WASHINGTON, DC (July 28, 2003) – Further strengthening its health care and business transactions practices, Venable LLP has added two senior lawyers to its Washington office. Ted Ramirez, who joins as a partner, concentrates on multi-hospital systems, corporate governance and business transactions. He brings a broad national practice to Venable. Mark Velasco, has worked with Mr. Ramirez on business transactions including hospital systems, also brings extensive corporate experience from the technology sector – he was previously General Counsel of CompuServe Network Services Incorporated. He joins as of counsel.
Both attorneys join Venable from the former Arter & Hadden, LLP, which recently announced that it was dissolving after 160 years.
“We are tremendously pleased that Ted Ramirez has joined our group. His experience as both director/trustee as well as transaction counsel with major hospital systems, health care providers and their religious sponsors in DC, Ohio and California, offers wonderful synergies with our existing practice,” said John Sarbanes, chair of Venable’s Health Care Group. “Additionally, the combined experience of Ted and Mark Velasco in a wide variety of corporate matters makes them a valuable resource to our entire business division.”
As a transaction attorney, Mr. Ramirez, 51, devotes much of his practice and national community service to the health care industry where he has structured and advised on acquisitions, alliances, mergers, and integrated systems. He has advised companies on governance issues and organizational control, working with large corporations as well as closely held family businesses. He also has designed and implemented crisis recovery and turnaround plans for companies. His recent article, “Corporate Emergency,” recommends governance methods for companies to better enable their officers and boards to function in the event of government declarations of emergency and disruptions in communications and travel in a post-9/11 context.
Mr. Ramirez also brings 25 years experience serving on boards of directors and executive/finance committees for corporations, hospital groups, and health care organizations throughout the U.S.
“Venable is both powerful and agile; a stable, full-service business law firm that’s built to last,” said Mr. Ramirez, who noted that he got to know the firm through several former Arter & Hadden real estate partners who moved to Venable last year, including Phillip Horowitz, Larry Gesner, Grier Hoyt, and Jerry Moore III. “Venable offers genuine depth and range of its practices to complement our transactional and advisory work, including established regulatory, FDA/health care, corporate and litigation. Venable’s fine legislative practice especially offers great value to our corporate, nonprofit, health care and technology clients.”
Mr. Velasco, 35, has extensive experience in complex technology transactions, representing clients in software licensing and development, information technology outsourcing and custom network/Internet services agreements. Mr. Velasco is also an experienced business transactions attorney.
Mr. Velasco served as General Counsel and chief legal officer of CompuServe Network Services, and oversaw all legal functions of the company’s private network and Internet business with approximately $750 million in annual gross revenue. After the company’s merger with UUNET Technologies, Inc., he served as Deputy General Counsel for the combined company, managing the legal team which oversaw UUNET’s global product sales of over $1 billion and UUNET’s product development. His transactional experience includes numerous acquisitions and dispositions of businesses, including asset, stock and merger transactions. Mr. Velasco also has extensive securities experience conducting exempt offerings and private placements.
Mr. Ramirez earned his J.D. from The Ohio State University, where he serves on the adjunct faculty of the Moritz College of Law, and his B.A., cum laude, from Southwestern Adventist College. Mr. Velasco earned his J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his B.S., magna cum laude and honors, from Andrews University.
One of the American Lawyer’s top 100 law firms, Venable LLP has attorneys practicing in all areas of corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property and government affairs. Venable serves corporate, institutional, governmental, nonprofit and individual clients throughout the U.S. and around the world from its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and offices in California, Maryland, New York and Virginia.