PROVIDENCE, RI, DECEMBER 8, 2014 – Donoghue Barrett & Singal (DBS) announced today that Adelita S. Orefice has joined its Providence office as part of the law firm’s on-going expansion. Orefice previously served in key leadership and policy-making positions in Rhode Island state government. She officially joined DBS as an associate on November 25.

In her more than 20 years in federal and state government, Orefice developed expertise in healthcare, government regulation, and labor and employment. Her extensive career in government service includes senior positions at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. and regulatory positions in Boston, MA. In Rhode Island, Orefice served as the Acting Secretary for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Director of the Department of Labor and Training, and the Director of the Department of Elderly Affairs. Before leaving state government to attend law school, Orefice led the Department of Health’s division responsible for licensing and regulating healthcare facilities and more than 100,000 healthcare professionals.

Most notably, while at the Department of Health, Orefice spearheaded the H1N1 influenza vaccination program that resulted in the nation’s highest vaccination coverage rates. She also oversaw the team that created the regulations governing the legislatively-mandated medical marijuana compassion centers. In her tenure as Director of the Department of Labor and Training, she exemplified efficiency in government by leading the effort to change unemployment insurance benefits from paper checks to electronic debit cards.

“It’s an honor to work with attorneys who have such an outstanding reputation for delivering high quality legal services, for tackling complex regulatory issues, and for treating clients with respect and integrity,” Orefice said. “DBS’s Providence office has grown significantly in the past year, and I am excited to be part of that.”

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In 2011, Orefice started her work towards a law degree at Quinnipiac University where she was selected as a Dean’s Fellow and earned a full academic scholarship. “Twenty five years ago, I was heading to law school after graduating from college, but I deferred for a year to make some money. During that year, I was offered a great job and met my husband, and the idea of law school just sort of faded away. I made the decision to get my law degree now because I didn’t want to wake up one day and regret having not done it. Government is built on a foundation of law, so I felt my two decades in government was an excellent precursor to a career in law.”

Jeffrey Chase-Lubitz, managing partner of DBS’s Providence office, said, “Lita is well known and highly respected in Rhode Island, and we couldn’t be more thrilled that she is joining us. Her arrival is a major part of our firm’s expansion in Providence.” He explained, “Her public sector experience adds significant depth to the firm’s healthcare, regulatory, and government policy services.”

DBS began its expansion when widely respected business and insolvency attorney Stephen F. Del Sesto joined in February, bringing with him more than a decade of experience in receivership and bankruptcy matters, debtors’ and creditors’ rights, commercial real estate, and commercial business transactions. Prominent Rhode Island trial lawyer William M. Dolan followed in May, establishing the firm’s competitive litigation practice. Both new partners contributed significantly to the breadth and depth of DBS’s services in Providence.

Orefice earned her J.D. from Quinnipiac University Law School where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University and a master’s degree in policy management from the University of Maryland at College Park.

About Donoghue Barrett & Singal

Donoghue Barrett & Singal (DBS) was founded in 1989 and has offices in Boston and Providence, R.I. The firm has one of the largest healthcare practices in New England. DBS provides strategic and legal counsel across health law, litigation, and government relations. The firm combines deep industry knowledge, dynamic thinking, and a collaborative approach to help clients achieve their most important objectives. The firm’s expertise covers a broad spectrum of legal services in nearly 30 industries. DBS co-founder Roger Donoghue is also a principal in Murphy Donoghue Partners, a wholly owned subsidiary of DBS that was formed in November 2013. Murphy Donoghue Partners, which shares office space with DBS in Boston, provides comprehensive lobbying services and strategies to a diverse group of clients.

For more information on Donoghue Barrett & Singal visit: www.dbslawfirm.com

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