Taryn McDonald
Biography
Taryn focuses her practice on government investigations and healthcare litigation, representing individuals and companies facing actual or threatened government enforcement actions. She has represented clients under criminal or civil investigation by various government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of Inspector General, the Texas Attorney General’s Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and FINRA. Taryn has extensive experience defending clients in qui tam and False Claims Act investigations and lawsuits and regularly provides counsel on regulatory issues, including compliance with the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law, and anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws. Taryn also helps her clients investigate and navigate sensitive internal compliance issues and advises them regarding their disclosure obligations.
Taryn is actively involved in the firm and in the community. She is a member of the Dallas Bar Association - Health Law Section and the DFW Chapter of Women in White Collar Defense. She is also a member of the Cattle Baron’s Ball Committee which raises funds for the American Cancer Society. Prior to attending law school, Taryn worked for both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Office of the Attorney General.
Taryn focuses her practice on government investigations and healthcare litigation, representing individuals and companies facing actual or threatened government enforcement actions. She has represented clients under criminal or civil investigation by various government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of Inspector General, the Texas Attorney General’s Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and FINRA. Taryn has extensive experience defending clients in qui tam and False Claims Act investigations and lawsuits and regularly provides counsel on regulatory issues, including compliance with the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law, and anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws. Taryn also helps her clients investigate and navigate sensitive internal compliance issues and advises them regarding their disclosure obligations.
Taryn is actively involved in the firm and in the community. She is a member of the Dallas Bar Association - Health Law Section and the DFW Chapter of Women in White Collar Defense. She is also a member of the Cattle Baron’s Ball Committee which raises funds for the American Cancer Society. Prior to attending law school, Taryn worked for both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Office of the Attorney General.
- Represented a clinical laboratory in False Claims Act qui tam in the Northern District of Texas alleging violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute related to pharmacogenetic testing. See United States ex rels. Choate and Pyburn v. DNA Stat et al. (N.D. Tex.).
- Represented national hospice provider in False Claims Act qui tam in the Northern District of Texas alleging violations of the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute. See United States ex rel. Capshaw v. White (N.D. Tex.).
- Represented national healthcare provider in False Claims Act qui tam alleging violations of the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute related to employed physician compensation arrangements and improper coding of evaluation and management procedures.
- Represented pathology laboratories in False Claims Act qui tam alleging improper billing and violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
- Represented an oil and gas services company in connection with a criminal investigation of alleged FCPA violations.
- Conducted comprehensive evaluation of anti-bribery and anti-corruption compliance program for publicly traded company.
- Represented registered broker dealer in investigation related to alleged violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5.
- Represented former public company executive in a parallel criminal/civil investigation by the DOJ and the SEC related to loans received under the government’s paycheck protection program.
- Counseled publicly traded companies regarding disclosure obligations surrounding government investigations and litigation.
- Advised public company regarding self-disclosure of potential FCPA violation.
- Recognized by Chambers USA, Chambers and Partners, in Litigation: White Collar Crime and Government Investigations (Texas), 2024
- Recognized by Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Thomson Reuters, 2021-2023
- Included in Texas Super Lawyers Women’s Edition, Thomson Reuters, as a Rising Star, 2023
- Included in the "Ones to Watch" category of Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., Health Care Law, 2021-2024; Criminal Defense: White Collar, 2023-2025
- Recognized in D Magazine's "Best Lawyers in Dallas," D Magazine Partners, 2018
- “More Money, More Problems: Legal Risks Faced by Private Equity Investors in the Healthcare Industry,” co-author, The Health Lawyer, Volume 36, No. 4, April 2024.
- “False Claims Act Year in Review,” speaker, Dallas Bar Association Health Law Section, February 21, 2024.
- “False Claims Act Year in Review,” speaker, Dallas Bar Association Health Law Section, January 18, 2023.
- "DOJ Provides Additional Guidance on Corporate Criminal Investigations," co-author, September 26, 2022.
- "False Claims Act - 2021 Year in Review," co-author, February 07, 2022.
- “False Claims Act 2021 Year in Review,” speaker, Dallas Bar Association Health Law Section, January 19, 2022.
- "SEC Enforcement Highlights 2021," co-author, December 07, 2021.
- “Mitigating False Claims Act Liability Risks for Healthcare Recipients of COVID-19 Funding,” speaker, Strafford CLE webinar, March 24, 2021.
- "Health Law Vitals - January 2021," co-author, February 16, 2021.
- "False Claims Act - 2020 Year in Review," co-author, February 03, 2021.
- “False Claims Act 2020 Year in Review,” speaker, Dallas Bar Association Health Law Section, January 20, 2021.
- "Medical Technology Company Arrangements and Opportunities for Participation in Value Based Care under AKS Final Rule," co-author, January 20, 2021.
- "FCPA Compliance in the Age of COVID-19," author, August 19, 2020.
- "False Claims Act Compliance Concerns in the Wake of COVID-19," co-author, April 22, 2020.
- “The Risk of False Claims Act Liability for Recipients of COVID-19 Funding,” co-presenter, Practising Law Institute 1-Hour Program
- "Health Law Vitals - COVID-19 Edition - March 2020," co-author, March 23, 2020.
- "CMS Issues Guidance for Healthcare Providers Grappling with COVID-19," co-author, March 23, 2020.
- "The False Claims Act Year in Review 2019," co-author, March 01, 2020.
- "The False Claims Act Year in Review 2018," co-author, January 11, 2019.
- "Health Law Vitals - A Healthcare Newsletter from Haynes and Boone, December 2018," co-author, December 31, 2018.
- "FCA Implications for Recent UnitedHealth Overpayment Ruling," co-author, December 31, 2018.
- "Health Law Vitals - A Healthcare Newsletter from Haynes and Boone, May 2018," co-author, May 09, 2018.
- "Ninth Circuit Decision Impacts Settling FCA Defendants," co-author, May 08, 2018.
- "The New Framework for Characterizing the Deductibility of FCA Settlement Payments," co-author, March 13, 2018.
- "Health Law Vitals - A Healthcare Newsletter from Haynes and Boone, March 2018," co-author, March 13, 2018.
- "The False Claims Act Year in Review 2017," co-author, January 25, 2018.
- "Fifth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Whistleblower's $219 million False Claims Act Suit," author, June 28, 2017.
- "Health Law Vitals - A Healthcare Newsletter from Haynes and Boone, June 2017," co-author, June 28, 2017.
- "False Claims Act Year in Review 2016," co-author, February 01, 2017.
- “Internal Investigations in Health Care: Unique Enforcement Issues and the Dilemma of Disclosure," co-author, Internal Corporate Investigations – Fourth Edition, 2017.
- "Health Law Vitals - A Healthcare Newsletter from Haynes and Boone, LLP, November 2016," co-author, November 03, 2016.
- "Seventh Circuit Requires Objective Standards in Medical Necessity Cases," author, November 02, 2016.
- "The OIG's 2016 Version of Yates for Permissive Exclusion'," author, April 27, 2016.
- "False Claims Act Year in Review 2015," co-author, January 28, 2016.
Education
J.D., Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, 2013, summa cum laude; Order of the Coif; SMU Law Review Association
B.A., Government, The University of Texas at Austin, 2007, with honors
B.S., Communication Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, 2007, with honors
Admissions
Texas
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Florida Federal Court Holds the False Claims Act’s Qui Tam Provision Unconstitutional
October 03, 2024