Husch Blackwell Sanders announced that David T. Lewis, former chief legal counsel of Erlanger Health System and most recently vice president and general counsel of Roper St. Francis Healthcare in Charleston, S.C., has joined the firm’s Chattanooga office as a partner in the firm’s healthcare practice group

Gregory Leitner, managing partner of the firm’s Chattanooga office, said, “David is one of the leading healthcare lawyers in the U.S., and he presents a great opportunity for our regional and national healthcare clients. We are extremely pleased that he has chosen to join our firm as he returns to private practice. David has substantial experience leading hospital systems through investigations by state and federal agencies and in establishing compliance programs.”

Mr. Lewis has been vice president and general counsel at St. Francis Healthcare, a multi-hospital system in Charleston, South Carolina, since 2007. Prior to his move to Charleston, he served as chief legal officer at Erlanger Health, Chattanooga’s only teaching hospital and Level I Trauma Center and one of the largest hospital systems in Tennessee.

Mr. Lewis’ 24 years of experience advising healthcare providers extends beyond his experience at Roper St. Francis and Erlanger, officials said. From 2000 to 2004, he served as general counsel and chief legal officer for St. Mary’s Health System, Inc., in Knoxville, which included three hospitals, two skilled nursing facilities, a residential hospice, a home health agency, an ambulatory surgery center, a health and fitness center, three low-income housing projects and two foundations. He was also engaged in the private practice of law in Knoxville representing hospitals, physician groups and other health providers and began his career in healthcare at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. He is past chairman of the Health Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association.

“I look forward to taking advantage of the vast national healthcare resources that Husch Blackwell Sanders has in representing our local, regional and national clients,” Mr. Lewis said.

He added, “I look forward to working with Husch Blackwell Sanders’ Business Services Division on sophisticated and complex corporate matters, as well as working with the regulatory and government affairs group on regulatory compliance matters.”

Mr. Lewis received his J.D. from The University of Tennessee (1984), where he was co-editor of the Tennessee Judicial Newsletter and case notes editor of Tennessee Law Review. He also holds a master of public administration and a bachelor of arts from The University of Tennessee (1979). Lewis clerked for the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1984 and 1985.

Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP is a litigation and business services law firm with approximately 630 attorneys – 50 attorneys currently practice in the firm’s IP area. The firm has offices in Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and Jefferson City, Mo.; Omaha and Lincoln, Neb.; Chattanooga and Memphis; Chicago and Peoria, Ill.; Denver; Overland Park, Kan.; Washington, D.C.; and London, U.K.