STOTLER HAYES GROUP - Key Persons
Before becoming a part of the Stotler Hayes team, Alyssa worked in the field of long-term care planning and Medicaid eligibility. She also has experience in estate planning, probate, guardianship, conservatorship, civil litigation and collections matters.
Alyssa earned her J.D. from Boston University School of Law, where she served as an executive board member of the BU Law Chapter of the American Constitution Society and participated in moot court competitions. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Newspaper Journalism (magna cum laude) at Syracuse University.
Alyssa is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the State of New York, and the State of New Hampshire. She currently resides in Massachusetts.
Alyssa hails from Rochester, New York, and lives in Boston with her husband, son, and dog. She enjoys coaching youth basketball and homebrewing in her free time.
Andrew Hawes is a trial and appellate attorney experienced in all phases of civil litigation, from pre-filing investigations and negotiations, through trials and appeals. He has significant experience in commercial disputes, breach of contract, real estate litigation, and collection matters. Andrew has represented individuals and corporate clients in matters involving real estate title issues, mechanic's liens, enforcement of judgments, condominium association litigation, negligence, business torts, contract disputes, fraud, bankruptcy, and statutory violations at both the trial court and appellate court levels. Andrew also has considerable experience representing clients in arbitrations, mediations, and settlement negotiations.
Andrew graduated from Northwestern University in 2007. He then graduated cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison, Wisconsin in 2010.
Andrew is admitted to practice law in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Texas and Wisconsin and currently resides in Illinois.
In his free time, Andrew enjoys spending time exploring the great outdoors, learning new things, searching for the greatest taco in the Chicagoland area, and spending time with family and friends.
Prior to joining Stotler Hayes Group, Bridget practiced in the area of estates, trusts, and Medicaid eligibility. Bridget earned her Juris Doctorate from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University in 2016, and her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and English from The Ohio State University in 2013.
Bridget is currently licensed to practice law in Arkansas, Michigan, Washington, and Ohio, where she currently resides, with her husband and two cats.
In her free time, she enjoys kayaking, never ending home renovation, and learning how to cook new foods.
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Creative Design Director
Chapin comes to Stotler Hayes Group with a five-year background in medical malpractice litigation. She has a wealth of experience defending many types of medical groups and licensed individuals, including long-term care facilities' corporate entities, owners, administrators, and nursing staff.
Chapin is licensed to practice in Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia, as well as the United States District Courts for the Western and Eastern Districts of Kentucky and the Southern and Northern Districts of Indiana.
Chapin obtained her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA in 2012. She then graduated cum laude from the University of Kentucky College of Law with her Juris Doctor in 2015.
Chapin lives in the greater St. Louis area with her husband, their children, and their dogs.
After graduating from Vanderbilt University Law School, Chris began his practice in Atlanta in 2002 and then worked in private practice in multiple states for nearly two decades in the areas of civil litigation, construction law, contract law, real estate, bankruptcy, the Fair Debt Collection Practice Act, and commercial collections. He has extensive trial, appellate, arbitration, mediation, and settlement negotiation experience. Immediately prior to joining Stotler Hayes Group LLC, Chris served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Arkansas Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which investigates and prosecutes Medicaid fraud and the abuse, neglect and exploitation of individuals living in residential care facilities as well as Medicaid recipients, where he helped secure approximately Forty Million Dollars in civil settlements, restitution and fines in a single fiscal year. Chris' practice now focuses on representing facilities in Medicaid eligibility, guardianship, probate, and collection matters.
Chris earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, with a minor in Business Administration, cum laude, from Vanderbilt University in 1999 and graduated with his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2002, where he was a Mock Trial Tournament Semifinalist, 1L Appellate Advocacy Award winner, and Moot Court participant.
Chris is admitted to practice law in Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee, and before the U.S. District Courts for the Western and Eastern Districts of Arkansas, Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, Western and Middle Districts of Tennessee, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth and Eleventh Circuits.
Born and raised in Columbus, Mississippi, Chris lived in Nashville, Tennessee, for 20 years and now resides in Little Rock, Arkansas, with his wife and three children. In his free time, Chris enjoys spending time with his family, coaching youth sports and supporting the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Braves, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Vanderbilt Commodores.
Job Titles:
- Employee Experience Coordinator and Executive Assistant
Darlene brings over a decade of nursing experience in the area of long-term care as a registered nurse prior to becoming an attorney. She has held many nursing roles within a skilled nursing facility including, but not limited to, Director of Nursing and Regional Clinical Reimbursement Specialist. She has a unique understanding of the challenges long-term care providers face and is an avid advocate. Prior to becoming an associate attorney at Stotler Hayes Group, Darlene worked as a medical malpractice attorney in Boston, Massachusetts for over three (3) years.
Darlene earned her Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Massachusetts School of Law in 2019 at night while she continued to work full time. She was the recipient of the CALI of Excellence Award for the highest grade in Evidence and Criminal Procedure. She was a member of her law school's mock trial team and after law school, she has continued to volunteer her time as a trial judge/juror for the American Association of Justice's (AAJ) annual mock trial.
She is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of New Hampshire.
A partner at Stotler Hayes Group, Erin brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion to her representation of health care providers. Her focus is on optimizing recoveries, minimizing bad debt, and ensuring that her clients have the tools and resources they need for their business to succeed. With over a decade of legal experience, Erin strives to provide exceptional, efficient, and economical representation to each of her clients. She serves as a trusted legal resource for health care providers and has presented at numerous conferences and webinars on legal issues impacting the long-term care industry, including for LeadingAge, the American College of Health Care Administrators, McKnight's, the Ohio Health Care Association, the Indiana Health Care Association, and other leading industry associations and publications.
Erin received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan where she was a member of the Delta Epsilon Iota Academic Honor Society and a Staff Reporter for The Michigan Daily. She obtained her Juris Doctor from Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis where she served on the Indiana Health Law Review and was admitted to the Order of Barristers for her achievement in Moot Court.
Erin is admitted to practice in Maryland, Michigan, Virginia, Washington, DC, and before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Client Services Director
- Partner
Ashley has over 10 years of experience representing clients in state and federal trial courts, appellate courts, and before administrative agencies. At Stotler Hayes Group, Ashley focuses on providing legal services, consulting services, and administrative support to health care providers. Her practice areas include Medicaid reimbursement, probate and estates, Guardianship/Conservatorship, collections, litigation, regulatory compliance, and government benefits.
Ashley completed law school at the University of Tennessee College of Law, with a concentration in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. While in law school, Ashley received recognition for outstanding achievement in public interest law and advanced trial practice and received awards for her participation in moot court competitions. Ashley's undergraduate studies were completed at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she was selected to participate in the Elizabeth Somer's Women's Leadership Program.
Ashley is admitted to practice in Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Prior to joining Stotler Hayes Group, Heather practiced in the areas of Medicaid eligibility, Social Security Disability, Veterans Benefits, provider payment integrity, and hospital revenue cycle management. Her experience includes Medicare and Medicaid hearings, representing and counseling providers in disputes with commercial and government insurance carriers, and counseling healthcare providers on best practices in denial management.
Prior to joining Stotler Hayes, Jake worked for South Carolina Department of Social Services handling abuse and neglect cases for both child protective services and adult protective services. Jake earned his Juris Doctorate from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 2019, and his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University at Brockport in Rochester, New York, in 2014.
Jake is currently licensed to practice law in Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee, and resides in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with his wife and daughter.
In his free time, he enjoys training in kickboxing and jiu-jitsu, or reading on the beach while his wife looks for shark teeth.
Jacob M. Mills is a professional problem solver. He is always looking to innovate and cut red tape for his clients. Before joining Stotler Hayes, he litigated thousands of cases. He has collected and saved his clients millions of dollars. Exposure to many practice areas from collections to civil defense has prepared him to serve clients of Stotler Hayes.
Jacob received his BA from Union College in 2013, and his MBA in 2016 from the University of the Cumberlands
In 2015, he received his JD, from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University
Jacob is licensed to practice in United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, the state of Kentucky, and Tennessee. He lives in Kentucky with his wife, two children, and cat.
When he is not working you can often find him between the pages of a book written by Brandon Sanderson.
Jacqueline comes to Stotler Hayes Group following a two-year judicial clerkship with the Honorable Deadra L. Jefferson of the Ninth Judicial Circuit for the State of South Carolina. Jacqueline obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, magna cum laude, from the University of South Carolina in 2015. She then graduated summa cum laude from the Charleston School of Law in 2019.
In her more than fourteen years of practice before joining the firm in 2014, Jessica gained extensive legal research, analysis, writing, and litigation skills. She greatly enjoys applying her skills to representation of health care providers in collections, Guardianship/Conservatorship, and Medicaid eligibility matters, as she has personally navigated the Virginia Medicaid system to obtain and maintain a Medicaid Waiver for her disabled son.
Jessica is a native Baltimorean. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and her Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio.
Before beginning her legal practice, she served two-terms as a law clerk to the Honorable Ellen Lipton Hollander, then-Judge of the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, and one term as a law clerk to now-retired Judge Raymond J. Kane, Jr. of the Howard County Circuit Court.
Jessica is admitted to practice in Maryland, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia, and before the United States Supreme Court. Jessica currently resides in Virginia.
Prior to joining Stotler Hayes Group Jon practiced community association law where he gained extensive experience advocating for his clients' interests in consumer debt collection, probate litigation, bankruptcy proceedings, contract negotiations, and general civil litigation. To that end he represented clients in state court at the trial level and in bankruptcy hearings before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland. Jon's practice now focuses on representing long-term care facilities in Medicaid eligibility, guardianship, probate, and collection matters.
Jon earned his Bachelors in Business Management from Fairfield University in 2005 and graduated Cum Laude with his Juris Doctorate from American University Washington College of Law in 2011 where he was a senior staff member of both the Administrative Law Review and Business Law Review.
Jon is admitted to practice law in Maryland, Vermont, the District of Columbia, and before the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. He currently resides in Maryland.
A Rhode Island native, Jon now resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with his wife and two children. In his free time Jon enjoys traveling, playing golf, and exploring local parks with his family.
In Kelly's fifteen years of experience she has worked on behalf of hundreds of long-term care facilities and individuals appealing denials of Medicaid benefits, health insurance coverage, short- and long-term disability claims, and Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income Applications. Her passion for provider-sided representation is second only to her enthusiasm for efficient process management and strategic thinking. Together she employs these skills to the global management of the firm, the oversight of its cases, and most enjoyably, to its client relationships.
Kelly received her Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University and her Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School (where she volunteered with the US Department of Justice and was recognized in Who's Who Among American Law Students).
Kelly is admitted to practice in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She currently resides in South Carolina. Kelly holds an inactive bar license in the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania.
Kelly enjoys volunteering with the Georgetown University Alumni Admissions Program. She lives in South Carolina and enjoys spending her free time with her family.
Kristen comes to Stotler Hayes with a background representing healthcare clients before federal, state and local administrative bodies. Kristen received her Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She then graduated from Thomas Goode Jones School of Law with her Juris Doctorate and LL.M. in Dispute Resolution.
Kristen is admitted to practice law in Iowa, South Carolina and Alabama, as well as the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- Senior Executive
Prior to joining Stotler Hayes Group, Liana was an Assistant Public Defender in St. Augustine, Florida where she advocated for and defended hundreds of clients. Liana obtained her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and International Business from Florida International University in 2016. She then graduated with her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Frederic G. Levin College of Law in December of 2018.
Liana is licensed to practice in Florida, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, New Mexico, and North Carolina, where she currently resides with her husband.
In her free time, Liana enjoys spending time with her two miniature dachshunds, exploring North Carolina, reading, traveling, and watching the latest Marvel movie.
Lora began working with seniors while she was a junior in high school and continued to do so while pursuing a BA in music (Wheaton College) and an MA in ethnomusicology (Tufts University). Lora enjoyed an entirely unexpected career in senior care for more than 25 years, serving as an Executive Director of independent and assisted living communities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Mexico.
Prior to joining Stotler Hayes Lora worked as an Associate Attorney with Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts where she represented clients in guardianships, conservatorships, and estate administrations. Lora has experience with estate planning, special needs planning, and related advocacy efforts. She particularly enjoys guiding clients through District and Probate Court proceedings.
Lora received her Juris Doctorate from University of New Mexico School of Law where she completed the program in two and a half years and was the CALI Award recipient for highest grades in Elder Law, Mental Health & Intellectual Disability Law, and Bankruptcy Law.
Lora currently resides in New Mexico and is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and New Mexico.
Margot Pera is licensed in Connecticut, , Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Tennessee. She is a 2021 graduate of University of Massachusetts Law-Cum Laude. Prior to law school, she worked in sales and was a freelance reporter for the Memphis Daily News.
Peggy brings years of experience in the area of healthcare as a social worker and medical office manager prior to becoming an attorney with a Certificate in Healthcare Law. She understands the unique struggles of healthcare providers and possesses the skills of an experienced advocate.
Peggy earned her Juris Doctorate from Cleveland Marshall College of Law-- Cleveland State University with a Certificate in Healthcare law. She graduated summa cum laude and was awarded Health Law student of the Year. She earned her Bachelor's degree from Kent State University with a major in Social Work.
Peggy is licensed to practice law in Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia and is a lifetime resident of Northeast, Ohio.
She currently lives in Cleveland with her husband and enjoys traveling and politics.
Job Titles:
- Legal Operations Coordinator
Rebecca "Becky" Hall received her J.D. with Honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1990. She joined the firm after 6 years judicial experience as an Acting Judge and Magistrate and with over 19 years of experience as an attorney admitted to practice in the State of Ohio. Her prior experience also includes over 12 years in a successful private practice where she represented clients in civil and criminal litigation and probate/estate matters as well as prior experience. Becky graduated Magna Cum Laude from Kent State University with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Spanish before completing post-graduate studies at Georgetown University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance & Billing
Sara received her Bachelor of Science from North Carolina State University in 2006. She obtained her Juris Doctor from the Norman Adrian School of Law at Campbell University in 2009, where she graduated in the Top 25 of her class. Sara has a variety of experience including creditors rights, collections, estate planning, and bankruptcy and primarily practiced in federal court prior to joining Stotler Hayes.
With a background in and passion for public interest advocacy, Stacy brings nearly 15 years of legal experience to Stotler Hayes Group, helping individuals to obtain and maintain Medicaid and other public benefits. Stacy now helps providers to secure Medicaid benefits for residents, as well as in guardianship, probate, and collection proceedings.
Stephen earned his B.A. degree from Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland in 2008. He obtained his Juris Doctor from the Charleston School of Law in 2018 and graduated magna cum laude. While in law school, Stephen was the Senior Articles Editor of the Charleston Law Review and published his note on jurisdictional issues with medical malpractice while using telemedicine across state lines.
After law school, Stephen joined the U.S. Army JAG Corps where he served as Trial Counsel and as Special Victim Counsel for U.S. Army Alaska. As Trial Counsel, Stephen prosecuted numerous felony and misdemeanor cases in military courts. As a Special Victim Counsel, Stephen represented victims of domestic violence and sexual assault throughout the courts-martial process.
Before joining Stotler Hayes, Tim was a successful attorney in north Alabama for 20 years and an attorney recruiter in Nashville. He has also taught college courses on various legal topics including real estate and family law.
Tim is a proud alumnus of the University of Alabama School of and the University of North Alabama.
Tim lives in middle Tennessee with his wife and daughter and their family poodle, Derrick Henry Shelton.
Prior to joining Stotler Hayes Group, Katie practiced federal civil rights litigation in Chicago, Illinois, obtaining favorable verdicts and judgments on behalf of her clients at trial and through settlement. Katie brings her experience and passion for the law to the representation of healthcare providers in ensuring that their rights are protected.
Katie obtained her juris doctorate and bachelor of arts degree from the University of Toledo and spent a semester abroad in Paris studying at the University of Sorbonne.
Katie is admitted to practice law in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Connecticut, and currently resides in Ohio.
Katie has relocated to Ohio, where she grew up, and lives with her husband and animals. In her free time, Katie enjoys watching old movies and traveling.