WEST HARTFORD – Robert J. Stillman of Simsbury has joined the law firm of Pierce LLC in West Hartford. He will be an Of Counsel member of the firm.

Previously, Stillman served as vice president in Aetna’s law department. Among his areas of concentration for the insurer were healthcare cost containment; fraud; False Claim Act suits; government investigations; national class action suits and actions involving both ERISA and RICO.

Stillman, who joined Aetna in 1992, counseled senior business leaders and oversaw more than 100 lawyers and other professionals supporting Aetna’s commercial insured products. Among his responsibilities at Aetna was leading the company’s efforts to settle a national class action suit on behalf of all physicians and state medical societies. He served as the lead business counsel for the investigation of and negotiation with a national provider group for the overpayment of millions of dollars in improper claims.

He counseled Aetna on issues including high-profile pre-service coverage requests; development of policies regarding medical necessity of various treatment modalities, devices and drugs; and on the evolution of claims reimbursement policies.

“I chose to join Pierce LLC because of its fierce commitment to working with clients to address health care provider cost containment issues,” says Stillman.

Stillman is an active volunteer with the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, serving on the organization’s Audit Committee, and volunteers his time with the Children’s Reading Partners program. He received his JD from Harvard Law School, Cum Laude and his BA from Yale College, Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude.