Katten Taps Anthony Del Rio and Kate Hardey to Join Leading Health Care Practice

CHICAGO, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Katten announced today that the firm has expanded its nationwide Health Care team with the addition of Anthony Del Rio and Kate Hardey as partners in Chicago and Charlotte, respectively.

"The health care landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, fueled by private equity investment and increased regulations, and clients are seeking sophisticated, strategic counsel across the health care and life sciences sectors," said Kenya S. Woodruff, national chair of Katten's Health Care practice. "Anthony and Kate are the highly experienced partners our health care clients have come to expect. They offer exceptional legal skills along with strategic health care and private equity insight to expand and strengthen our capabilities even further in this evolving environment."

Del Rio is widely recognized for his deep understanding of the complex and highly regulated health care industry, serving as a trusted advisor to leading health care organizations and investors. He counsels providers, payors, and other health care and life sciences entities on a broad range of issues, including transactional matters, regulatory compliance, restructurings and enforcement actions. His previous roles as president of a clinically integrated network and senior counsel to a large health system give him a distinctive, business-oriented perspective that helps clients successfully navigate intricate legal, transactional and regulatory matters.

Hardey is a highly regarded advisor known for her ability to guide clients through the complicated regulatory and transactional landscapes of the health care, life sciences and food industry sectors. Her clients include pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, laboratories, pharmacies, physician groups, hospital systems, food producers and related industry stakeholders. Private equity firms and strategic acquirers regularly turn to Hardey for her insight on high-stakes corporate transactions and multifaceted regulatory matters. Companies with FDA-regulated products also rely on her in-depth experience navigating dense legal and compliance challenges.

They are joined by associates Vinal Patel and Caitlin A. Kierum, both of whom bring substantial health care transactional and regulatory experience and will continue working alongside Del Rio and Hardey. Patel has advised on numerous complex hospital transactions as well as institution-wide investigations with national operational impact. Drawing from her experience as corporate transactions and regulatory counsel to an academic medical center, she provides nuanced insight into industry-specific challenges. Kierum has advised some of the largest operators and investors in the health care industry on complex transactions — including carveouts, take-privates, add-ons, joint ventures and restructurings — with her total deal value exceeding $50 billion.

According to Katten's 2025 Middle-Market Private Equity Report, health care continues to be a promising investment area for middle-market private equity investors, underscoring the importance of the firm's strong health care and private equity rosters.

"We could not be more excited about the addition of Anthony and Kate — both of whom bring top-tier experience advising private equity investors on the acquisition and growth of regulated portfolio companies in health care. Joining together with our deep bench in these areas, they will help our clients continue to grow and adapt in step with a rapidly changing industry," said Kimberly T. Smith, partner and global chair of Katten's Corporate department, which includes the Health Care practice.

Del Rio, Hardey, Patel and Kierum come to Katten from Kirkland & Ellis. Their arrival comes on the heels of the Health Care team's addition of Paul R. DeMuro, PhD, who recently began as counsel in Dallas.

Katten is a full-service law firm with approximately 700 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm's core areas of practice include corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals.
For more information, visit katten.com.

SOURCE Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP