Awards & Recognition

Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC is pleased to note that a number of our principals and government affairs professionals have been recognized for outstanding service:

• Joel Hamme is the President of the American Health Lawyers Association (July 2008 – June 2009 term). He has long been active in the leadership of AHLA, serving previously as President Elect, Board Member, Secretary and other capacities. 
• Mark Fitzgerald and Robert Saner were selected for Chambers & Partners USA — America’s Leading Business Lawyers (2006 - 2008 editions).  Chambers’ rankings are based on reputation in the market, technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, diligence, and commitment.
• Joel Hamme, Mary Susan Philp, Galen Powers, and Ron Sutter were named Washington, DC Healthcare Super Lawyers 2008.  Mr. Hamme and Mr. Sutter were included in the 2007 edition as well. Super Lawyers identifies the top 5 percent of attorneys in each state as chosen by their peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics magazine.  Super Lawyers is based on the survey of more than 30,000 lawyers across the District of Columbia.  More information is available at http://www.superlawyers.com/. 
• Galen Powers, Diane Millman and Joel Hamme are included in the 2007 edition of Woodward/White’s Best Lawyers in America  for Health Law. 
• John Kemp was awarded a national New Freedom Initiative Award by US Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao in 2007.  "The New Freedom Initiative Awards recognize exceptional commitment to helping Americans with disabilities succeed in the workplace and build careers,” said Secretary Chao.  Kemp also holds the 2006 Henry B. Betts award, the most prestigious award within the national disability community.  The award was created to annually honor an individual whose work and scope of influence have significantly improved the quality of life for people with disabilities. It is named for Henry B. Betts, MD, a pioneer in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 
• The District of Columbia Hospital Association named Ron Sutter as the recipient of its 2005 Distinguished Service Award.  Sutter was recognized for his many years of successful advocacy for the member hospitals of the DCHA, including the landmark Supreme Court victory in Bowen v. Georgetown University.  The DCHA presented the award to Ron at its annual banquet on November 17, 2005.
• Dick Verville won the American Medical Association’s prestigious Citation for Distinguished Service in 2004. The award is reserved for exceptional contributions to the medical profession by a lay individual and has not been awarded since 2001. Verville was selected for his work over more than 35 years as an effective advocate for the betterment of patient care, medical education and bio-medical research, and for the rights of patients, physicians and other health care professionals.
• Former Managing Partner Robert Saner was recognized in 2004 as one of the "Outstanding Physician Practice Lawyers in America" by Nightingale's Healthcare News. Saner is also the 2001 recipient of the prestigious "Hats Off" award from the National Organization on Disability recognizing 20 years of service to the cause of helping disabled individuals reach their goal of full participation in American life.
• Mark Fitzgerald was named one of twelve “Outstanding Hospital Lawyers -- 2003” in the US in the July/August issue of Nightingale’s Healthcare News. The magazine cites “expertise in Medicare fraud and abuse, reimbursement, healthcare contracting, corporate law, and tax issues for tax-exempt orgs” as Fitzgerald’s outstanding achievements. Fitzgerald was the only Washington lawyer to make the list.
• Jim Pyles was named Advocate of the Year by the Washington Psychiatric Society in 2002. He also received the Richard Z. Steinmetz Award for “Outstanding Contributions to the Home Health Care Provider Community" in 1998.
• Judi Buckalew, the firm’s Director of Policy and Legislation, has been named Distinguished Woman of the Year (1984), William Paterson University Distinguished Alumni of the Year (1986), and received the Distinguished Service Award from Sibley Hospital in Washington, DC (2003). Ms. Buckalew was Special Assistant to the President (1983-1985) and is listed in Who’s Who in America.  

Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville is a Washington, DC-based law firm that focuses on healthcare, education, and the law of tax-exempt organizations. For more information, please contact Stan Freeman, Managing Partner, at 202.466.6550 or e-mail sfreeman@ppsv.com.