Robert L. Atkinson Partner—Baton Rouge Phone 225.381.8030 Fax 225.376.5619 robert.atkinson@bswllp.com

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Robert L. Atkinson has practiced with BSW since his admission to the Louisiana Bar in October of 1983, and became a partner on January 1, 1988.  Robert practices in the area of commercial transactions, with an emphasis on healthcare transactions, real estate matters, and commercial lending.  Robert’s experience includes representing clients in connection with the acquisition of hospitals and other health care facilities, creating joint ventures among various health care providers to more effectively and efficiently furnish health care services, assisting clients in acquiring commercial and industrial properties, and representing banks and other institutional lenders in commercial financing matters, including tax-exempt bond financing.

Education

Paul M. Hebert Law School, Louisiana State University, J.D., 1983

Louisiana State University, B.S., 1980

Admissions

1983, Louisiana State Courts, Eastern, Middle & Western Districts of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Professional Associations

American Health Lawyers Association

Louisiana Hospital Association Society of Hospital Attorneys

Louisiana Land Title Association

Louisiana State Bar Association

Baton Rouge Bar Association

Publications

Co-author of “Reuniting Unused Mineral Interest with the Land”, Southwest Legal Foundation 44th Annual Institute on Oil & Gas Law and Taxation (1993), and “Developments in Environmental Law: Defending Against Citizen Suits Under the Clean Water Act and Landowner Suits Against Oil Companies For the Destruction of Wetlands”, Southwestern Legal Foundation 37th Annual Institute on Oil & Gas Law and Taxation (1986). 

Presentations

Robert has presented numerous seminars in the fields of health care law, real estate, and commercial law, including seminars on hospital joint ventures, title insurance, real estate transactions, zoning law, and the privacy provisions of HIPAA.

Community Involvement

Board of Directors and Executive Committee and past President of Louisiana Industries for the Disabled (UpLFTD), a non-profit organization which furnishes rehabilitation services to disabled people.

Board of Directors and Executive Committee and current President of the Dyslexia Association of Greater Baton Rouge, a non-profit organization which operates two schools furnishing educational services to children with Dyslexia and related disorders. 

Board of Directors and Executive Committee and current Secretary of the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic, a non-profit organization which furnishes medical and dental care to the working poor in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area through a network of over 200 physicians and dentists who volunteer their services.

Representative Matters

Represented clients in acquisition of a 95-bed acute care hospital and a 15-bed acute care/critical access hospital.

Currently serves as general counsel for 137-bed acute care pubic hospital, handling day to day legal matters and supervising all legal matters.

Represented various health care providers in connection with the establishment and implementation of joint ventures designed to furnish health care services on an effective and cost efficient basis, to own and operate, in addition to other things, specialty hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and facilities furnishing state-of-the-art imaging technology.

Represented client in connection with $9,000,000.00 acquisition of property to expand client’s industrial operations.

Represented lender in connection with a $31,000,000.00 financing for constructing, equipping, and operating a hospital and adjoining medical office building.

Represented client in connection with establishing a long term acute care hospital within a hospital.

Represented Native American tribe in rewriting the real estate section of its legal code and in authoring a new section dealing with secured transactions.