A press release distributed by Sheppard Mullin today states that Kenneth Yood has joined the Los Angeles/Century City office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as a partner on the firm's Healthcare team and in the Corporate practice group.  Yood joins Sheppard Mullin from Fulbright & Jaworski in Los Angeles.

Ken Yood represents healthcare providers and healthcare companies, including specialty and general acute hospitals (including local district, nonprofit and for-profit facilities), home health agencies, pharmaceutical vendors, nursing facilities, and health information and management providers. Yood has expertise in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and certification, state licensing, and federal regulatory compliance.  He also counsels clients on physician referral law limitations, state and federal fraud and abuse issues, and state and federal false claims and program fraud matters.  Additionally, Yood helps clients operate and establish healthcare compliance programs, as well as internal and external investigations of healthcare facilities.

"Ken is an impressive healthcare attorney with an excellent reputation in the industry, who brings significant knowledge and expertise to the firm.  Ken's experience in healthcare regulatory and reimbursement matters dovetails well with our interdisciplinary healthcare practice.  Additionally, his transactional expertise will be of value to our private equity clients, as investment interest in this area heats up," said Guy Halgren, chairman of the firm.

Commented Yood, "With a growing healthcare group, a well-established position in California and a very strong healthcare labor practice, Sheppard Mullin is a perfect platform for my practice and clients. The firm has an entrepreneurial and collegial culture, which I value highly.  I look forward to working closely with partner Eric Klein in Century City, whole ads the firm's Healthcare team."

Yood received a J.D. from University of New York at Buffalo School of Law in 1989, a M.A. in Public Health from Harvard University in 1990 and a B.A. from Haverford College in 1986.  He has been recognized as a leading healthcare lawyer in Chambers USA: America's Leading lawyers for Business since 2005.

Also today, Louis Lehot joined Sheppard Mullin's Corporate practice group as a partner in the Silicon Valley office from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in Palo Alto.  Earlier this year, Brian Weimer joined the Sheppard Mullin's Washington, D.C. office and Todd Bissett joined the firm's Shanghai office as partners in the Corporate practice group.  Weimer joined from Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C. and Bissett joined from O'Melveny & Myers in Beijing.

Sheppard Mullin has 200 attorneys based in its Los Angeles offices (Downtown and Century City).  The firm's Corporate practice group includes more than 100 attorneys firm wide and the Healthcare team includes more than 20 attorneys.