were filed, and connected him with veteran housing resources that could provide more stable options. What had felt like an impossible situation just days earlier now had a clear path forward, and Marcus had the time and support he needed to navigate it.
Facing the prospect of losing his home, Marcus sought help at a Veterans Legal Services (VLS) clinic at the Brockton VA Medical Center, one of the long-standing legal aid clinics supported by Mintz’s pro bono program. A Mintz team quickly stepped in.
Just days before the holidays, “Marcus,” a veteran dealing with serious health challenges, received an unexpected blow: his landlord told him, verbally, to vacate the home where he had lived for several years. With limited income and few housing options, Marcus didn’t know whether the eviction was even legal, or what he could do about it.
Navigate to read full story
Project Analyst
Wish Pandey
Project Analyst
Jordyn Flaherty
Former Associate
Tara Dunn Jackson
Associate
Michael Pollack
Associate
Amanda R. Metell
Member, Chair, Pro Bono Committee
Sue Finegan
Pro Bono Team
Expanding Access to Legal Aid for Veterans
// Community Outreach
Associate
— Frances Senn
If you’re looking for a happy pro bono case, this is it. Many pro bono cases have good outcomes but involve sad stories. If you want something happy, do an adoption case.
Nadia added, “Court can feel intimidating, but adoption hearings are a rare opportunity to make the process joyful. I was inspired by the idea that attorneys can help turn what might feel intimidating into a celebration — a day that families will remember for all the right reasons.” The cases themselves are straightforward but require precision and empathy. Attorneys complete forms, contact clients, and guide families through every step of the process. The Alliance provides a comprehensive manual — about 300 pages — and responsive guidance to help attorneys navigate unique circumstances.
The following year, Associate Frances Senn joined after hearing about the work from colleagues who had found it deeply rewarding. “Word spread around the office, and Nadia onboarded me,” she recalled. “I was a first-year looking for some pro bono to do, and this sounded like great work, so I said yes. We’ve kept it going — this is our second year now.” For Frances, the most meaningful part of the work is witnessing families come together. “That moment in court when you can say, ‘We’re a family now,’ really resonates,” she said. “I have a two-year-old son, so I understand how significant that is. Even assisting with paperwork and standing before the judge feels incredibly meaningful.”
Since 2023, attorneys in our Los Angeles Office have partnered with the Alliance to advance this mission through adoption day clinics, which were created to expedite adoptions and provide stability for children in foster care. At these clinics, Mintz attorneys prepare and file legal documentation, represent adoptive parents at unopposed hearings, and help navigate unique circumstances, making the final step toward permanency as seamless as possible. In 2025, Mintz participated in three clinics, assisting five families and seven children throughout the process. Associate Nadia Zivkov first got involved with the program in 2024.
In Los Angeles County, more than 22,000 children are in foster care and more than 3,000 of those children are awaiting adoptive families.
Navigate to read full story
Associate
Nadia Zivkov
Associate
Frances Senn
Pro Bono Team
Providing Stability for Children Through Adoption
// Adoption
The vast majority of survivors do not have an attorney to represent them. When someone faces the court system alone, especially against experienced counsel, they’re at a real disadvantage. Our work helps even the playing field.
Because Sage’s abuse occurred 15 to 20 years earlier, the team anticipated that the judge might question whether the current circumstances satisfied this requirement. But, through careful preparation, the team was able to persuade the judge that the client merited protection, eventually leading to a one-year order.
Under Massachusetts law, Chapter 209A permits a plaintiff to seek an abuse prevention order against a family or household member when the statutory definition of “abuse” is met. In most cases, courts focus on whether the plaintiff has a reasonable fear of imminent serious physical harm, one of the primary statutory bases for relief.
Navigating Legal Complexities
Mintz attorneys Amanda Metell and Karolyn Ranero stepped in to help, with guidance from Colin MacDougald, who runs the firm’s Domestic Violence Project (DVP). Established more than 30 years ago, the DVP has engaged more than 1,000 attorneys and staff members in representing survivors of gender-based violence. The project also serves as legal counsel to nonprofits working to stop these abuses, advocates for legislative reform, and supports pivotal appellate cases.
For a time, that distance gave her hope. But when her father began trying to reenter her life — through repeated attempts to reconnect — the sense of safety she had worked so hard to create disappeared. By mid-2025, Sage was living in constant fear and struggling to regain peace.
As a child, “Sage” was sexually assaulted by her father. For years, she carried the weight of that trauma in silence. When she reached adulthood, she cut off all contact with him, determined to reclaim her life and build the everyday routines she wanted.
Navigate to read full story
Associate
Karolyn Ranero
Associate
Amanda R. Metell
Associate
Colin MacDougald
Pro Bono Team
Breaking the Silence: How Mintz Advocates Helped a Survivor Reclaim Her Life
// Domestic Violence
Associate
— Amanda R. Metell
It’s the kind of story that illustrates how the clinics provide immediate, practical support that can stabilize a veteran’s situation and prevent harm before it escalates.
For more than a decade, Mintz volunteers have partnered with VLS, a Boston-based nonprofit that provides free civil legal aid to economically disadvantaged veterans across Massachusetts. Through monthly clinics at the Brockton VA Medical Center and virtual sessions, Mintz serves as a core partner, helping VLS reach more than 1,100 veterans each year and addressing matters such as eviction prevention, discharge status appeals, and access to financial and medical benefits.
Volunteers assisted with a range of matters including estate planning, family law, discharge upgrades, Social Security and disability benefits, and even intellectual property issues.
Amanda also emphasized the broader impact of the work: “What stands out to me is the balance between big-picture and personal impact. We’re helping reduce a significant waitlist, but we’re also giving individual veterans immediate support. Even a small step forward can make a huge difference for someone facing uncertainty, and that’s incredibly meaningful.”
Voices from the Clinic
Angie Vargas, director of VLS, noted the effect Mintz’s long-standing support has had on VLS’s capacity to assist veterans.
Staff Attorney
— Hayley Wolf
We love the passion and professionalism Mintz volunteers bring to our veterans’ cases. We couldn’t offer this critical resource to veterans without the support of dedicated pro bono partners like the team at Mintz.
The Alliance for Children’s Rights, one of California’s largest adoption organizations, works to eliminate barriers to adoption by providing free legal services to caregivers, adoptive parents, and children impacted by foster care. Each year, the Alliance serves more than 5,000 children and young adults, helping families finalize the adoption process quickly and smoothly.
Associate
— Nadia Zivkov
I wanted to use my legal experience to make the adoption process as smooth and positive as possible during such an important moment.
Remarkably, Sage found the courage to ask for a restraining order so she could live her life without fear.
Finding Courage and Legal Support
She reached out to one of Mintz’s nonprofit partners that supports survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
Associate
— Karolyn Ranero
This was the first restraining order case I had worked on, and it was quite different because it was based on abuse that had happened long ago.
During several meetings, the Mintz team learned more about Sage’s history and her fear of not being believed in court. “She asked us point blank, ‘Is there a chance the judge is going to say he doesn’t believe me?’ That’s always a huge fear of our clients,” said Colin.
Soon after, Sage sent handwritten notes thanking the team and included a photo she took while sitting in Boston Common.
Impact Beyond the Courtroom
Associate
— Colin MacDougald
It actually took me a while to realize how powerful that was — just being able to sit outside without fear was entirely new to her.
This case was unusual in every way — from the time gap to the complexity of the law to the fact that the defendant had sophisticated counsel. But we got the best outcome for our client.
Associate
— Karolyn Ranero
Associate
— Colin MacDougald
Mintz attorneys participated in the ninth annual BizGrow Conference in Boston, hosted by Lawyers for Civil Rights, and again supported the organization during its remote WinterFest clinic. Through these programs, Mintz attorneys and volunteers helped 37 low-income entrepreneurs, people of color, immigrants, and women address business challenges ranging from hiring to contract review and securing a first lease.
Watch these conversations to learn more.
Clinic in a Box® brings together in-house counsel volunteers, Mintz attorney trainers, and Bostonarea nonprofit clients for a half-day of pro bono legal support. In this video, Member Christopher Lisy, Pro Bono Committee Chair Sue Finegan, and Senior Project Analysts Wish Pandey and Judy Zhang reflect on the collaboration behind the clinic, including the preparation that guides each year’s training, evolving focus areas, and partnerships across the pro bono community. Now in its fifteenth year, the program continues to provide meaningful opportunities for volunteers and nonprofits to learn, connect, and strengthen their work.
Clinic in a Box®: Supporting Nonprofits Through Pro Bono Service
Building Our Community
Leading with Purpose
Who we are
Mintz in the Community
Global climate Impact
Pro Bono & Advocacy
Powering Women's Health Innovation
Women Leading Across Key Client Matters
Defining a Practice Legacy
// 02
Leading with Purpose
Cultivating Inclusion, Driving Engagement
A Summer at Mintz
Unconventional Paths to Law
Career Insights from Women Leaders
// 03
Building Our Community
Meet the Affinity Group Chairs
By the Numbers
Leadership Perspectives on Impact
Welcome Letter
// 01
Who We Are
Select chapter or section to Explore
// Community & Commitment Report
Navigate to read Partners Quotes
Learn more
Learn more about Mintz's culture and how you can join us in shaping what’s next.
Women Connecting Leaders
Built to Last: Defining a Practice Legacy
Hear Kim’s perspective on building trust, growing a practice, and knowing when the work is in the right hands.
Member
Alec Zadek
Member
Nicholas Cramb
Special Counsel
Allison Radocha
Special Counsel
Laura Bange Stephens
Member / Chair, Insurance Practice
Nancy D. Adams
Member
Marc Abrams
Attorneys Involved in Expanding the Insurance Practice Group
Member
Mathilda McGee-Tubb
Member
Ellen MacDonald Farrell
Member
Suman Chakraborty
Across litigation, regulatory, real estate, and health care, women attorneys lead some of Mintz’s most consequential client relationships. They serve as the primary strategists their clients trust with their most complex challenges.
Read Full Case
Reframing a High-Stakes Fraud Dispute Through Strategic Litigation
Read Full Case
Defending a Lawyer in an SEC Investigation of a Public Company and Its Executives
Read Full Case
Helping Cigna Exit Medicare in a $3.7 Billion Health Care Transaction
Read Full Case
Defending a Climate Liability Case with National Implications
Managing Member, DC Office,
Litigation, Washington, DC
— Michelle N. Lipkowitz
A trusted strategist is a person who combines deep understanding of goals, context, and power dynamics with the credibility to influence decisions — by telling the truth, anticipating consequences, and acting in the long-term interest of the people and companies they advise. A trusted strategist is someone decision-makers listen to when the answers are unclear, the risks are real, and getting it wrong would matter.
In March 2026, the Supreme Court of Maryland ruled for the defendants, holding that federal law preempts state law governing air pollution that crosses state lines and that the plaintiffs attempted to use litigation to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The ruling blocked the suits from advancing.
With similar cases pending nationwide, the decision has become a significant reference point for climate liability law and for the defense strategy Michelle built over the course of this litigation.
In the past decade, more than three dozen municipalities have sued major oil and gas companies over allegations that the industry deceived the public about the connection between fossil fuels and climate change.
Navigate to read full case
Decade-long
Multiphase litigation
TIME HORIZON
State courts
Federal courts
US Supreme Court
JURISDICTIONS
municipal lawsuits nationwide
Scope
Case at a Glance
Defending a Climate Liability Case with National Implications
The litigation has become one of the most consequential fronts in energy law, and Michelle N. Lipkowitz, Managing Member of Mintz’s Washington, DC office, has served as lead defense counsel.
As lead counsel for an energy company, Michelle guided a coordinated defense through years of proceedings across state and federal courts, including jurisdictional questions that reached the US Supreme Court before the merits were heard.
TEAM IMPACT
30
Member, Litigation Washington, DC
Michelle N. Lipkowitz
+
Community That Lifts Women
Women Leading Forward
Associate
— Nadia Zivkov
Being part of this experience has made me appreciate the human side of our profession even more. It’s a reminder that the law can truly be a force for happiness and stability.
Through this dedicated effort, Mintz helps ensure that children in foster care find permanent, loving homes. This work reflects our broader pro bono commitment to advancing civil and human rights and supporting organizations that strengthen communities.
Advancing Global Climate Research with Oxford
The Mintz Pro Bono Committee presented Courtney Herndon with the 2025 Richard Mintz Pro Bono Award, which recognizes an attorney who demonstrates leadership and commitment to pro bono advocacy. Courtney’s pro bono work centers on reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and support for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
View All Pro Bono Award Recipients
Managing Member, DC Office Litigation, Washington, DC
— Michelle N. Lipkowitz
A trusted strategist is a person who combines deep understanding of goals, context, and power dynamics with the credibility to influence decisions — by telling the truth, anticipating consequences, and acting in the long-term interest of the people and companies they advise. A trusted strategist is someone decision-makers listen to when the answers are unclear, the risks are real, and getting it wrong would matter.
The transaction was among the largest health care deals of the year. Cigna was in the top 10 largest Medicare Advantage and Part D plan sponsors in the country, so its exit from the market was notable. HCSC’s acquisition was also a significant shift in the industry because the closing of the transaction resulted in HCSC operating plans in direct competition to many other BCBS plans.
Working on and closing the transaction was a great experience. We enjoyed working with our client, co-counsel, and counsel representing HCSC to help get the transaction across the finished line.
Tara and Lauren led the team, assisted by Member Bridgette Keller, relating to all health matters and were responsible for securing both federal and state health approvals that were necessary for the transaction to close. Some of the approvals included multiple novations approved by CMS and review and approvals under state transaction review laws and were secured across 2024 and 2025. Without such approvals, the transaction would not have been able to occur.
Tara Dwyer and Lauren Moldawer, Members in Mintz’s Health Law Practice, were engaged as regulatory counsel and worked collaboratively with many law firms for both Cigna and the buyer across multiple years to structure, negotiate, and close the sale of Cigna’s Medicare and care management business to HCSC (a combination of multiple BCBS plans) for $3.7 billion.
Navigate to read full story
Helping Cigna Exit Medicare in a $3.7 Billion Health Care Transaction
Federal preemption
Climate science
Coordinated multijurisdictional defense
Member, Litigation
New York
LisaMarie Collins
Member, Co-chair, Financial Services
New York
Therese Doherty
— Therese Doherty & LisaMarie Collins
Our goal was to distinguish our client from the cofounders of the public company and its CEO and CFO, and demonstrate that there was a nonfraudulent narrative surrounding a series of communications and documents involving our client. It was imperative to preserve our client’s ability to reactivate his license to practice law.
The SEC enforcement staff served a Wells notice advising that it determined to recommend that the Commission file an enforcement action against the client alleging that he aided and abetted a securities law violation by the former chief financial officer. Through their Wells submission and a presentation, Therese and LisaMarie convinced the SEC enforcement staff not to charge their client, but to close the investigation as it related to him. The company entered into a consent settlement with the SEC, and the SEC filed an enforcement action against the three former executives.
Members Therese Doherty and LisaMarie Collins led the defense of a lawyer who, along with three former chief executives of a public company, were the targets of a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation of alleged securities law violations.
Defending a Lawyer in an SEC Investigation of a Public Company and Its Executives
Member, Litigation
Boston
Mathilda McGee-Tubb
— Mathilda McGee-Tubb
Success in complex cases requires preparation, dexterity, and teamwork. You have to know your client, the case, and your narrative inside and out. You also have to be nimble and ready to pivot. Whether it is persuading a judge who is stuck on a particular legal theory that hasn’t been raised yet, or developing a creative solution that accomplishes your client’s goals, you have to use everything you’ve learned along the way to think outside the box and broker a successful outcome. Accomplishing this requires collaborative teams where everyone sees how their contributions inform the course.
As a Member in Mintz’s Litigation Practice, Mathilda drove strategy from discovery through motion practice and delivered a summary judgment argument that changed how the court viewed the claims. The result was the dismissal of substantially all fraud allegations against the client, shifting leverage and paving the way for a favorable resolution.
When a major real estate developer faced a high-stakes fraud dispute years in the making, Mathilda McGee-Tubb stepped in to reframe the case.
Reframing a High-Stakes Fraud Dispute Through Strategic Litigation
Member,
Intellectual Property, San Francisco
— Terri Shieh-Newton, PhD
Meaningful impact in my work comes from advancing innovation that moves beyond the lab to meaningfully improve health and wellness, empowering people to lead fuller, more vibrant lives.
In this Q&A, Marguerite shares her perspective on advising at the intersection of AI and women’s health, and what early-stage companies in this space should be thinking about now.
Navigate to Read Full Q&A
Member,
Intellectual Property, San Diego
Marguerite McConihe
AI in women’s health raises unique questions around data quality, bias, and regulatory scrutiny, particularly because women have historically been underrepresented in health data sets. That means legal advice has to account not just for compliance and IP protection, but for how these tools will be evaluated for real-world impact and adoption.
Additional Work
Gynecological Device company
AI Biotech Startup
The legal challenges facing a women-owned biotech startup using data-driven AI to improve women’s health rarely fit within a single practice area. AI compliance, trade secret and patent strategy, and early monetization are tightly intertwined, and a decision in one area can significantly impact the others. Marguerite McConihe, a Member in Mintz’s Intellectual Property Practice, provides the strategic guidance that helps each company successfully navigate these complexities while protecting its core technology and building optimized paths to market.
//Q How is the legal landscape for AI in women’s health different from other areas you work in?
Guiding a Women-Owned AI Biotech Startup from Early IP to Market Strategy
Click portraits to read more
Member
Nikki Rivers
Member
Poonam Patidar
Member
Natalie Groot
Associate
Emma Follansbee
Emma has served as a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Friends Council Leadership Committee since 2022, advancing opportunity for youth and families across Greater Boston.
Learn more
Associate
Emma Follansbee
Angela Kung, Chair of Mintz’s Technology, Communications, and Media Practice (TechComm), founded AllGenFem, a professional network that connects more than 125 professionals across nearly 40 organizations in the industry. In this video, Angela shares how she built the network and what it has produced for clients and colleagues.
All In: Building a Community That Lifts Women at Every Stage
Read more
TargetCancer Foundation
After Paul Poth, a former Mintz litigator, was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma at age 38, he founded TargetCancer Foundation in 2009 to accelerate research and improve options for people living with rare cancers. Paul died in August 2009, but the foundation has continued to grow under the leadership of his wife, Kristen Palma Poth, and her brother, Jim Palma. Since 2010, Mintz has supported the foundation with pro bono legal services, event materials, and Project Analyst support for its annual Scientific Meeting and StrikeOut Rare Cancer fundraiser, helping advance Paul’s vision for better outcomes across rare cancers.
TargetCancer Foundation
Member
Jen Rubin
Learn more
Jen serves as co-chair of the 50/50 Women on Boards Leadership Committee, San Diego, and also serves on the faculty of The Honor Foundation and on the Board of Directors of the USS Midway Museum, where she chairs the Governance Committee and serves on the Executive Committee.
Member
Jen Rubin
Learn more
Nikki serves as a board member of Girl Scouts San Diego, supporting programs that build confidence, skills, and meaningful engagement for girls across San Diego and Imperial counties.
Member
Nikki Rivers
Learn more
Poonam serves as president of Boston Women in Public Finance. The Boston chapter was founded in 2010 and now connects women working across the public finance industry. She also serves as chair of the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence.
Member
Poonam Patidar
Learn more
Natalie sits on the Women’s Health Advisory Board at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and on the Board of Trustees of the Phoenix Charter Academy Network, which operates schools for underserved and marginalized students.
Member
Natalie Groot
Member, Litigation,
New York
LisaMarie Collins
Member, Co-chair, Financial Services
New York
Therese Doherty
Member, Health Law Washington, DC
Lauren Moldawer
Women Featured in the Stories Above
Member, Health Law
New York
Bridgette Keller
Member, Health Law
Washington, DC
Tara Dwyer
Member, Litigation
Washington, DC
Michelle Lipkowitz
Member, Litigation New York
Kristen White
Member, Litigation Los Angeles
Arameh O’Boyle
Of Counsel, Health Law
Boston
Samantha Kingsbury
Associate, Health Law Boston
Jane Haviland
Member and Founder, Health Care Enforcement Defense Washington, DC
Hope Foster
Caw Practice & Co-chair, Health Care Enforcement Defense Practice Washington, DC
Karen Lovitch
Member, Real Estate
Los Angeles
Erin Natter
Member, Litigation Boston
Mathilda McGee-Tubb
I find it compelling because the technology can directly address long-standing gaps in health care outcomes for women. Advising at an early stage gives us the opportunity to help companies build responsibly, in a way that aligns innovation, ethics, and long-term value.
//Q What do you find most interesting about this area of work?
Read Full Case
Prosecuting a High-Stakes Fiduciary Duty Dispute for a Global Investment Firm
Read Full Case
Coordinating Defense Across 38+ Investigations for a Diagnostics Company
Read Full Case
Resolving a False Claims Act Investigation for a National Health Care Network
Read Full Case
Cultivating a Two-Decade Client Relationship in Institutional Real Estate
Member, Litigation New York
Kristen White
Therese Doherty
Throughout this sensitive dispute, Therese and Kristen guided overall litigation strategy and advanced the client’s interests. The Mintz team defeated motions to dismiss and for summary judgment, as well as two appeals, and achieved a successful settlement on the eve of trial.
Therese Doherty and Kristen White led a Mintz team that represented entities affiliated with a global investment firm in a litigation against former executives of a competitor.
Prosecuting a High-Stakes Fiduciary Duty Dispute for a Global Investment Firm
— Therese Doherty & Kristen White
Our top priority was protecting our client’s interests, particularly its highly valuable and sensitive confidential and proprietary information. We focused on this while driving the matter toward a resolution that achieved the client’s goals.
Navigate to read full case
— Lexie Gallo-Cook
Supporting clients through uncertainty starts with showing up as true partners, not just outside advisors. We work alongside clients as an extension of their team, grounding our legal analysis in a clear understanding of their business goals, risk appetite, and day-to-day realities.
A team of women attorneys from Mintz’s Health Care Enforcement Defense and Litigation Practice — Hope Foster, Lexie Gallo-Cook, Arameh O’Boyle, Samantha Kingsbury, and Jane Haviland — leads the defense.
For a diagnostics company, government scrutiny has come from multiple directions at once. The company is responding to inquiries from the federal government and nearly 40 states.
First-impression inquiries
Overlapping agency jurisdiction
Cross-practice, cross-office defense coordination
TEAM IMPACT
Federal and state enforcement authorities
JURISDICTIONS
concurrent federal and state investigations
40
Scope
Case at a Glance
Coordinating Defense Across 38+ Investigations for a Diagnostics Company
Nearly
They develop an integrated enforcement, regulatory, and litigation strategy, coordinate responses across overlapping agencies, and manage the handling of highly sensitive scientific and patient information.
— Client Testimonial
Hope has always been supportive of advancing [the company’s] business strategies. She has a deep understanding of our business and the environment in which we operate, particularly in the support that she and the firm have given to [the company].
Member, Litigation Los Angeles
Arameh O’Boyle
Member and Founder, Health Care Enforcement Defense
Washington, DC
Hope Foster
Associate, Health Law Boston
Jane Haviland
Member, Litigation New York
Lexie Gallo-Cook
Of Counsel, Health Law Boston
Samantha Kingsbury
Chair, Health Law Practice & Co-chair, Health Care Enforcement Defense Practice Washington, DC
LisaMarie Collins
Member, Litigation New York
Karen Lovitch
— LisaMarie Collins & Karen Lovitch
We worked closely with the company to cooperate with the government’s investigation that was ultimately dismissed. We subsequently mounted a vigorous defense against the employee retaliation claim. In reaching a resolution, the company was able to credibly maintain its culture of open and transparent compliance, one in which employees feel empowered to raise concerns without fear of retaliation. That culture is central to the company, and preserving it was a key priority.
The government and the whistleblower agreed to dismiss the FCA claims, and the team reached a resolution of the retaliation matter without any finding or admission of liability. The resolution allowed the client to move forward while maintaining its focus on supporting clinicians participating in its accountable care organizations nationwide.
When the nation’s largest network of independent primary care organizations faced a False Claims Act (FCA) investigation and a related whistleblower retaliation action, the matters raised questions about billing practices and compliance within a value-based care model.
Resolving a False Claims Act Investigation for a National Health Care Network
Member, Real Estate
Los Angeles
Erin Natter
In this video, Erin reflects on working with the same client over the course of her career. She discusses how deep familiarity with a client’s portfolio and risk profile shapes her approach to individual deals, and what it takes to sustain high-value relationships over time.
For nearly 20 years, Member Erin Natter has guided a multimanager investment firm with more than $50 billion in assets under management through a portfolio of multifaceted real estate transactions.
Cultivating a Two-Decade Client Relationship in Institutional Real Estate
Entrusted with the relationship since her first year of practice as an Associate, Erin has delivered value across acquisitions and financings, sale-leasebacks, joint ventures, and other real estate matters.
Member, Health Law Washington, DC
Lauren Moldawer
Member, Health Law
New York
Bridgette Keller
Member, Health Law Washington, DC
Tara Dwyer
A Toronto-based health-tech startup is pioneering personalized gynecological devices, including custom gynecological prosthetics designed to treat pelvic floor disorders. Cheryl Reicin, founder of Mintz’s Toronto office and Co-chair of the Life Sciences Practice, represents the company in its financings and other transactional matters. Lisa Adams, a Member in Mintz’s Boston office, leads the IP team that evaluated the company’s portfolio, developed a comprehensive patent strategy map, and is now executing that strategy. Together, they provide the company with coordinated IP and financing counsel as it brings a new device category to market.
Cross-Office Collaboration for an Early-Stage Gynecological Device Company
Member,
Intellectual Property, San Diego
— Lisa Adams
When clients are building something new, I approach my role as both a legal advisor and a strategic partner. I start by understanding the client’s business goals and how the technology supports them. From there, I align the IP strategy to protect what drives value — focusing on building a portfolio that creates a competitive advantage and supports commercialization.
Deborah Daccord, a Member in Mintz’s Health Law Practice, advises the nation’s largest physician-led fertility network. Her work supports the operational and regulatory infrastructure behind a platform that serves over 200 physicians across 100+ locations, helping the network scale while expanding access to advanced reproductive care across jurisdictions.
Also Advising in This Space
Terri Shieh-Newton, PhD, a Member in Mintz’s Intellectual Property Practice, serves as IP counsel for a leading San Francisco Bay area venture capital (VC) firm with an all-women founding team. She conducts diligence on cutting-edge investments across biotech and techbio (AI life sciences). The VC’s innovations span therapeutics, computational biological systems, and physical AI (robotics for life science applications).
Member,
Health Law, Miami
— Deborah Daccord
to expand into new markets, or a joint venture that brings specialized care to communities that didn’t have access before. With US Fertility, I am just a small part of a team helping more than 200 physicians innovate and improve care. That’s the work that matters: building a compliant, operational foundation so that innovative care can reach the people who need it.
Meaningful impact means helping health care providers build something that lasts and expands and improves quality of care. After 30 years of leading complex health industry transactions, what still drives me is a project that allows a client
Navigate to Read Quotes
Early decisions about how AI models are trained, documented, and deployed can significantly affect what is patentable and how technology can be commercialized. A coordinated approach helps founders maximize profitability, avoid trade-offs later, and create flexibility as the product, regulatory environment, and business strategy evolve.
//Q When you’re advising across AI compliance, patent strategy, and monetization at the same time, how do those areas shape each other?
Members LisaMarie Collins and Karen Lovitch guided Mintz’s work for the client.
Member, Co-chair, Financial Services New York
Member, Litigation
New York
Lexie Gallo-Cook
Sequenced approvals across Medicare Advantage and value-based care requirements
TEAM IMPACT
Federal and multiple state regulatory agencies
JURISDICTIONS
sale of Medicare and CareAllies businesses
3.7
Scope
Case at a Glance
B
— Tara Dwyer
Cultivating Inclusion, Driving Engagement
A Summer at Mintz
Unconventional Paths to Law
Career Insights from Women Leaders
// 03
Building Our Community
Member
Lexie Gallo-Cook
Member, Litigation
Boston
Natashia Tidwell
— Natashia Tidwell
An objective and transparent look inward is a vital component of any meaningful crisis response strategy. It builds trust with stakeholders, honors those affected, and creates a foundation for lasting change.
Member Natashia Tidwell led a comprehensive examination of the city’s school transportation system and its relationship with an outside vendor. Through interviews and analysis of relevant policies, training materials, and record-keeping and supervisory practices, Natashia assessed how safety measures operated in practice, where oversight fell short, and how responsibilities were distributed across agencies.
After a student was killed in a traffic accident involving a school bus, a major US city commissioned an independent review to understand what went wrong and to identify concrete steps to better protect students going forward.
Independent Safety Review After a Student’s Death Drives Systemwide Change
Reflecting on the engagement, Natashia emphasized the importance of post-incident independent reviews.
The resulting report translated difficult findings into clear, actionable recommendations, including changes to training, monitoring, procedures, and accountability structures. City leadership committed to implementing all the recommendations, using the report as a roadmap for reform.
Read Full Case
Independent Safety Review After a Student’s Death Drives Systemwide Change
Member, Litigation
Boston
Natashia Tidwell