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Services

• Business
• Employee Benefits
• Financing
• Insurance Recovery
• Labor & Employment
• Legislative and Administrative Advocacy
• Litigation and Dispute Resolution
• Operations
• Real Estate
• Regulatory Matters

Since the early 1960s, Hanson Bridgett has led the way in furnishing legal services and business advice to residential communities, long-term care providers and specialized enterprises that serve senior citizens. Today, the firm serves as general and special counsel to over 250 clients in the field, including operators of established facilities, developers undertaking new ventures, lenders, and investors seeking to acquire existing properties. Among our clients are many of the major national companies, non-profit providers, investors, lenders, associations, and individual facilities active in the industry.

Our attorneys have distinguished themselves nationally by writing the major business/legal treatise on senior housing and care facilities, through frequent speaking engagements at conferences throughout the country and writing articles for state and local publications. We have also served in significant leadership capacities in such organizations as the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, the American Seniors Housing Association, the Assisted Living Federation of America, the Aging Services of California, and the California Assisted Living Association.

Our legal services in the area of senior housing and care include:

Business Structuring, Development and Acquisition
Our firm has extensive experience in business and tax planning for developers, operators and investors for all kinds of seniors housing and care properties. Services include preparation of corporate articles and bylaws, LLC formation, project restructuring; partnership and joint venture agreements (including agreements between non-profit and for-profit partners); applications for tax exemption and letter rulings; trademark and copyright issues.

We frequently advise investors and developers in major acquisitions of properties and businesses, including risk assessment and due diligence issues. We routinely assist with real estate purchases; structuring and approval of condominiums and cooperatives; zoning and land use planning; design and construction issues; corporate and financial structures; development and management contracts; resident fee agreements; leases; trusts; powers of attorney; escrow agreements; employee contracts; health services agreements; review of marketing plans; admission and discharge policies and securities registration issues.


Employee Benefits
Employee benefits are an important part of every employer's attraction and retention of employees. They can also be complicated and costly. We help you provide attractive and cost-effective benefits that meet your goals. Our Employee Benefits Group handles all types of qualified retirement plans, employee benefits issues that arise in business transactions, executive and equity compensation issues, fiduciary responsibility and welfare plan issues. We have depth and diversity of experience, and work closely with our clients to develop creative and practical solutions to problems.


Financing
Our finance group is well known for providing services to seniors housing and care developers and operators. Services include construction loans, permanent financing, and refinancing; conventional and tax-exempt financing; limited partnership offerings; credit enhancement; low income housing and rehabilitation tax credits; HUD direct loans and insured loans and other governmental debt and grant funding. We serve alternatively as bond counsel, borrower's counsel and underwriters counsel, as the circumstances warrant.


Insurance Recovery
Our insurance group represents senior housing and care providers with coverage issues, elder abuse and neglect claims, participation in captive insurance groups and self-insurance programs. The Insurance Recovery Group's expertise extends to general property, time element losses, crime, and more specialized property coverages. Liability projects include general liability coverages, construction, environmental and toxic tort, directors and officers, garage, workers compensation, professional liability, surety, excess, umbrella, and reinsurance. We also offer expertise in life and disability coverages. When a problem cannot be resolved and the need for litigation arises, we have the resources and experience necessary to maintain large litigation in a cost-effective manner.


Labor and Employment
The Labor and Employment Section of our firm devotes itself to advising clients concerning all facets of labor relations law, including the negotiation and enforcement of collective bargaining agreements, the defense of employment discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination actions and wage claims, and the representation of clients facing unionization drives. The Labor and Employment Section represents numerous clients in the senior care field. Our practice involves substantial federal and state labor litigation, including the defense of wrongful discharge actions which is emerging as a very important aspect of our practice. We also handle proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, and have considerable experience in dealing with workers' compensation issues.


Legislative and Administrative Advocacy
As counsel to several state and national associations, and for individual organizations, we often engage in state and federal advocacy, negotiation with legislative bodies and administrative agencies and drafting and analysis of proposed legislation and regulations.


Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Our firm includes a group of litigation attorneys who specialize in seniors housing and long-term care matters. Their services include defending lawsuits involving elder abuse, personal injury, wrongful death, and breach of contract claims; litigating licensing citations and deficiencies and license revocation actions brought by the state and federal regulatory agencies; and handling reimbursement appeals.


Operations
Our clients frequently seek our counsel on issues related to compliance with antidiscrimination laws such as the Americans with Disabilities, Fair Housing and Age Discrimination acts, and problems with resident admissions, transfers and evictions. Other specialized areas of service include HIPAA compliance; risk management; participation in managed care networks; estate claims; conservatorships; right to die issues; contract disputes; antitrust matters; and advice on the entire spectrum of daily operational issues, including drafting and review of operational policies and procedures.


Real Estate
Our Real Estate Practice Group provides comprehensive legal services to a wide array of real estate clients. We have substantial expertise in all areas of real estate transactional and litigation work. We represent real estate investors, developers, buyers, sellers, owners, managers, landlords and tenants both locally and nationally. We serve as counsel to many major real estate industry participants requiring outstanding quality and depth in real estate legal services, such as investor/developers, senior and health care providers, shopping centers and public transportation agencies. Our real estate lawyers have a reputation for creativity and excellence and a strong commitment to client service.


Regulatory Matters
Many of our lawyers specialize in the complex regulatory matters affecting assisted living, nursing and continuing care retirement communities. Typical areas of concentration include nursing and assisted living facility licensure; license revocation and citation appeals; corporate compliance programs; continuing care certificates of authority; real estate approvals; facility construction and fire safety standards and Medicare and Medicaid certification and decertification.