Husch Blackwell is pleased to announce that antitrust attorney Wendy Arends has joined the firm’s Madison office as a partner in the firm’s Corporate practice group and Healthcare, Life Sciences & Education industry group.
Arends’ practice focuses on antitrust and competition issues, particularly within healthcare and allied industries. She routinely assists clients with antitrust enforcement actions before U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the various state attorneys general. She has participated in some of the most closely-watched healthcare antitrust litigations of the past decade, including FTC and State of Idaho v. St. Luke’s Health System, which addressed the integration and consolidation of healthcare providers in the wake of the Affordable Care Act. She also counsels clients on a variety of antitrust-related issues, including mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures between competitors, Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act compliance, territorial and price restrictions, product distribution, resale price maintenance, minimum advertised price agreements, exclusionary practices, and trade association activities.
As an extension of her antitrust regulatory background, Arends has also advised clients regarding international trade compliance issues and in strengthening their trade compliance programs.
“Wendy is in elite company when it comes to understanding the interplay of antitrust law and healthcare regulations in the transactional setting,” said Curt Chase, the head of Husch Blackwell’s Healthcare, Life Sciences & Education industry group. “Our group has developed unique transactional models and structures in the area of healthcare integration, and Wendy’s antitrust piece simply provides another point of differentiation for us. We are very excited to have her on board.”
“Husch Blackwell is easily one of the largest healthcare law firms in the country, and having access to that platform is a big plus for me,” said Arends. “The firm has assembled a team of healthcare lawyers that can tackle highly complex, cutting-edge transactions and combinations, and I look forward to working with such a creative group that is passionate about helping their clients.”
Arends is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School, where she served on the International Law Review. She earned her B.A. in Economics and Political Science, with honors, from the University of Michigan. Prior to law school, she served as an advisor to the Clinton administration’s Office of Cabinet Affairs.