Shala J. Klutts

Of Counsel

5000 Rogers Avenue, Suite 500
Fort Smith, AR 72903
P: 479-452-2200
F: 479-452-9097
shala@hardinlaw.com
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Ms. Klutts focuses her practice on defending and counseling health care clients, including physicians, nursing personnel, hospitals and long-term care companies. As a former Registered Nurse, Ms. Klutts is in a unique position to understand the challenges that healthcare providers face and anticipate their legal needs. She regularly reviews and interprets medical records and regulatory documents to determine risk, develop effective defense strategies and confer with medical and nursing experts in defending malpractice claims. Ms. Klutts’ practice, also, involves counseling and representing clients with regard to regulatory and legal matters including OIG investigations, AG investigations, CMS actions, state and federal survey actions, adult maltreatment actions, EEOC investigations, and Board of Nursing actions.

Representative Experience

Representation of health care providers in litigation, OIG investigations, Attorney General investigations, state and federal survey actions, administrative appeals against CMS, EEOC investigations, adult maltreatment registry actions and Board of Nursing actions;

Provided legal counsel to approximately 200 long-term care facilities in the southeast as an in-house healthcare Attorney;

Serves as Assistant General Counsel-Litigation to a large multi-state Long Term Care Company.

Education

  • B.S.N., University of Oklahoma, 1980
  • J.D., Oklahoma City University, 1989

Admitted to Practice

  • Arkansas
  • Oklahoma
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Oklahoma

Memberships

  • Arkansas Bar Association
  • Oklahoma Bar Association
  • Sebastian County Bar Association
  • American Health Care Lawyers Association

Public Service

  • Board Member, Abilities Unlimited
  • Board Member (former), Fort Smith Symphony