Private Practice Careers in Health Law


Drew Calamaro ‘21
Satire Editor

On Wednesday, October 14, the Health Law Association (HLA) hosted a panel of private practice healthcare attorneys to share their advice on starting a career in health law. The panelists included Wade Miller ’02 of Alston & Bird Atlanta, Kelley Taylor Hearne ’97 of Faegre Drinker D.C., Eric C. Hall ’18 of Jones Day D.C., and Madison Marcus ’17 of Goodwin NYC.

            When asked about how they found their way into health law, three of the attorneys cited having doctors in their family as a major influence on their career choice. Miller joked that her family told her she could be a health care attorney as long as she wasn’t the one suing the doctors. Miller often conducts internal investigations on behalf of industry clients and defends them against government investigations. Working across from the US Attorney’s office is enjoyable, she said, since the US Attorneys tend to be more cordial and cooperative in litigation.

            Marcus of Goodwin found her way to healthcare law when she took a healthcare regulatory class in undergrad. Hall came to healthcare law after realizing the importance of healthcare to people’s lives while working at the US Attorney’s office one summer in California.

            When asked about their typical day, Kelley Hearne stated she tends to spend a lot of time on the phone with clients discussing contracts. Contracts, she said, are a puzzle, and you are looking into the future to try to see what could go wrong so the client is protected. Miller conducts investigations and discusses with clients what forms of action need to be taken. Her favorite days are at the beginning of investigations, where she tries to figure out what is going on through interviews and document review. She also has a lot of days spent on the phone, but, for the most part, every day to her is different, and she feels that she has a good mix of litigation and investigation in her work.

            Hall stated that the health care survey course and his courses taken with Professor Mimi Riley were hugely helpful for coming into a job involving healthcare law. Marcus discussed her typical day, including working with a biotech company to answer questions about whether the client had violated a statute. She also worked with a provider who had a data breach and helped them prepare a notice to patients affected by the breach. In addition, she helps on the transactional side by helping companies legally invest in healthcare providers.          

            The attorneys ended with advice for getting into health law. Hearne reiterated the importance of knowing the regulatory schemes involved in a given project. She also thought that because many healthcare practices do have a heavy transactional bend, you will end up doing work on a lot of transactions, even if you are often in litigation. Any experience where you can have better insight into how healthcare companies think and the issues they have to deal with, such as an experience with a provider or a pharmaceutical company, will give you a leg up when entering the workforce.

            Miller found that valuable associates have experience with different healthcare agencies. This includes internships in the US Attorney’s office, the FDA, or others. Not only do those individuals come back with specific knowledge, but they also tend to make worthwhile connections, since those with experience know who to call when a pharmaceutical company needs help on a certain problem. Having that experience gives you an edge over your peers. Miller also recommends practical experience for litigation through clinics.

            After the questions were asked, the event went into breakout rooms, at which point this reporter felt that his work was done. I would like to thank all the attorneys for donating their valuable time, and the HLA for hosting the event. If you are interested in healthcare law, consider reaching out to the HLA.

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dac6jk@virginia.edu