Hatfield Knivila Attorneys Recognized in 2026 Best Lawyers® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America
Hatfield Knivila is proud to announce that three of our attorneys have been recognized in the 2026 editions of Best Lawyers® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America. These honors reflect the respect of peers in the legal community and highlight our team’s ongoing commitment to excellence in health care law and related fields.
Kelly Knivila was named the 2026 “Lawyer of the Year” in Health Care Law in Portland, Oregon by The Best Lawyers in America®. Only a single lawyer in each practice area and geographic region is honored with this distinction each year. Kelly was also selected for inclusion in the 32nd edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for her work in Health Care Law. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers® every year since 2016.
Tim Hatfield was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 32nd edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for his work in Health Care Law. Tim has also previously been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America® for Health Care Law, Corporate Law, and Corporate Governance and Compliance Law.
Ronak Chokhani was recognized in the sixth edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for his work in Health Care Law and Technology Law. This publication honors early-career lawyers who demonstrate outstanding professional excellence in private practice.
We congratulate Kelly, Tim, and Ronak on these well-deserved honors and are proud to see their contributions to the health law community recognized by their peers.
To learn more about the Best Lawyers® methodology, visit bestlawyers.com.
Tim Hatfield Shares Insights on HCMO Program at Oregon Hospital Association CLE
On May 30, 2025, Tim Hatfield of Hatfield Knivila joined Brad Daniels of Stoel Rives LLP to present at a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program hosted by the Oregon Hospital Association.
The session, “Litigation Update and Recent Developments with the Health Care Market Oversight (HCMO) Program,” provided attendees with timely insights into the constitutional challenges facing the program. Tim and Brad walked through the legal theories behind the ongoing litigation, discussed recent developments that highlight potential issues with the statute, and explored what is at stake for health care providers across the state.
The CLE included a presentation followed by a networking reception, giving participants the chance to connect with colleagues and continue the conversation.
We thank the Oregon Hospital Association for hosting this important discussion and for its continued work supporting hospitals and health care providers throughout Oregon.
Hatfield Knivila is Proud to Support Morrison’s Joy-US Celebration
Hatfield Knivila was honored to be a Bronze Sponsor of Morrison’s annual Joy-US Celebration, held April 10, 2025, at the Oregon Historical Society. The event brought together community members, partners, and supporters to celebrate the impact of Morrison’s programs and the families they serve.
Hatfield Knivila has a long-standing connection to Morrison, including through partner Kelly Knivila’s service on its Board of Directors. We’re proud to continue our support of Morrison’s mission of providing comprehensive services to children and families across Oregon, and we extend our thanks to the Morrison team for hosting such a meaningful and heartwarming celebration.
Hatfield & Knivila Sponsors NXNE Clinic’s April Community Supper
On April 3, 2025, Hatfield Knivila was proud to sponsor the annual Community Supper hosted by North by Northeast Community Health Center (NXNE Clinic). The event brought together patients, community members, and supporters to celebrate the clinic’s mission and its impact on health equity in Portland.
The evening began with a lively cocktail hour followed by dinner and a program that featured a live auction, paddle raise, raffles, and moving testimonies from patients whose lives have been touched by NXNE’s care. Funds raised during the evening will help the clinic continue providing high-quality, culturally specific care to all, regardless of ability to pay.
Our connection to NXNE Clinic includes partner Tim Hatfield’s service on its Board of Directors, a role that reflects our shared commitment to supporting organizations that strengthen community health and well-being.
We are proud to stand with NXNE Clinic in its mission and thank the clinic team for hosting such an inspiring and impactful evening.
Learn more about NXNE Clinic at nxneclinic.org
Hatfield Knivila Ranked Tier 1 in Portland for Health Care Law by 2025 Best Law Firms®
Hatfield Knivila is pleased to announce that the firm has been ranked Tier 1 in Portland, Oregon for Health Care Law in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms®, published by Best Lawyers® and U.S. News & World Report.
This recognition reflects the firm’s deep focus and commitment to serving health care providers, payors, and technology vendors throughout the Pacific Northwest. Rankings are based on a comprehensive evaluation process that includes client feedback, peer review, and professional excellence.
We are honored to be recognized among Portland’s leading health law firms.
To view the full rankings and methodology, visit bestlawfirms.com
Introducing Sarah Bimber
We are excited to announce Sarah Bimber, J.D./M.P.H, CIPP as the newest addition to Hatfield Knivila. Sarah brings exceptional experience in healthcare regulatory law, data privacy, and digital health and a pragmatic, client-focused approach to our team.
Sarah returns to private practice after serving as Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Privacy Officer, and Corporate Secretary of Amino Health, a healthcare technology company. There, Sarah led legal, compliance, privacy/security, IT, and HR functions and gained deep operational experience through the company’s start-up, growth, and reorganization phases. Her track record includes SOC 2 and HITRUST certification achievements, successful negotiations of $1M+ sales and vendor contracts, $100M+ in capital fundraising transactions, and transition to fully remote operations and national employee base.
Sarah regularly advises on a wide range of complex issues, including:
Data privacy and security (HIPAA, Part 2, and related state laws) matters, including program development, audit and risk assessment, incident response, and SME support for M&A transactions
Data licensing, EHR implementation, AI integration, and other technology arrangements
Compliance with fraud and abuse and corporate practice of medicine laws
Commercial contracting including SaaS, payor-provider, provider network, channel partnership, business associate agreements, NDAs, and other agreements
Fraud and abuse (Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law) and corporate practice of medicine compliance
Clients also rely on Sarah as outside general or product counsel on a fractional basis—she’s known for her pragmatic advice, strategic thinking, and ability to integrate seamlessly with internal teams.
Before joining us at Hatfield Knivila, Sarah worked alongside several of our attorneys at Stoel Rives and also held roles at the University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics, the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and Epic Systems. Sarah is licensed to practice in Oregon and California and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional through the IAPP. Sarah is also an active member of the American Health Law Association and the Oregon State Bar’s Health Law Section, where she has served in several leadership roles on the Executive Committee.
Sarah is passionate about helping healthcare industry stakeholders innovate, adopt forward-looking compliance solutions, and improve care delivery. Outside of work, Sarah is usually chasing after her two elementary-age kids and energetic black lab. She is an outdoor enthusiast, lifelong learner, avid reader, and always looking for the next great travel destination.
Please join us in welcoming Sarah to Hatfield Knivila. We’re thrilled to have her on board—and we know our clients will be too.
Kelly Knivila and Tim Hatfield Honored in 2025 Best Lawyers® Recognitions
Hatfield Knivila is proud to announce that two of our attorneys have been recognized in the 2025 editions of Best Lawyers® publications:
Kelly Knivila
Named in The Best Lawyers in America® (2025 Edition) for her work in Health Care Law. Kelly has maintained this recognition since 2016, reflecting her deep and sustained expertise in health care regulatory matters
Timothy Hatfield
Named in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America® (2025 Edition) for Health Care Law, Corporate Law, and Corporate Governance and Compliance Law. Tim has been recognized in this category since 2021, highlighting his growing leadership in health law and corporate governance.
These individual recognitions complement our firm’s Tier 1 ranking in Portland, Oregon for Health Care Law in Best Law Firms® 2025. They underscore our attorneys’ sustained level of excellence in legal service and regulatory insight.
To view the full attorney rankings and publication methodology, please visit bestlawyers.com.
Introducing Ronak Chokhani
A seasoned healthcare regulatory and transactional attorney, Ronak brings deep experience advising a broad spectrum of health care clients, including provider groups, hospital systems, managed care organizations, insurers, health-tech companies and firms that invest in health care.
Ronak’s practice covers both day-to-day compliance and complex transactional matters. He regularly counsels clients on operational and regulatory issues including:
· Privacy and security (including HIPAA compliance and breach response)
· Fraud and abuse
· Billing and reimbursement
· Provider and payor contracting
· Licensing and scope of practice
· Insurance code compliance and product review
· Corporate practice of medicine
· Health care antitrust
He’s also an experienced deal advisor, serving as corporate and regulatory counsel on health care M&A and financing transactions. Whether he’s structuring affiliations or clinically integrated networks, handling change-of-ownership filings, drafting provider and payor contracts, or obtaining necessary regulatory approvals, Ronak brings sharp insight and steady guidance to the table.
Before joining Hatfield Knivila, Ronak practiced in the nationally recognized healthcare groups at Stoel Rives, LLP and McGuireWoods LLP.
Outside of work, Ronak enjoys spending time with his wife, son and two miniature dachshunds. He’s a passionate cook, a big football fan, and enjoys staying active with soccer, pickleball, and the occasional video game.
We’re thrilled to have Ronak as part of Hatfield Knivila, and we know our clients continue to benefit from his experience, diligence, and thoughtful approach.
Introducing Hatfield Knivila
We are delighted to announce the founding of Hatfield Knivila. With over 45 years combined experience, we have devoted our careers to developing a deep and nuanced understanding of the health care system and the problems our clients face. For the last 8 years, we have worked together to build a robust health care practice at Stoel Rives, the leading law firm of the mountain west. In founding our own firm, we aim to focus our practices on the thing we love most: building close relationships with a small number of clients who see us as trusted advisors who help them efficiently solve and avoid legal and regulatory problems.
To our existing clients, welcome! We are committed to making this transition as easy as possible. We intend to deliver you the same excellent, timely advice that you are accustomed to—just via a different email address and phone number. Both of us hope that you will see that we can deliver the same level of service with fewer conflicts and at a lower cost than we have before.
To potential new clients, please get in touch! We made this transition so that we could tailor our services to clients who cannot (or would prefer not to) go to a big firm. For you, this means that you will always receive advice directly from us, the subject matter experts. We do not necessarily aspire to be the lawyer you call for every legal issue that may arise; we aspire to be the lawyer you call when you need our expertise in particular.
Thank you for coming to visit our new (virtual) home. Please feel free to reach out to either of us—just remember that our email addresses have changed.