KirstinR.Smith

Associate
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Kirstin Smith

Overview

Kirstin Smith is a senior associate in the Corporate Practice Group and the Healthcare Industry Group in the firm's San Diego office.

Kirstin advises healthcare organizations on a broad range of corporate and transactional matters, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments and affiliations, and joint ventures. She represents clients across the healthcare sector, including physician practices, management services organizations, private equity sponsors, and other healthcare services companies.

Kirstin’s practice encompasses buy-side and sell-side transactions, recapitalizations, and general corporate matters, including entity formation, structuring, and governance. She works closely with her clients to structure and execute transactions that align with their strategic objectives while addressing complex regulatory considerations. 

In addition to her transactional work, Kirstin counsels clients on federal and state healthcare regulatory matters, including corporate practice of medicine, fraud and abuse laws, licensure requirements, and reimbursement issues. Her integrated approach allows her to guide clients through both the legal and operational challenges that arise in highly regulated healthcare transactions.

Kirstin is committed to understanding each client’s business and serves as a practical, solutions-oriented advisor, helping clients navigate complex legal landscapes and achieve their long-term goals.

Experience

Healthcare Transactions

  • Represented Ascension Health, one of the nation’s leading non-profit Catholic health systems, in connection with its agreement to acquire AmSurg, a national leader in the development, management and operation of ambulatory surgery centers.
  • Represented a national specialty pharmacy in its acquisition of its first California-licensed pharmacy 
  • Represented a California-based private equity firm in various acquisitions of large orthopedic practices in Florida, Arizona, and Colorado and provided ongoing legal support to portfolio 
  • Represented a Connecticut-based private equity firm in various acquisitions of gastroenterology practices across Pennsylvania and Delaware and provided ongoing legal support and representation to portfolio through exit
  • Represented a lender providing financing to private equity-backed management services organizations
  • Represented a California-based private equity firm in various acquisitions of emergency department physician groups across multiple states, including Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois
  • Represented a national home health and hospice provider in its joint venture with a west-coast based health system
  • Represented Arizona and New Mexico-based physician groups in acquisitions with private equity-backed management services organizations
  • Represented Altais physician practice platform in its affiliation with Family Care Specialists
  • Represented a managed care service provider in its acquisition of a company specializing in tools to support utilization review and pre-certification services 
  • Represented franchisors engaged in the chiropractic and urgent care franchise business 
  • Represented a California-based therapy business in its affiliation with a management services organization
  • Represented a California-based primary care practice in its sale to a private equity-backed management services organization 
  • Represented a private equity-backed dental services organization in its acquisition and affiliation with dental practices throughout the Southeast 
  • Represented a provider of personalized health and comprehensive health management services in its affiliation with a management services organization
  • Represented a health system in its contribution of its home health and home-based hospice service lines and ultimate joint venture with a national home health and hospice management services organization
  • Represented a San Diego-based medical group in its affiliation with a private equity-backed management services organization
Credentials
Education

J.D., Georgia State University, 2017

M.S.H.A., Georgia State University, 2017

B.S., University of Georgia, 2013

Admissions

California

Georgia

Thought Leadership

"Implementation of Final Health Care Decisions: Practical Advice for Attorneys," San Diego County Bar Association, November 6, 2019