Sarah R. Lavelle

SARAH R. LAVELLE is a senior associate in the Employment & Labor, Litigation, and Health Care Practice Groups of Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP. She is located in the firm’s Philadelphia office.

Ms. Lavelle handles a wide range of complex commercial cases, including contract disputes, RICO, tax fraud and trade secrets. Ms. Lavelle's employment practice includes the representation of public and private employers against claims of retaliation and violations of Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, sexual harassment, and wrongful termination. She frequently appears before local, state and federal administrative agencies and in state and federal courts. Ms. Lavelle also routinely prepares and advises employers on employment policies, manuals, personnel handbooks and employment contracts. Her practice includes drafting and enforcing restrictive covenants.

In the area of health care, Ms. Lavelle has represented health care providers and institutions before court and administrative bodies concerning overpayment demands, licensing and credentialing matters. She routinely advises health care providers on compliance with state and federal statutes, including the Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute and HIPAA. as well as drafting policies for health care institutions to ensure such compliance. She also defends health care providers against allegations of health care fraud.

Ms. Lavelle has also represented witnesses who are the targets of government investigations.

Some of Ms. Lavelle's representations include:

• A regional transportation authority against retaliation and discrimination claims by current and former employees;
• Negotiation of severance agreements for executive level employees;
• A former Chief Financial Officer for wage and payment claims and the enforcement of his severance agreement;
• The enforcement of a forum selection clause in an employment agreement on behalf of a national medical staffing company;
• Conducting an independent internal investigation concerning the alleged theft of patented intellectual property from a medical university;
• Defending health care practices and providers investigated and sued by insurance companies for fraudulent billing and treatment of personal injury plaintiffs;
• Defending health care providers involved in billing disputes, audits and overpayment demands by insurance companies;
• Defending health care providers who have been the subject of disciplinary actions by private insurance companies, state medical boards, and a private organization that board certifies physicians;
• Ensuring health care practices and providers' compliance with the Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute, and state and federal regulations.

While at University of San Francisco School of Law, Ms. Lavelle was the recipient of a merit-based scholarship. While there, she completed internships with the Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center and the National Labor Relations Board. She served as an editor for the Journal of Law & Social Challenges, and was a member of the Advanced Moot Court Team where she competed in the National Appellate Advocacy Competition. Upon graduation, Ms. Lavelle received the Public Interest Law Certificate and the ABA-BNA Award for Excellence in the Study of Labor and Employment Law. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Lavelle worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Romania.

Ms. Lavelle is a member of the American, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations. She is also a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and a member of the Society for Human Resource Management.