Bill Horton is Chair of Haskell Slaughter's Transactional Practice Group.  His primary professional focus is on the representation of healthcare providers and other healthcare enterprises, particularly in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, securities and corporate finance law, regulatory compliance and corporate governance matters. He also has extensive experience representing clients in the financial services industry, and has worked as well with energy, manufacturing and technology clients, among others.

Mr. Horton began his legal career as Law Clerk to United States District Judge James H. Hancock, Northern District of Alabama, in 1985 - 1986. After practicing with the firm as an associate and member from 1986 until 1994, Mr. Horton served as the general counsel of HEALTHSOUTH Corporation from July 1994 through September 2003. With substantial experience both in private practice and as senior legal officer for a large public company, Mr. Horton has been involved in some of the largest corporate finance and acquisition transactions in the healthcare services industry. His background includes representation of issuers in securities offerings and periodic reporting, representation of borrowers in complex financing transactions, counseling healthcare enterprises on regulatory compliance, and representation of healthcare enterprises and other businesses in acquisition and divestiture transactions, joint ventures, venture investments and other business transactions. He also has extensive experience in False Claims Act litigation matters, government and internal investigations and corporate governance issues.

A nationally recognized speaker and author on healthcare, corporate and securities law, and professional responsibility topics, Mr. Horton currently serves on the Council of the American Bar Association's Health Law Section and has also held leadership positions for several years with the American Health Lawyers Association. In addition, he served as Co-Chair of the Planning Committees for AHLA's 2006 and 2007 In-House Counsel Programs and for the ABA Health Law Section's Seventh and Eighth Annual Conferences on Emerging Issues in Healthcare Law. He was formerly a director of the Alabama Chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association and a member of the Legal and Operational Policy Committee of the Federation of American Hospitals. Mr. Horton is a contributing author to the 21st edition of Health Law Handbook (2009) and to Health Care Fraud and Abuse: Practical Perspectives (2d ed. 2007), and his articles have appeared in The Business Lawyer, Journal of Health Law, BNA's Corporate Accountability Report, BNA's Health Law Reporter and other publications. He serves as Editor-in-Chief for the 2009-2010 edition of AHLA's Federal Healthcare Laws & Regulations.  Mr. Horton is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Health Care Law, Securities Law and Corporate Governance and Compliance Law and in Alabama Super Lawyers, and has also been recognized by the Birmingham Business Journal in its "Best of the Bar" polls and "Who's Who in Health Care" list. 

Mr. Horton is a director of Presbyterian Retirement Homes of Birmingham, Inc. and a member of the Fundraising Hall of Fame for the Alabama Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He is also active in the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham and is a charter member of the Newcomen Society of Alabama.

Professional Affiliations:

• American Bar Association (Health Law Section: Member of Council, 2009 - 2012; Chair, Programs Executive Committee, 2006 - 2009; Chair, Transactional and Business Healthcare Interest Group, 2004 - 2006; Co-Chair, Seventh and Eighth Annual Conferences on Emerging Issues in Healthcare Law; Liaison to SOC/CPR Joint Committee on Ethics and Professionalism; Section of Business Law: Committees on Federal Regulation of Securities; Corporate Counsel; Negotiated Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; White-Collar Crime; Legal Opinions; Member, Center for Professional Responsibility)
• Alabama State Bar
• Birmingham Bar Association
• American Health Lawyers Association (Vice Chair, Business Law and Governance Practice Group, 2008 - : Editor-in-Chief, AHLA's Federal Healthcare Laws & Regulations, 2009 - 2010; Vice Chair, In-House Counsel Practice Group, 2002 - 2007; Planning Committee, In-House Counsel Program, 2002 - 2007 (Co-Chair, 2006 and 2007); Vice Chair, Corporate Governance Task Force, 2005 - 2008) 
• Health Care Compliance Association
• Planning Committee, Southeastern Business Law Institute
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation