ATLANTA (March 17, 2021)—Angelo Spinola and a team of four, including some of the nation’s leaders in advising the home-based care industry on employment legal matters, have joined Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli. The expansion of the firm’s Labor and Employment Department includes a trio of well-known attorneys: Spinola, shareholder and new co-chair of the Home Health, Home Care and Hospice Practice; Anne Mellen, shareholder; and William Vail, shareholder. The firm also welcomes Melissa Mann, client relations manager.
Spinola, Mellen and Vail join Polsinelli’s Atlanta office. All three new shareholders are members of the firm’s national Employment Advice & Investigations Practice.
The group of experienced colleagues, led by Spinola, brings deep knowledge across the health care continuum of care, with a focus on home health, homecare and hospice. They work with franchise clients in these areas and generally across all industries, bringing a unique perspective and experience on the legal issues impacting both franchisors and franchisees.
The group works with an array of home-based care providers including Fortune 500 organizations and franchisors, small-owned business and franchisees, and everything in between. They also work closely with private equity firms and investment groups with respect to acquisition and activities in these sectors.
“These attorneys are among the top employment attorneys in the nation, especially in the home care industry,” said Polsinelli Labor and Employment Department Chair Denise Drake. “We are thrilled to have Angelo, Anne and Will join Polsinelli as they add depth and experience in the home care sector. This new team’s broad range of legal skills, from employment litigation and compliance, to franchise structuring and M&A work, make them unique and strong additions to our firm.”
The new team of four professionals adds new and exciting depth to Polsinelli’s Labor and Employment Department while providing additional value in a cross-functional role within the health care and home health/home care/hospice industries and Polsinelli’s health care services, corporate and transactional and global franchise and supply network practices.
“Angelo and his team have a comprehensive understanding of the unique aspects of the homecare and hospice community, bringing a strong passion for the industries,” said National Association for Home Care & Hospice President William A. Dombi, Esq. “Angelo has the ability to translate legal complexities into practical standards, bringing great value to his clients. I look forward to continuing to work with him as he transitions into a new chapter at Polsinelli.”
“We value Angelo and his team’s focus and experience on legal matters facing the home care industry, said Home Care Association of America Executive Director Vicki Hoak. “The members of the Home Care Association of America are very grateful for Angelo’s strong commitment to our industry that is focused on helping older Americans and individuals with disabilities to remain in their own homes living as independently as possible. We look forward to continuing our work together as we ensure that all Americans have access to in-home care.”
Angelo Spinola
With two decades of legal experience, Spinola has established a nationally-known employment litigation practice with a special focus on the home health, homecare and hospice industry. He regularly represents employers across the country in class actions brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage/hour laws. Spinola has litigated all types of employment law-related cases, appearing on behalf of employers in federal and state courts and administrative tribunals throughout the U.S. He also partners with his clients to build compliance solutions to avoid litigation.
With a niche practice in the home-based care industry, Spinola’s work has evolved from traditional employment and wage hour law to now include industry-specific diligence in support of mergers and acquisitions, regulatory licensing, and franchising counsel as his client base has grown to other industries beyond healthcare. Spinola partners with franchisors and franchisees across multiple industries, and is well known for his progressive approach, forward-thinking strategy and investment in multi-disciplinary technology.
“With this move to Polsinelli, our group will now truly be the one-stop-shop we want to be,” said Spinola. “With Polsinelli’s deep bench of experience and skillset in healthcare transactions and M&A, our team immediately recognized how we could build a successful partnership to best serve our clients’ needs. We’re excited to be part of a full-service national law firm where our clients can consolidate all of their services under one roof, giving them efficiencies and cost-savings, along with Polsinelli’s recognized outstanding client service.”
Spinola earned a B.A. from the University of Maryland before obtaining a J.D., with honors, from George Washington University School of Law.
Anne M. Mellen
Mellen is a seasoned labor and employment attorney who represents and counsels employers in employment matters under federal and state law. Her practice focuses on wage and hour actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and other state laws.
Mellen works alongside Spinola to create robust compliance solutions for clients. She has experience with complex class and collective actions involving overtime, misclassifications and wage-related claims, primarily within the home health and home care industry. She works with private equity investors to convert acquisitions into compliant companies, and also has experience creating compliance best practices to mitigate litigation.
Mellen received a B.S., summa cum laude, from Central Michigan University prior to obtaining a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
William Vail
Vail brings nearly two decades of valuable experience from both the BigLaw and in-house counsel perspective, focusing his practice on counseling home health, home care and hospice providers on a variety of employment issues. He has experience with False Claims Act matters, professional and general liability issues related to home health, hospice and general health care operations, and navigating compliance and licensure issues in various industries.
Vail’s employment/health law experience includes due diligence related to mergers and acquisitions, leading start-ups through initial operations and handling compliance issues. He also has experience with everything from winding down operations to facilitating management trainings. He, too, has litigated employment matters across the Country, having represented clients in nearly every state.
Vail brings valuable experience working as in-house counsel for almost seven years for two divisions of the largest post-acute health care provider in the U.S. He later served as lead employment and litigation counsel for the largest home health and hospice provider in the country. Vail leverages his in-house experience with his home-based care clients, bringing unique and insider knowledge to reach their goals and solve their most complex problems.
Vail frequently speaks to large groups regarding legal issues in the home-based care industry. Vail is based in Louisville, Kentucky and Atlanta. He obtained a B.A., cum laude, from Washington and Lee University and a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
The hiring of the trio of attorneys continues Polsinelli’s momentum and growth initiative in its Atlanta office.
