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Mar 27 Attorney Articles, Awards & Accolades

Congrats to Partners James G. Harrigan and Alexis S. Gutierrez

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We’re excited to announce that James Harrigan will continue as Practice Group Chair-Transactional and Alexis Gutierrez will begin serve the Firm as Practice Group Chair-Litigation on April 1.

Mr. Harrigan represents both buyers and sellers of health care businesses and professional practice interests and serves as counsel to several single and multi-specialty medical groups. He has extensive experience with the formation and governance of medical practice groups and with physician-hospital contracts, including medical practice foundations. He helps physicians and physician groups comply with the state and federal regulatory environment within which they have to practice.

In addition to his health care practice, Mr. Harrigan is a business and corporate lawyer with substantial experience in forming new business entities and structuring, negotiating, and documenting the acquisition and sale of businesses. He also served as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association, handling cases involving business and management agreements, large contract claims, partnership disputes, franchisor-franchisee disputes, claims against securities brokers, and disputes between physicians, medical groups, and independent practice associations (IPAs).

Both a lawyer and an M.B.A., Mr. Harrigan has been a frequent speaker and panelist for the California Continuing Education of the Bar Programs, speaking on health care law, estate planning, and tax planning. He taught income tax, business law, and business insurance for the American College of Chartered Life Underwriters for 14 years at San Diego City College. He is also known as a dedicated father to three sons and an outdoor enthusiast, spending free time hiking, camping, fishing, and boating.

Mr. Gutierrez is the Chair of Higgs’ Labor and Employment Practice Group. His practice emphasizes business and employment counseling and complex commercial litigation on behalf of public and private entities, and non-profit organizations in business and employment disputes. Mr. Gutierrez received Martindale Hubbell’s highest peer rating (“AV Preeminent”) for Legal Ability and General-Ethical Standards, has been recognized as a Top Lawyer by San Diego Magazine for Labor and Employment and ADR since 2014, and named to the Best Lawyers in America®.

Mr. Gutierrez represents entities in state and federal courts, arbitration, and mediation, and be-fore numerous administrative agencies, including the EEOC, DFEH, DIR/DLSE, the California Labor Commissioner, and the NLRB. In this regard, Mr. Gutierrez has litigated numerous business disputes to verdict, including those brought by entities, individuals, and class plaintiffs, involving:

  • Employment issues (wrongful termination, discrimination, employment-related torts and wage claims);
  • Business Disputes (including trade secrets; unfair competition; contract-related claims, intellectual property infringement and ownership, and environmental claims);
  • Representative and class action suits concerning employment claims (including discrimination, wage and hour and PAGA Claims), and consumer statute-driven theories (California’s Unfair Competition, Consumer Legal Remedies Act, and False Advertising).

Congratulations to both!