Steve Wall, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius has further expanded its health care practice in Houston with six lateral hires—a move that comes on the heels of the firm taking on two health care partners in November.

Partners B. Scott McBride and John Petrelli, of counsel Summer Swallow, and associates Banee Pachuca and Jessica Adams joined Morgan Lewis' Houston office Monday, all coming from Baker & Hostetler in Houston. Morgan Lewis also announced that Gregory Etzel, currently vice president of legal affairs at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, will join the office in 2018.

The lawyers join partners Susan Feigin Harris and Donna Clark, who moved to Morgan Lewis in November and added a health care practice to the office. They also came from Baker & Hostetler.

“It's great for the firm because it expands both nationally and into Texas an already strong health care regulatory and compliance practice now largely based on the East Coast,” said Steve Wall, a managing partner of Morgan Lewis in Philadelphia.

Wall said the team brings great depth and symmetry with the type of health care clients the firm represents. Morgan Lewis has health care lawyers in Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

“It looked like a great opportunity to move forward,” McBride said, noting that the new hires represent health care providers, hospitals, academic medical centers, health care systems and large physician groups. ”It's a great market here with the Texas Medical Center.”

Petrelli said the team looks forward to building a health care practice from the ground up in the Houston office.

McBride handles compliance and enforcement issues for health care providers, including False Claims Act litigation, and Petrelli also does False Claims Act litigation and state, federal and compliance investigations. In addition to work for health care clients, he also does complex commercial and white-collar criminal defense work for energy, government contracting and transportation clients.

Swallow concentrates her practice on regulatory and compliance issues for health care clients.

Jami McKeon, chair of Morgan Lewis, said in a statement that the members of the lateral group have impressive backgrounds that “perfectly complement our accomplished bench of health care transactional, regulatory and litigation lawyers.”

McBride, Etzel, Clark and Harris were among a group of health care lawyers who joined Baker & Hostetler's Houston office in 2006 after leaving Vinson & Elkins.

Etzel, who said he expects to start work at Morgan Lewis in early January, said he is staying at his in-house job this month to finish up work on a few things and get to a good transition point.

He said he could not pass up the opportunity to join former co-workers at Morgan Lewis. He said his time on the in-house side at Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has given him a “broader and deeper” knowledge of the health care industry, and experience at the operational level.

“I feel like I have a lot to offer back in the private sector,” Etzel said.

Lisa Pennington, managing partner of the Baker & Hostetler Houston office, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Steve Wall, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius has further expanded its health care practice in Houston with six lateral hires—a move that comes on the heels of the firm taking on two health care partners in November.

Partners B. Scott McBride and John Petrelli, of counsel Summer Swallow, and associates Banee Pachuca and Jessica Adams joined Morgan Lewis' Houston office Monday, all coming from Baker & Hostetler in Houston. Morgan Lewis also announced that Gregory Etzel, currently vice president of legal affairs at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, will join the office in 2018.

The lawyers join partners Susan Feigin Harris and Donna Clark, who moved to Morgan Lewis in November and added a health care practice to the office. They also came from Baker & Hostetler.

“It's great for the firm because it expands both nationally and into Texas an already strong health care regulatory and compliance practice now largely based on the East Coast,” said Steve Wall, a managing partner of Morgan Lewis in Philadelphia.

Wall said the team brings great depth and symmetry with the type of health care clients the firm represents. Morgan Lewis has health care lawyers in Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

“It looked like a great opportunity to move forward,” McBride said, noting that the new hires represent health care providers, hospitals, academic medical centers, health care systems and large physician groups. ”It's a great market here with the Texas Medical Center.”

Petrelli said the team looks forward to building a health care practice from the ground up in the Houston office.

McBride handles compliance and enforcement issues for health care providers, including False Claims Act litigation, and Petrelli also does False Claims Act litigation and state, federal and compliance investigations. In addition to work for health care clients, he also does complex commercial and white-collar criminal defense work for energy, government contracting and transportation clients.

Swallow concentrates her practice on regulatory and compliance issues for health care clients.

Jami McKeon, chair of Morgan Lewis, said in a statement that the members of the lateral group have impressive backgrounds that “perfectly complement our accomplished bench of health care transactional, regulatory and litigation lawyers.”

McBride, Etzel, Clark and Harris were among a group of health care lawyers who joined Baker & Hostetler's Houston office in 2006 after leaving Vinson & Elkins.

Etzel, who said he expects to start work at Morgan Lewis in early January, said he is staying at his in-house job this month to finish up work on a few things and get to a good transition point.

He said he could not pass up the opportunity to join former co-workers at Morgan Lewis. He said his time on the in-house side at Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has given him a “broader and deeper” knowledge of the health care industry, and experience at the operational level.

“I feel like I have a lot to offer back in the private sector,” Etzel said.

Lisa Pennington, managing partner of the Baker & Hostetler Houston office, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.