Principal Counsel (on-site)

at  UCLA Health

Description
The Health Sciences Counsel provides comprehensive legal services to UCLA Health, with a focus on transactional and regulatory matters, as well as legal issues impacting hospital operations.

This role works closely with leadership and management across UCLA’s extensive clinical enterprise, which includes:

• Three world-class hospitals: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital, and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital.
• The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM).
• The Faculty Practice Group and its network of ambulatory clinics throughout Southern California.

The Counsel also collaborates with senior administration, including:

• The President of UCLA Health System.
• The Chief Executive Officer of the Faculty Practice Group.
• The Dean and Department Chairs of the DGSOM.
• The Vice Chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences.

Additionally, this position engages with attorneys in the University of California Office of General Counsel and partners with leadership across non-legal departments within the University of California Office of the President. Reporting directly to the Chief UCLA Health Sciences Counsel, this role is instrumental in advancing the objectives of UCLA Health.

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

We are seeking a strategic thinker and trusted advisor who excels at building strong relationships and thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate embodies UCLA’s mission and values, demonstrating approachability, expertise, and a commitment to excellence in health care law.
Salary offers are based on a variety of factors including qualifications, experience, and internal equity. The full salary range for this position is $171,000 - $345,600 annually. The University anticipates offering a salary approximately between the minimum and midpoint of this range.
Qualifications
1.
Experienced attorney with at least eight years of progressive success in healthcare law and transactions. Experience as in-house or outside counsel to an academic medical center is preferred, but is not required.
2. Knowledge and understanding of legal issues affecting hospital operations and on-the-ground experience advising hospital business units and leadership is strongly preferred.
3. Experience in structuring and negotiating a broad range of healthcare related business transactions, including acquisitions, affiliations, and joint ventures, with specific expertise in navigating fraud and abuse issues in complex transactions.
4. Understanding of and demonstrated experience with the legal issues affecting the healthcare industry and regulatory environment, including reimbursement, Stark, anti-kickback, HIPAA/CMIA, and other major regulatory regimes.
5. Business-minded, get-things-done approach to lawyering in a matrixed environment - a demonstrated ability to distill large quantities of information and to generate creative approaches to legal challenges facing a medical center associated with a major research university.
6. Strong academic qualifications, with excellent analytical, writing, communication and client consultation skills.
7. Ability to clearly articulate the priorities of a complex and dynamic organization, and develop appropriate legal strategies that forward these priorities within acceptable limits of risk.
8. The highest personal integrity and ethics.
9. Demonstrated ability to coordinate groups and constituencies with differing priorities and perspectives.
10. Effective oral communication skills for presentations to senior level administrators and faculty. Excellent interpersonal skills to create and maintain effective working relationships with senior administrators and a diverse range of constituents, including faculty and staff.
11. Ability to work well under conditions of heavy workload, frequent hours outside normal business hours, rapidly changing priorities, and deadlines requiring immediate action.
12. Demonstrated ability to exercise discretion, sound judgment, and maintain strict confidentiality in the performance of all duties at all times.
13. Law degree (J.D.) from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with the California State Bar

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Health Sciences Counsel ensures UCLA Health achieves its strategic goals by:

• Delivering timely and effective legal support to various operational and administrative functions.
• Identifying and mitigating potential legal risks to minimize exposure.
• Navigating complex legal and regulatory landscapes to support UCLA Health’s mission.

This role works closely with leadership and management across UCLA’s extensive clinical enterprise, which includes:

• Three world-class hospitals: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital, and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital.
• The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM).
• The Faculty Practice Group and its network of ambulatory clinics throughout Southern California