Legal Counsel, Risk Litigations and Patient Rights

Kids Are Our Everything.

Department

Pay Range

About the Role:

The Risk, Litigation and Patient Rights Counsel reports directly to the Chief Legal Officer for Legal Issues and to the Executive Director of Risk Management for risk management and insurance related matters. The position provides operational and strategic legal counsel in the areas of risk management, patient related litigation, patient care legal issues, medical staff related matters, captive management and insurance matters.

The successful candidate will possess healthcare industry experience in some or all of the areas of focus. The position also demands steady leadership and oversight of legal professionals, paralegals, and administrative staff while supporting departmental strategic initiatives and operational excellence.

What You'll Bring:

Minimum Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school. Clinical education and training preferred.

Minimum Experience

8 to 12 years of progressively responsible legal experience.

Experience representing hospitals and/or clinical providers in litigation and claims management.

Experience representing health systems, academic medical centers, physician organizations, or other healthcare providers in some or all of the focus areas.

Prior law firm experience strongly preferred. Prior clinical experience preferred.

Required Licenses and Certifications

Active membership in at least one state bar and eligibility to practice as in-house counsel in the District of Columbia.

Required Knowledge and Skills

Strong knowledge of healthcare clinical based litigation, hospital operations and healthcare delivery systems.

Experience supporting executive-level strategic initiatives and organizational growth.

Demonstrated financial acumen and ability to analyze operational and business implications of legal decisions.

Exceptional leadership, communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.

Strong project management and organizational abilities.

Ability to balance legal risk with business objectives and operational realities.

Functional Accountabilities

Medical Malpractice and Claims Management

• Provide legal oversight and strategic counsel regarding professional liability, medical malpractice, and patient care-related claims affecting the health system.

• Partner with Risk Management, Patient Safety, Clinical Leadership, Insurance, and outside counsel to evaluate, manage, and resolve medical malpractice claims and litigation.

• Develop and implement litigation strategies that align with organizational objectives while minimizing legal, operational, financial, and reputational risk.

• Advise executive leadership regarding significant claims, emerging liability trends, high-exposure matters, and risk mitigation opportunities.

• Oversee outside counsel handling medical malpractice litigation and monitor case strategy, budgets, reserves, reporting, and outcomes.

• Collaborate with clinical and operational leaders to identify claim trends and develop proactive risk-reduction strategies to improve patient safety and reduce organizational exposure.

• Assist in preparing reports and presentations for executive leadership, Board committees, and insurers regarding significant malpractice claims, litigation trends, and liability exposures.

• Support enterprise-wide efforts to strengthen quality, safety, peer review, credentialing, and other initiatives designed to mitigate professional liability risk.

Medical Staff and Credentialing

• Support the Medical Staff leadership on all legal matters including compliance with relevant regulations.

• Provide advice and counsel on the creation, maintenance and enforcement of Medical Staff Bylaws and Governance documents.

• Provide support and advice around compliance and response to regulatory matters impacting the medical staff including Board of Medicine or other professional government oversight or licensing body.

• Attend credentialling meetings or activities where legal counsel is required for oversight, response and compliance with relevant laws or internal policy expectations.

• Link the Risk Management Activities with the credentialing function as necessary to promote safe practice.

• Protect and optimize peer review protections where appropriate.

• Support and advice on organizational systems for ensuring patient safety as a priority from the governance level to the front line caregiver.

Regulatory Affairs

• Provide counsel on federal and state healthcare regulatory requirements affecting hospital operations.

• Advise on licensing, accreditation, reimbursement, Certificate of Need, Certificate of Public Need, provider enrollment, fraud and abuse, and related healthcare regulatory matters.

• Monitor emerging legal and regulatory developments and advise leadership regarding organizational impact.

• Partner with compliance, audit, finance, and operational teams to support enterprise-wide regulatory initiatives.

Leadership and Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop attorneys, legal operations professionals, paralegals, contract specialists, and administrative staff.

• Foster a highly collaborative, service-oriented, and accountable team culture.

• Promote continuous improvement, innovation, and operational excellence.

• Manage outside counsel relationships and related legal expenditures.

Legal Operations and Department Management

• Support departmental strategic planning and operational improvement initiatives.

• Assist the Chief Legal Officer in managing legal department priorities, resource allocation, staffing, budgeting, and performance management.

• Implement processes and technologies that improve legal service delivery and client satisfaction.

• Develop meaningful relationships with internal stakeholders and serve as a trusted partner throughout the organization.

Benefits That Support You:

• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, prescription, infertility, and transgender health services.

• Generous paid time off, including vacation accrual from day one, sick leave, holidays, and a personal day.

• Financial wellness support, including a 401(k) plan and healthcare and dependent care spending accounts.

• Employer-paid life, AD&D, and long-term disability coverage, with optional supplemental plans.

• Additional perks, including tuition assistance, fitness resources, employee assistance, commuter benefits, and more.

Why Join Us:

• Nationally Recognized Excellence - Consistently ranked among the Top 10 Children's Hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

• Leading Pediatric Care - One of the largest and most comprehensive children's hospitals in the country, offering nationally ranked specialties and cutting-edge treatments.

• Innovation & Research - A premier academic medical center with a strong commitment to pediatric research, education, and advancing the future of child health.

The disclosed salary range includes the minimum and maximum rates within which Children's National believes an individual's base pay rate will fall for this position. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the maximum of the pay range. The exact pay rate for this position will be based on a variety of factors in alignment with the Children's National compensation philosophy. These factors are legitimate and non-discriminatory including, but not limited to, the current market conditions; organizational needs; the individual's combination of prior work experience, level of education, knowledge, skills, and other qualifications. Children's National is committed to providing a fair and competitive total rewards package to each of our employees. This base salary range does not include our comprehensive benefits package or any additional compensation for which this position may be eligible.

Childrens National Hospital is an equal opportunity employer that evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or other characteristics protected by law. The "Know Your Rights" poster is available here: and the pay transparency policy is available here:Know Your RightsPay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster.

Please note that it is the policy of Children's National Hospital to ensure a "drug-free" work environment: a workplace free from the illegal use, possession or distribution of controlled substances (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act), or the misuse of legal substances, by all staff (management, employees and contractors). Though recreational and medical marijuana are now legal in the District of Columbia, Children's National and its affiliates maintain the right, in accordance with our policy, to enforce a drug-free workplace, including prohibiting recreational or prescribed marijuana.