ArlenGroup, a provider of employee benefit consulting and insurance brokerage services to medium and large law firms, has announced the expansion of its West Coast health care consortium for law firms.

Gordon & Rees has entered the consortium, joining Heller Ehrman, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, as participating firms in this insurance purchasing alliance.

The consortium is a cooperative focused on meeting the health care procurement and service needs of law firms that have more than 500 employees and at least 20% of those employees outside of the firm’s headquarter state. Participating firms retain complete control over their benefit plans but work collaboratively to maximize the value received for their health care premium dollars. The consortium will continue to partner with Cigna Healthcare as the underwriter of medical and dental benefits.

Roger Arlen, founder and president of ArlenGroup, said: Through the consortium, member firms achieve a lower absolute cost of health insurance, more manageable and predictable increases in future health care costs, and receive expanded services for plan participants. ArlenGroup completed a comprehensive analysis of the leading national health care plans for 2008 and CIGNA re-established itself as the health plan that is most committed to supporting the special needs of large multi-state law firms.