Practice Areas
Disputes and Litigation
As a solo law firm entrepreneur, Dennis understands that when it comes to you or your business any dispute can easily escalate into "high-stakes" litigation. This is why the Firm is ready to provide premier advocacy services to quickly and efficiently resolve any disputes or litigation matters with the best possible outcome for you or your business. The Firm's litigation practice includes:
- Arbitrations
- Business Disputes
- Civil Litigation
- Breach of Contract
- Breach of Fiduciary Duty
- Deceptive Trade Practices
- Defamation
- Discrimination and Harassment
- Insurance Claim Recovery
- Landlord/ Tenant Disputes
- Mediation
- Non-Compete Disputes
- Shareholder Derivative Actions
- Small Claims
- Tortious Interference with Business
- Trade Secrets
- Unfair Competition
- Whistleblower Retaliation
Investigations and Government Enforcement
Whistleblower actions, government investigations, or regulatory actions that constitute government overreach can be extremely disruptive, if not completely debilitating, when they are not handled with the expertise, finesse, and urgency it deserves. Accordingly, the Firm is ready to zealously defend your rights and liberties before Federal, State, or Municipal authorities with minimal disruption to your life or your business operations. The Firm's Investigations and Government Enforcement practice includes:
- Administrative Enforcement Actions
- Challenging Federal, States, or Municipal Laws and Regulations
- Civil Investigative Demands
- Criminal Investigations
- Defending Depositions
- Federal/ State Grant and Contract Fraud Investigations and Enforcement
- Freedom of Information Act Requests and Disclosures
- Pool Counsel Services
- Subpoena Responses
- Whistleblower Complaints
- Witness Interviews
Regulatory Compliance
The best way to avoid any disputes, business setbacks, or government investigations is to have a robust compliance and risk mitigation program in place before the government comes knocking. The Firm is here to help you take proactive steps on your compliance journey and implement the seven elements of a compliance program. The Firm's Regulatory Compliance practice includes:
- Compliance Assessments
- Conducting Internal Investigations of Suspected Noncompliance
- Advising Your Compliance Leadership
- External Compliance Officer Services
- Data Privacy
- Developing Policies and Procedures
- Improving Training and Education
- Fostering a "Speak Up" Culture
- Internal Monitoring and Auditing
- Regulatory Filings
- Risk Analysis
- Risk Mitigation
- Self-Disclosures for Identified Compliance Violations
Outside General Counsel Services
Whether you need outside general counsel for your startup business or you are trying to alleviate your in-house legal team's burden, the Firm is available to serve as general counsel - handling general matters for your business and bringing in specialized counsel as needed. As outside general counsel, the Firm will work in tandem with your C-suite and business functions to identify your goals, scope out the work necessary to achieve your goals, and execute the agreed-upon legal strategy. The Firm also offers limited outside general counsel services on a flat fee basis. The Firm's Outside General Counsel Services include:
- Contract Drafting and Review
- Corporate Formation/ Dissolution
- Corporate Governance Issues
- General Litigation Management
- Product/ Services Counsel
- Registered Agent Services
Healthcare and Life Sciences
Dennis' years of experience in healthcare fraud and abuse enforcement and compliance uniquely situates him to provide a range of services to all categories of actors in the healthcare and life sciences industry. Whether your business needs help with a discrete issue or your startup needs outside general counsel services, the Firm has the expertise to help and the network to engage specialists on your behalf to handle matters outside the scope of our expertise. The Firm's Healthcare and Life Sciences expertise and experience includes:
- Appeals to HHS' Departmental Appeals Board
- Agency Determination Appeals
- Claims Appeals
- Exclusion Appeals
- Billing Compliance
- Corporate Integrity Agreements
- Federal Grants and Contracts Investigations and Enforcement
- Federal Acquisition Regulation
- HHS Acquisition Regulations
- Research Misconduct
- Fraud and Abuse Laws and Regulations
- Anti-Kickback Statute
- Civil Monetary Penalties Law
- Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act
- False Claims Act
- Stark Law
- State False Claims Act Statutes
- HIPAA Compliance
- HHS-OIG's Self-Disclosure Protocol
- Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Investigations and Enforcement
- Off-Label Promotion Investigations and Enforcement
- Patient Assistance Programs/ Patient Support Programs
- Sponsored Genetic Testing
EHR Interoperability, Information Blocking, and Meaningful Use
While at HHS-OIG, Dennis worked on implementing the agency's information blocking authorities under the 21st Century Cures Act. As such, he was a primary drafter of HHS-OIG's CMP Final Rule for information blocking and is well versed in the interoperability and information blocking regulations set forth by the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP/ONC). Furthermore, Dennis has experience handling False Claims Act matters related to Meaningful Use payments. The Firm's EHR Interoperability, Information Blocking, and Meaningful Use Practice includes:
- Conducting Information Blocking Risk Assessments
- Developing Policies and Procedures to Comply with the Information Blocking Rules
- Crafting Internal Monitoring and Auditing Procedures to Address Information Blocking Risks
- Conducting Investigations and Defending Allegations of Information Blocking Violations
- Conducting Investigations and Defending Allegations of Fraudulent Meaningful Use Attestations and Payments
Litigation, Investigations, Defense, Compliance, and Business Counsel Lawyer
About DSP Advocates, P.C.
The Firm was founded on three Core Values:
- Providing Equal Access to Justice for All. You can expect elite yet affordable advocacy, because justice does not belong to the highest bidder.
- Integrity. You can expect candor and transparency when receiving legal counsel, because your best interest is our priority.
- Efficiency. Our legal care is tailored to achieve your goals in the most expedient and cost-effective way possible, so you can use more of your time and resources doing what really matters for you or your business.
Dennis Sapien-Pangindian leverages experience, technology, and strategic partnerships to provide you with elite, affordable advocacy. Dennis draws on his enforcement experience at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the largest Inspector General’s office in the U.S. government, to represent clients in a range of complex controversies. Whether it be advocating for your business in court or advising you personally as a private client, the Firm is ready to quickly achieve the best outcome for you.
Prior to founding DSP Advocates, P.C., Dennis Sapien-Pangindian worked at an AmLaw 50 law firm and a national healthcare and life sciences super-boutique where he represented healthcare entities, global pharmaceutical entities, medical device manufacturers, digital health innovators, and other life sciences companies under both criminal and civil government investigations as well as civil litigation matters.
Select Representative Matters
- Defended of a rare disease drug manufacturer under DOJ investigation for alleged off-label promotion of a drug – successfully convinced DOJ to close its criminal and civil investigations against the client
- Defended a biologics distributor/ third party biller under investigation for alleged Anti-Kickback Statue and False Claims Act violations
- Successfully defended a diagnostics company in a pre-litigation dispute with a hospital over alleged price gouging of COVID-19 testing panels during the pandemic
- Successfully defended a hospital system against a whistleblower’s allegations of False Claims Act violations –resulting in a favorable settlement with no finding of wrongdoing against the hospital system
Awards and Recognitions
- Lawyers of Color "Hot List" (2023)
- HHS-OIG's Cooperative Achievement Award In Recognition of a Time-Sensitive, Innovative Report About Hospitals' Challenges and Needs in Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic (2021)
- HHS-OIG Award For Outstanding Representation of OIG in Advising on Coordinated Care Model Waivers (2020)
HHS-OIG Award For Outstanding Work on the Development of Regulations to Implement OIG's Information Blocking Penalty (2020)
HHS-OIG Award For Excellence in Fighting Fraud, Waste, and Abuse In Recognition of Excellence in the Investigation of Duke University (2020)