FLORIDA HEALTH CARE - Key Persons
Jeff is of counsel to the firm. He has more than twenty-five years' experience in health care and corporate transactional and regulatory matters, including acquisitions and divestitures, federal and state licensure, and compliance. Jeff's clients include health care providers such as hospitals, physician practices, and privately held corporations. He represents clients in transactions involving the provision of professional services to licensed healthcare entities, the formation and transfer of licensed healthcare organizations, and the management of licensed entities by business organizations. He also advises clients with respect to business planning, growth, succession, and exit strategies; governance, control, and operational issues; and the impact of state and federal legislation, including anti-self-referral, anti-kickback, Medicare, and HIPAA.
Jeff was formerly a Board Member of the Association for Corporate Counsel, West Central Florida Chapter, and served as both President and Vice President of that organization. He was also a Board Member of the Association for Quality Imaging, a national lobbying organization based in Washington, D.C., and lobbied Congress on multiple occasions for changes to the Medicare payment laws.
Jeff writes frequently for the health care blog of Atlantic Health Solutions and speaks on various regulatory topics for many of his clients. He is active in community charitable work and school-related activities. He and his wife and three children live in Tampa.
Howell, Buchan & Strong has offices across Florida to serve the needs of healthcare professionals and facilities.
John Terrel is a 30-year practicing attorney and serves as an Of Counsel attorney to the Howell, Buchan and Strong firm in the Tallahassee office.
The uniqueness of Terrel's experience has placed him on both sides of practicing; he spent 16 years working for State agencies and 14 years in the private sector.
Working in private practice, Terrel has balanced the physician or licensee side of the bench bringing an appreciation for the good folks doing good work for their patients or clients. Helping the licensee is rewarding work that allows him to apply his expertise and knowledge of state agencies to healthcare professional's licensing needs.
Joseph DeFelice was admitted to practice in all state courts of Florida and serves as an Associate Attorney. Joseph joined Howell, Buchan & Strong as a law clerk in 2021, and advanced to an Associate Attorney in 2023. As the son of a medical doctor specializing in oncology and a registered nurse, Joseph has a passion for protecting professional and health care licenses. He handles cases of civil litigation, administrative law, and worker's compensation and practices out of our Tallahassee location.
Joseph graduated from Florida State University College of Law with a Juris Doctorate degree in 2023. He attended Florida State University for his undergraduate degree, receiving a bachelor's in finance in 2020. Joseph was a member of the Florida State University Business Review and Business Law Society.
The Howell, Buchan & Strong firm is pleased to announce the addition of Lauren Strickland as Attorney.
She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2009, where she is licensed to practice in all state courts in Florida. Practicing in the Firm's Tallahassee office, Lauren will be practicing in the areas of civil rights litigation, administrative law, and licensure defense. She assists in cases in our Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Sarasota offices.
Lauren joined Howell, Buchan & Strong in 2023. She is a 2006 graduate of Florida State University earning her undergraduate in political science and in 2009 she received her Juris Doctorate from the College of Law at Florida State University.
The Howell, Buchan & Strong Attorneys at Law firm is pleased to announce the addition of Lauren Strickland as Attorney. She was admitted to the
Michael Brown has been an attorney in the Orlando area for 10 years and is Of Counsel with Howell, Buchan & Strong. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Florida before entering the Florida A&M Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctorate Degree. He was a prosecutor for over five years with the State Attorney's Office in Orange and Osceola County. There, he handled misdemeanor cases, juvenile cases, felony cases, felony violations of probation, and litigated over twenty jury trials. Mr. Brown left the State Attorney's Office to become a civil litigator in the areas of foreclosure, breaches of contract, and insurance defense.
As Of Counsel, Mr. Brown can provide representation on your criminal case, while considering potential legal issues which may arise regarding your professional license. Mike practices in Administrative Law, has appeared before the Board of Massage Therapy, and Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH). He is admitted to practice before all three federal courts in Florida. Mr. Brown has been a member of the Orange County Bar since 2009, serving on several committees. He is a board member of the Skobel Charitable Foundation and has volunteered with the children of Teen Court as a Judge and Jury Adviser since 2011. Mr. Brown is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Law Explorers in Orange County through the Boy Scouts and has been recognized for his pro bono work.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Health Law Section
Rickey Strong's practice focuses on assisting clients with Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), initial applications for licensure, licensure change of ownership applications (CHOW), Notice of Intent to Deny Applications (NOID), and Administrative Complaints(AC). Rickey has experience in assisting clients draft their health care facility acquisition contractual agreements, and along with an experienced CPA assist with the proof of financial ability to operate.
Rickey's practice also focuses on assisting all Healthcare providers, licensees, and non-licensed individuals from complaints from the Florida Department of Health (DOH).
Previously, Rickey served as in-house legal counsel for the Florida Department of Health. During his time with the Department, he provided legal counsel for the Unlicensed Practice of Medicine (ULA), Medical Professional Licensing, Vital Statistics, Public Health, Disease Control, Environmental Health, and Epidemiology. Additionally, Rickey reviewed, and edited contractual agreements entered into by the state Health Department. He was certified by the state as a contract manager, and taught the legal portion for state certification for Contract Managers.
Rickey also has experience in real estate law, including holding a real estate license since 1999. Throughout his career, Rickey has assisted Real Estate Agents, Brokers, and Appraisers in Administrative Complaint cases before the Florida Real Estate Commission.
Rickey is a member of the Health Law Section, Administrative Law, and Real Estate Law Sections of the Florida Bar, he is admitted to all state courts in Florida as well as the U.S. Federal District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Since 2010, Rickey has also served as an adjunct professor at the Florida A&M University, School of Allied Health, teaching an undergraduate course in "Health Law" and the graduate-level course "Legal Aspects and Ethics in Health and Medical Care".
Rickey Strong is a 2001 graduate of Florida State University. He also earned his MBA from Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia in 2005 and earned his law degree from the Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando, Florida in 2008.
Rickey is also an AHCA-certified Assisted Living Facility (ALF) Administrator.
Thomas Buchan has been admitted to practice in all state courts of Florida since 2018. Thomas handles licensure defense of professionals and health care facilities. These cases typically involve the administrative complaint process or issues with background screenings. He also handles the defense of a variety of complex civil litigation cases which include areas of employment discrimination, wrongful death, and negligence. Thomas is a member of the Health Law and Administrative Law sections of the Florida Bar.
Thomas is from Sarasota, Florida, and graduated from Florida State University College of Law in 2018 where he received the Katzentine/Simon Endowed Scholarship. He received his B.S.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Central Florida in 2012 and also attended the Junior Statesmen Summer School at Yale University in 2008.