Joe Harrington

Joseph Harrington

Partner
Joseph Harrington
New York
+1 212 459 7366

Joseph Harrington is a partner in the Private Equity group at Goodwin. He joined the firm in 2023.

Joe’s practice is focused on healthcare law. He advises clients on corporate and regulatory issues impacting healthcare mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, restructurings, and reorganizations. Joe’s clients cover the spectrum of the healthcare industry. He represents private equity and strategic investors as both buyers and sellers in transactions. He also counsels portfolio companies and independent healthcare and support services providers on an ongoing basis with respect to corporate and healthcare regulatory matters. Joe’s clients include retail-specialty and long-term care pharmacies, hospitals and health systems, physician groups, community health centers, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, home health agencies, group purchasing organizations, telehealth companies, veterinary practices, and pharmacy services administrative organizations.

Clients rely on Joe’s expertise on a broad range of regulatory, risk management, and transactional matters. He frequently assists clients in matters involving Medicare and Medicaid issues, federal and state fraud and abuse laws (including the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law, and False Claims Act), payor contracting, credentialing, and audits, corporate practice of medicine restrictions, licensure issues, commercial contracting, and developing compliance programs.

Joe's diverse experiences set him apart from his peers. In addition to his experience in private practice, he worked for nearly four years at MassHealth, the state Medicaid program for Massachusetts and one of the most ambitious and expansive Medicaid programs in the country. While there, he supported the pharmacy, community health center, and durable medical equipment programs, among others, and supported many novel and innovative projects including the implementation of the state's first-of-its-kind accountable care program and the development of a value-based framework for pharmaceutical pricing. Earlier in his career, he worked in the Criminal Prosecutions Division of the Texas Office of the Attorney General, where he worked on white collar and public corruption prosecutions.

Experience

Joe’s clients cover the spectrum of the healthcare industry. He represents private equity and strategic investors as both buyers and sellers in transactions. He also counsels portfolio companies and independent healthcare and support services providers on an ongoing basis with respect to corporate and healthcare regulatory matters. Joe’s clients include retail-specialty and long-term care pharmacies, hospitals and health systems, physician groups, community health centers, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, home health agencies, group purchasing organizations, telehealth companies, veterinary practices, and pharmacy services administrative organizations.

Representative matters:

  • Represented a private equity sponsor in three acquisitions of industry-leading providers of home health care, non-medical home care, and related services to seniors and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, one of which was recognized by Global M&A Network with the Health Services Deal of the Year Award*
  • Represented a pharmacy benefit entity specializing in Medicare Part A-covered drugs in connection with a private equity investment. The investment was preceded by a series of acquisitions, designed to consolidate several existing companies into a single platform for post-acute services, pharmacy benefit management, and pharmacy operations*
  • Represented a health care investment fund in the acquisition, a pharmacy management and telepharmacy business, and has advised the company’s general counsel on a broad range of healthcare regulatory and compliance matters following the acquisition, including state board of pharmacy investigations and enforcement actions, reporting and disclosure law compliance, and commercial contracting issues*
  • Represented a long-term care pharmacy treating patients with complex medical conditions residing in their own homes, in an equity sale to a private equity sponsor, and, since the sale, has advised the pharmacy and its sponsor regarding intracompany drug transfers and co-branding issues*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.

Professional Experience

Before joining the firm, he worked for nearly four years in the Office of General Counsel at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the state’s Medicaid agency. There he supported the pharmacy, nursing home, community health center, and accountable care organization programs in audits, compliance with federal and state law, establishment of reimbursement rates, promulgation of state regulations, and contracting.

Before that, Joseph worked in the Criminal Prosecutions Division of the Texas Office of the Attorney General, where he worked on white collar and public corruption prosecutions.

Credentials

Education

JD2010

Harvard Law School

(Upper Level Ames Moot Court; Environmental Law Review; Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review)

BA2007

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

(highest honors and distinction)

Admissions

Bars

  • Massachusetts
  • New Jersey
  • New York

Recognition & Awards

  • Americas' Rising Star Dealmaker, Americas and Global Markets M&A Atlas Awards, 2024
  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch: Health Care Law, 2022-2023