Wendy L. Krasner Joins Manatt's Washington, D.C. OfficeAddition of Prominent Medicare Lawyer Expands National Healthcare Practice

WASHINGTON, D.C. AND LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA; AUGUST 18, 2005 - Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, the national law and consulting firm, announced today that Wendy Krasner will join the firms Washington, D.C. office as a Partner as of September 1, 2005. Ms. Krasner previously served as Deputy Vice President for Policy and Research at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (the Washington, D.C.-based trade association for brand-name pharmaceutical manufacturers, known as PhRMA).

Wendy is one of the foremost healthcare lawyers in Washington, D.C. She has unique expertise with respect to the new prescription drug benefit to be offered under Medicare, having played a prominent role in its development while at PhRMA, combined with her long-time representation of managed care companies and providers in connection with Medicare and other federal healthcare programs. Wendys reputation as a strategic thinker and problem solver for managed care and pharma companies, providers and payors, will be a strong addition to our growing national healthcare industry practice, said Paul H. Irving, Manatt's Chief Executive and Managing Partner.

While at PhRMA, Ms. Krasner played a prominent role in development of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit to be offered starting January 1, 2006 on behalf of the brand-name pharmaceutical manufacturers. Before joining PhRMA in 2003, Ms. Krasner was a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of McDermott, Will & Emery, where she served as Co-Chair of the managed care practice. Over a twenty-five year period, she garnered a reputation as one of Washington's leading healthcare lawyers representing a wide variety of clients in the healthcare industry in regulatory, compliance, counseling and transactional matters with particular expertise in Medicare and Medicaid managed care.

Wendy is a welcome addition to Manatt. Her in-depth understanding of federal healthcare policy complements our established broad reputation of MCOs, providers and others in the healthcare industry on the East and West Coasts, and will enhance our ability to better provide our clients with a full range of substantive legal expertise. Wendys long-time focus on strategic and policy issues in the healthcare field also significantly expands the reach of our health policy and consulting practice, and we look forward to integrating her immediately into our policy team, said William S. Bernstein, who serves as Co-Chair of Manatts national Government and Regulatory Division and focuses on healthcare law and policy matters. We are fortunate to have someone with such a breadth of knowledge and a demonstrated passion for healthcare policy work.

In addition to her work with providers, MCOs and pharma companies, Ms. Krasner has successfully represented large groups of Medicaid managed care plans, national ESRD, behavioral health and long-term care companies, disease management companies, payors and many others on a broad range of legal and regulatory issues.

Ms. Krasner has served as a member of several healthcare advisory boards, including the editorial board of United States Health Care Laws and Rules and the advisory board of BNA Health Plan and Provider. She was named by her peers as one of the Best Health Lawyers in the U.S. for the last five years of her private practice.

Ms. Krasner was an instructor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine from 1995-1998, and has been published in a variety of healthcare law publications, including AHLA HMOs and Health Plans Practice Group, Managed Care Law Strategist, BNAs Medicare Report, and the Health Law Handbook.

Ms. Krasner received her J.D. from University of California, Berkeley in 1978, and her B.A., cum laude, from Harvard University in 1975.

About Manatt
Currently celebrating its 40 th anniversary, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP provides legal and consulting services to domestic and international clients from offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto and Sacramento, Calif.; New York and Albany, N.Y, and Washington D.C.. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Manatt Jones Global Strategies, LLC, develops and implements strategies to expand clients' businesses and facilitate their effective competition in global markets. For more information, visit www.manatt.com and www.manattjones.com .