Andrew L. Hurst, an accomplished litigator, has joined Baker Donelson's Business Litigation Group as a shareholder in the Firm's Washington, D.C. office.

Mr. Hurst focuses his practice on representing corporations and individuals in civil fraud investigations and litigation, primarily life sciences companies, health care providers and other government contractors being sued by the government or qui tam relators under the civil False Claims Act. He also regularly represents corporations and individuals in connection with criminal investigations and prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal and state entities. He has represented defendants and targets in a number of areas, including Medicare and Medicaid fraud, campaign finance, economic espionage, computer crimes and Independent Counsel investigations.

As part of his practice, Mr. Hurst also helps corporations evaluate claims they may have not traditionally pursued and create a litigation strategy to resolve those claims successfully.

In addition, Mr. Hurst serves as outside general counsel for several small to mid-size corporations in the D.C. region, particularly in the federal government contracting space with an emphasis on the intelligence, defense and information technology sectors. He provides and facilitates a wide range of counsel focused on the growth of his clients' businesses.

"The addition of a litigator of Andrew's caliber deepens our litigation bench in D.C. and expands our ability to serve the needs of our clients in complex litigation matters," said John McJunkin, managing shareholder of Baker Donelson's Washington, D.C. office. "With his experience in representing entities such as life sciences companies, health care providers and other government contractors in civil fraud investigations and litigation, Andrew is also a strong complement to our health law and government contracts practices. We're proud to welcome him to the Firm and are confident he will build on the reputation of our Washington team for providing our clients with holistic, integrated and effective legal and policy solutions."

Mr. Hurst said, "I'm excited to join Baker Donelson not only for the opportunity to work with its top-tier health care practice, but also to afford my clients access to the exceptional depth of experience that the Firm's D.C. office offers. The combination of a quality national firm and such a robust D.C. practice is rare and exciting."

A graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and Seton Hall University, Mr. Hurst is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Virginia. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals – District of Columbia Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals Eleventh, Fifth, Fourth and Sixth Circuits; and the U.S. District Court in a number of jurisdictions. Mr. Hurst is a member of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.