About Athene Law | Esther Weese

Biography

Esther Weese, M.P.H., J.D. focuses her practice on healthcare transactions and regulatory matters. Esther represents health systems, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, cancer treatment facilities, and other healthcare providers on mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. In addition to her transactional experience, Esther advises clients on healthcare regulatory issues, including fraud and abuse, corporate practice of medicine, facility licensure, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and California medical information privacy laws. She has extensive experience drafting contracts, including purchase agreements, operating agreements, management agreements, professional services agreements, and medical director agreements. Esther has also counseled hospital clients on general counsel-type matters, including inquiries relating to informed consent, compliance policies and procedures, and physician recruitment. Prior to joining Athene, Esther was a Partner in the Health Industry Advisory Practice Group of McDermott Will & Emery LLP.

Esther has been named as a top-rated healthcare attorney in Southern California Super Lawyers (2017 to 2022) and Best Lawyers in America (2021 to 2022).

Professional Affiliations

American Health Lawyers Association

Education

Esther earned her B.A. in biochemistry from Dartmouth College, her M.P.H. from Boston University, and her J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
Admitted to the State Bar of California

Representative Matters

Represented a national nonprofit health system in its merger with two academic medical centers and negotiation of a long-term affiliation agreement with the associated medical school
Represented a health system in its negotiation of a long-term inpatient dialysis services agreement and joint venture agreement with the dialysis provider
Represented two ambulatory surgery centers in their sale to a publicly-traded company
Represented a national health system in its acquisition of multiple physician practices, a management services organization, and a cancer center.
Represented a national radiation oncology provider in its acquisition of multiple radiation therapy centers
Represented a publicly-traded company in its sale of a controlling interest in a radiation therapy joint venture company to a nationally-recognized cancer center
Represented a digital health service provider in its acquisition of an independent practice association
Represented private equity companies in structuring friendly professional corporation-management services organization platforms, and negotiating physician practice acquisitions
Advised California health care providers on matters implicating the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act
Represented California healthcare providers in corporate practice of medicine investigations brought by the Medical Board of California
Contributing author of the American Health Lawyers Association, Corporate Practice of Medicine: 50 State Survey (Second Edition)

Esther Weese

News and insights

CMS Finalizes Provider Tax Waiver Rules

More Financial Assistance Requirements on California Hospitals, Effective 7/1/27

Ninth Circuit Provides Clarity on Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA)