Associate General Counsel

Nemours is seeking an Associate General Counsel to join our legal team! This is an on-site position in either Delaware or Florida. The Nemours Foundation is seeking an attorney with professional and general liability claims and risk management experience to join our in-house legal team as an Associate General Counsel. This Associate General Counsel will manage professional and general liability matters involving the hospital system, its affiliates and associates, to include clinical and medical staff.  This Associate General Counsel will work collaboratively with the risk management team in relation to risk mitigation education, analysis of trends, policy and procedure development, incident response, pre-suit investigation and support. Travel is required and dependent on litigation activity and in-person meeting needs within the enterprise. 

Responsibilities:

• Claims Management: Effectively manages professional and general liability matters involving the enterprise:

1. Manage outside counsel to achieve effective defense of litigation matters.
2. Support all facets of litigation management and strategy, ensuring alignment with Nemours goals.
3. Provide oversight, support and guidance to the in-house paralegal staff regarding all aspects of litigation management including the litigation hold process and discovery. 
4. Report matters to insurance carriers and participates in frequent meetings with insurance carriers regarding claims.
5. Analyze claims data to report on trends in incidents, severity and frequency.
6. Develop and effectively manage case budgets. Timely and accurately assess claim values and recommend reserves in accordance with policy.
7. Engage in settlement negotiations and mediations to achieve favorable resolutions; draft, review and negotiate settlement agreements and other legal documents related to litigation.
8. Attend court hearings, court conferences, mediations, depositions and trials to observe outside counsel, when warranted.
9. Collaborate and effectively communicate with executives, senior management, and associates from other departments.
10. Stay current with developments of trends in medical malpractice law and healthcare regulations. 

• Risk Management: Supports the risk management function of the enterprise.

1. Provide support and guidance to the risk management staff.
2. Timely respond to liability and risk questions posed by physicians, clinicians and other personnel.
3. Support incident response to include communicating directly with involved families when warranted.
4. Support the relationships with third party service providers including brokers and insurers. 
5. Work with regulators, auditors, and actuaries to provide up to date information for management of the insurance program; assist with annual policy renewals by collecting necessary exposure information and data.
6. Review and provide guidance regarding insurance and/or indemnification language for various types of contracts.
7. Support the implementation and assess the efficacy of best practice programs for effectively mitigating risk (e.g., communication and resolution programs).
8. Work collaboratively with leadership throughout the organization, with an emphasis on the intersection of risk with the Nemours quality/safety program.

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctorate from accredited law school with strong academic records required
• Admission to the Bar in the state of DE, PA or FL or eligibility for in-house counsel license required 
• 5+ years of experience to include professional liability claims management and/or risk management in healthcare setting Excellent written and verbal communication skills to include presentations and reports required 
• In-house legal experience preferred
• Clinical background preferred
• Strong negotiating skills in relation to resolution of claims
• Ability to work collaboratively within the department and outside of the department with associates, clinicians, medical staff across the enterprise in various locations
• Experience managing discovery in litigation matters with knowledge of applicable evidentiary rules
• Experience managing outside counsel
• Experience attending mediations, settlement conferences and/or trials