Summary suspensions, Peer Review, Disruptive Physician Accusations, Healthcare Fraud and Medical Board actions are potentially career ending events. Our physician defense lawyers will protect you when events place your license and career at risk.
YOUR LICENSE IS AT RISK - WE CAN HELP!
1. Highly Experienced Physician Defense Lawyer
Daniel Horowitz provides aggressive defense to doctors. Daniel is an esteemed medical defense lawyer whose reputation as trial lawyer and litigator gives strong credibility and authority to his physician clients. A license attack is an emergency and we provide prompt intervention to protect your license and professional reputation.
2. National Reputation - Local Presence
Our offices are in Contra Costa County (Lafayette, California) but our reputation is statewide and national. Our medical-legal work focuses on representing physicians in summary suspension, peer review, disruptive physician allegations and employment disputes within the San Francisco Bay Area. We battle for our doctors against medical groups and hospitals statewide. We have engaged in physician defense in Contra Costa County in cases involving most of the large hospitals including Kaiser, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, John Muir Health, Eden Medical Center & Sutter Health. Our of county we have handled multiple cases in Fresno, San Jose and most recently cases in San Diego and Riverside counties.
Our local presence and reputation is enhanced by Daniel's national reputation as a successful trial attorney, television legal commentator and law school professor. This national reputation and Daniel's medical law expertise allows Daniel Horowitz to represent doctors statewide as his reputation and experience are widely known.
3. Credibility as a Physician Defense Expert
Daniel's national reputation provides credibility to your defense. He is widely quoted in news publications from the New York Times to the San Francisco Chronicle. Daniel's legal team includes Calabasas based physician (and lawyer) Mark Ravis and Brookes Hammock who previously worked for the Ohio Medical Board. Attorney Molly Northrup has years of physician representation experience combined with a major business background reflected by her MBA. Daniel's well publicized medical cases against John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek resulted in an investigation of their pediatric unit and State of California mandated changes to their patient referral out policy.
This medical-legal team credibility and accomplishments means that you are negotiating from strength.
4. Scope of Medical Defense
A. Peer Review, Summary Suspension
As a medical law firm, peer review, sham peer review, summary suspensions, employment and medical credentialing matters.
B. Disruptive Physician
Accusations of being a “disruptive physician” have been a tool used to suspend doctors and to launch peer review. We have extensive experience in this area and have had great success distinguishing between strong patient advocacy and genuine disruptive behavior.
C. Medical Board Defense
Medical Board cases start with investigations and often lead to the filing of a formal Accusation. We are highly experienced in both phases of medical board defense. As Daniel Horowitz is a nationally recognized trial lawyer, he is the “go to” lawyer when negotiations fail and a Medical Board Accusation proceeds to trial.
D. Private Counsel
We also consult as “private counsel” in medical malpractice cases when the attorney for the insurance company is pursuing a direction that is not in the best interests of the insured doctor. We can often find a middle ground where the doctor is protected and case still resolves. We consider NPDB and Medical Board reporting and work with our doctors and the insurance attorney to obtain the best outcome.
5. Emergency Time Frames
Be aware that there are time frames that trigger Medical Board and NPDB reporting. In addition, responses to Medical Board Accusations are likewise on a tight time frame.
Do Not Delay - Get Help Now! (925) 291-5388
Critical Deadlines
As Medical Defense lawyers we are aware that peer reviews and summary suspensions career emergencies. Many actions against physicians have tight statutory deadlines (15 days for a Medical Board Notice of Defense; 14 days of suspension or privilege restriction triggering 805 reports). The Horowitz medical lawyers are available on very short notice to address these time sensitive emergencies.
Criminal Defense including Healthcare Fraud
Our office is located in Contra Costa County but our defense of healthcare fraud and worker's compensation fraud spans the state. We have recent cases (with full dismissals of all charges against our clients) in Riverside and Tehama Counties. We handle complex DUI and Domestic Violence cases when an adverse result will impact a professional license (medical, real estate, financial advisor etc) . As a certified criminal defense specialist (State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization) Daniel's criminal defense work is performed at the highest level of expertise.
A remarkable success record in over 200 jury trials, many million dollar verdicts and high profile cases featured on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. This national reputation is a strong negotiating tool as are published case victories for medical doctors suing their practice, suing hospitals for improper peer review and in medical fraud trials in state and federal court.
Daniel is a former law school professor and television and newspaper legal commentator. His expertise spans the United States with cases in California to New York. Internationally, he has made appearances in courtrooms in Israel, Cyprus, The Netherlands, and Canada.
2. Medical Cases Against John Muir Health (Walnut Creek)
Daniel's medical case work includes major lawsuits on behalf of physician Alicia Kalamas against John Muir Health and challenges to the corporate practice of medicine by John Muir leading an investigation led by California Senator Padillaand Congressman DeSaulnier. This led to major changes in the pediatric unit and requirement that the hospital transfer serious cases to hospitals such as UCSF (Benioff).
3. Other High Profile Cases
Daniel's high profile cases are described in the blogs below. Daniel's national reputation and high profile cases benefit our medical clients because this signals that you have hired a lawyer with a national reputation for handling major cases. More cases resolve in a satisfactory manner when the opposition understands that you are negotiating from strength.
$ 13 million dollars (2025) Settlement in a medical care related federal civil rights case arising out of a hospital's failure to provide proper mental health treatment for a patient under its care pursuant to Health & Safety Code section 5150. (The hospital has made major changes to how it operates and we are excluding its name out of respect for their dedication to improving their operations.)
$ 2 Million Dollars - Walnut Creek medical doctor sued his medical group for wrongful termination. This was an arbitration award and included the retention of intellectual property rights to a key product that he developed.
Lawyers in Lafayette is a group of top lawyers with separate practices and in house paralegals curated by Daniel Horowitz with extraordinary backgrounds. Each client has a custom assembled legal team whose expertise is matched to your specifc case needs. We draw from attorneys and paralegals with extensive relevant backgrounds including:
Licensed medical doctor who is also a lawyer
Licensed chiropractor who is also a law school graduate
We are a local law firm with cases spanning the United States. If you searched for a lawyer on Google using terms like “The Best Attorney near me” chances are most of the “hits” are actually out of town law firms that simply optimize their page for Contra Costa searches. Our firm is actually rooted in Contra Costa County. Daniel Horowitz lives in Lafayette and serves on the Crime Prevention Commission, is a member of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Directors for the Lafayette Police Foundation. Our office is long established and physically present in Lafayette right across the street from Trader Joe's.
Daniel Horowitz has curated a network of top lawyers who each have their own individual practice. These lawyers may take cases outright in their own practice or may work on cases in an Of-Counsel relationship to Daniel Horowitz."Lawyers in Lafayette" is not a law firm, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, professional corporation, or any other legal entity or organization, it is a marketing phrase used for informational and advertising purposes only to help connect individuals seeking legal assistance with licensed California attorneys who may practice in or serve the Lafayette and greater bay area.ayette'sCommunity Lawyers - 925-291-5388
Lafayette's Community Lawyers - 925-291
Horowitz Legal Commentary Michael Jackson Criminal Trial
“Despite his kindness, I have never once doubted his ability to provide me with THE BEST representation in court.”
He is approachable but serious. Mr. Horowitz is the perfect balance of what someone wants in a lawyer. Not only is he approachable enough to gain and value your trust, but he's a bulldog in the courtroom. Despite his kindness, I have never once doubted his ability to provide me with THE BEST representation in court. I'm so thankful to have found a lawyer capable of such a delicate balancing act.
Molly A.
“The Best Attorney I Could Have Asked For”
Dan Horowitz was the best attorney I could have asked for during a difficult time in my career. From the moment I met him, I felt believed, respected, and safe. He and his team were endlessly responsive and empathetic to me and my family. He fought for my case day and night, always keeping my best interests at the forefront of his mind. As I learned from Dan, it is never a good time in one’s life to need legal representation - but if you need it, Dan is your person, your advocate, and your best friend. We are forever grateful for his tireless commitment to justice for the people.
Katherine
“Tough, humble, has integrity - simply THE best.”
Tough, humble, has integrity - simply THE best. With Dan it is not so much about the money but about doing what is right. A very rare breed. He has honesty and integrity and the jurys see it. If he doesn't believe in the case or the client he won't waste your time or his. But you better listen to him!...Believe an trust in him. I did and I am totally indebted to him. He is "The best of the best." Thank you Dan for all you have done and continue to do. Carole~ Arbuckle v. Board of Chiropractic Examiners
Daniel Horowitz chose to remain in Lafayette, dedicating his time and resources to strengthening the community. He actively supports local schools, arts, sports, and public safety. As a long-serving member of the Lafayette Crime Prevention Commission, he plays a key role in promoting neighborhood safety. Daniel is also a strong advocate for education through his involvement with Lafayette Partners in Education (LPIE), and he is a passionate supporter of local arts through Generations in Jazz. His commitment extends to fostering youth development by backing Acalanes High School athletics, encouraging teamwork and community spirit. Daniel is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Lafayette Police Foundation.
Lawyers in Lafayette, Contra Costa County, New York, & Washington State
Martin Garbus: Renowned First Amendment lawyer; Fulbright Award recipient.
Dan Russo: Vallejo-based defense attorney with 300+ jury trials.
Brookes Hammock: Medical defense lawyer in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Anne Bremner: Washington State attorney leading physician defense.
Dr. Mark Ravis: Physician-lawyer in Calabasas; won major fraud case.
Each lawyer practices independently.
Providing the Best Lawyers
Daniel Horowitz has assembled a team of the best lawyers practicing in specialized areas. In criminal defense he has assembled three State Bar certified specialists.
For business Lawyers in Lafayette have lawyers and paralegals with advanced business and real estate qualificaitons including an MBA, RIA and real estate broker's license.
The physician defense team includes a doctor who is also a lawyer and Daniel Horowitz whose success in the medical law field has been the subject of numerous front page news stories.
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