Sheppard Mullin partners Jeryl Bowers, Eric Klein and Ken Yood served as counsel to DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney dialysis services, in its $4.42 billion merger with HealthCare Partners, the country’s largest operator of medical groups and physician networks. The companies announced today that they had entered into a definitive merger agreement and expect to close the transaction early in the fourth quarter of this year. Upon closing, the combined company will be named DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc.

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