Laurice is a creative and mission-driven healthcare business attorney who thinks like an executive. After more than a decade at large law firms, Laurice had the opportunity to serve as General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer for a technology-enabled healthcare services company. She successfully guided the company through an acquisition, resulting in a 20x+ investor return.

Laurice has firsthand experience leading, managing, and navigating the internal legal and compliance aspects of a rapidly growing healthcare company. Her clients include technology-enabled healthcare services companies, healthcare technology and digital health companies, specialty pharmacy providers, large physician practices, hospitals and health systems, integrated payor-provider systems, and other ancillary services providers. She routinely advises investor-backed healthcare companies, serving as outside general counsel and a strategic thought partner.

Laurice regularly works with emerging and growing healthcare companies, helping clients develop go-to-market strategies and evaluate new growth and service line opportunities. She structures complex transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategic partnerships, affiliations, and alignments. She also advises clients on healthcare regulatory and compliance matters, including federal and state fraud and abuse issues (such as the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law), Medicare, Medicaid, and third-party billing and compliance requirements, corporate practice of medicine considerations, state licensure and accreditation matters, data privacy and security, and structuring complex commercial and channel partnerships, as well as general vendor and third-party agreements.

Laurice strives to inspire, be inspired, and develop creative strategies and solutions that help clients navigate complex statutory and regulatory requirements while effectively and efficiently achieving business objectives.

PRIOR EXPERIENCE & REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• As General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, led all legal aspects of a technology-enabled healthcare services company, including HR, employment/labor, data privacy and security, healthcare regulatory and compliance, litigation, M&A, and corporate governance. Spearheaded the company’s sale process, overseeing legal diligence with bidders and lenders, transaction and HSR/antitrust review strategy, and coordination of outside corporate and management team counsel.

• Routinely serves as outside general counsel to emerging and growth-stage healthcare services and healthcare technology companies, assisting with day-to-day needs such as commercial contracting, regulatory risk management, investor relations, go-to-market strategy, and advising senior leaders on emerging issues.

• Represented a large nonprofit health system in structuring strategic and competitive affiliations with physician groups.

• Represented a large nonprofit health system in all aspects of its merger with another hospital system. Led the diligence process and structured post-closing operations for a six-facility inpatient system.

• Assisted a large health system in a $90 million acquisition of 20 diagnostic imaging centers, managing due diligence, legal and operational closing checklists, and ensuring post-closing regulatory compliance.

• Advised a large integrated health system on a novel transaction involving the transfer and lease of three state-run hospitals, providing operational guidance for subsequent hospital management.

• Represented a multi-campus hospital system in acquiring ancillary facilities, including imaging centers, ambulatory surgery centers, laboratories, urgent care centers, and radiation therapy facilities.

• Structured a regulatory-compliant alternative joint venture arrangement between a large integrated health system and a national dialysis provider. Also advised a private equity-backed dialysis provider on joint venture arrangements with physician investors.

• Assisted an integrated payor/provider system in navigating Medicare Advantage first-tier, downstream, and related entity contractor issues in an acute dialysis services contract negotiation.

• Performed complex regulatory analyses and drafted a California Managed Medicaid Provider Agreement.

• Assisted a national for-profit hospital system in addressing and clearing its internal compliance log.

• Advised a hospital system on Federal Stark Law violations, assisting with disclosures to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

• Conducted a regulatory fraud and abuse analysis for an integrated nonprofit health system in an ambulance services purchase/sale/lease arrangement.

• Advised a large hospice provider under criminal investigation regarding hospice billing practices and physician referral arrangements.

RECOGNITIONS

• The Best Lawyers in America© (2021) – “Ones to Watch,” Georgia: Health Care Law

• The Legal 500 – GC Powerlist Atlanta (2023)

CREDENTIALS

Education.

• Georgia State University, College of Law – Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, 2010

• The College of William & Mary – Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, 2004

Professional Associations.

• State Bar of Georgia

• American Health Law Association

• American Bar Association

Admissions.

• Georgia

Prior Positions.

• Health Law Strategists – Founding Partner

• Trellis Rx, LLC – General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer

• Baker & Hostetler, LLC – Partner

• McKenna, Long & Aldridge, LLP (now Dentons US, LLP) – Associate

• Navigant Consulting (now Guidehouse) – Senior Consultant, Healthcare

COMMUNITY

• Atlanta Legal Aid Society – Board of Directors (2015–Present); Past-President

• Health Law Partnership – Advisory Board (2013–2021)

ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS

• Co-author, Closing Checklist Toolkit, American Health Law Association, April 2020

• Co-author, PE Investment in Physician Practice Management – What’s to Come in 2019?, Health Law Update, BakerHostetler, February 2019