Holland & Knight Advises Lee Health in Historic Conversion to Private, Nonprofit Health System
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (November 11, 2024) – Holland & Knight represented Lee Health, a health system based in Fort Myers, Florida, in its transformative conversion from a government healthcare district to a private, nonprofit health system. The transaction will allow one of the country's largest safety-net hospital systems to modernize its governance structure and expand regionally to meet the healthcare needs of Southwest Florida and beyond. The transaction closed on November 1.
Previously, attorneys now with Holland & Knight helped Lee Health secure unanimous legislative approval to convert from one of the largest public hospital systems in Florida to a newly constituted private, nonprofit organization. Once authorized, Holland & Knight Partners Jesse Neil and Ty Jackson led the firm's representation of Lee Health as they guided the health system through the fiduciary and public relations process to evaluate the transaction, secure community approval and ultimately close the deal. They were assisted by Partners Chris Thompson, Stephen Quinn, Jon Gaston, Sean Sullivan, Jeff Calk and Tyler Layne. The multidisciplinary effort also included numerous firm attorneys spanning nearly all of the firm's practice areas, including corporate, public policy, labor and employment, finance/restructuring, tax, real estate, litigation, healthcare and intellectual property.
Holland & Knight is proud to support Lee Health in this historic effort to secure its safety-net mission and serve the citizens of Southwest Florida for generations to come.
The Lee Health engagement follows Holland & Knight's 2023 representation of Tennessee-based Erlanger Health, which was the 10th largest public hospital system in the country, on its transition to a private, nonprofit organization. The firm's attorneys are thought leaders on the topic of hospital conversions, which includes publishing articles with The Governance Institute, providing expert commentary to industry publications and interviews on "Counsel that Cares," the firm's healthcare podcast, which recently covered public hospital conversions and the politics of public hospital conversions.
Holland & Knight's Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Group, a cross-disciplinary team of more than 400 experienced attorneys, is the largest healthcare law practice in the United States, according to Modern Healthcare. The firm's healthcare attorneys advise on matters ranging from business, regulatory compliance and real estate to litigation, government enforcement and public policy issues. Holland & Knight is recognized by Chambers USA in its 2024 Healthcare: The Elite nationwide listing.