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In-House Counsel Program

Schedule

Saturday, June 27, 2026

7:30 AM - 5:15 PM

Conference Attendee Assistance: Check-In and Badge Pick-Up

Sunday, June 28, 2026

7:00 AM - 5:15 PM

Conference Attendee Assistance: Check-In and Badge Pick-Up

7:00 - 8:00 AM

Conference Breakfast

This event is included in the conference registration. Attendees, speakers, and registered guests are welcome. Interested in sponsoring this event? Sponsor.

8:00 - 9:15 AM

General Session

8:00 - 8:15 AM

Welcome and Introductions

Mark Kopson, AHLA President, Plunkett Cooney
Aletheia Lawry, Planning Committee Chair, LifeKind Health

8:15 - 9:15 AM

1. It’s Not Just a SaaS Deal: Contracting for AI in Health Care

Jane Elphick, Deputy General Counsel, Maven Clinic
Carolyn V. Metnick, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
Lauren Willens, Henry Ford Health

  • Data governance, privacy and security–managing protected health information (PHI)
  • Performance, bias, and oversight–establishing meaningful performance and accuracy obligations, including benchmarks, audit rights, and remedies where AI systems underperform or produce harmful outputs, alongside contractual mechanisms to address algorithmic bias and ensure equitable outcomes
  • Liability and indemnification–structuring risk allocation where AI recommendations influence clinical decisions and patient outcomes, including liability and indemnification considerations
  • Transparency, vendor lock-in and exit–securing rights to understand and audit model logic, while addressing vendor lock-in through data portability, model access, and continuity of care protections upon termination
  • Regulatory alignment and evolving AI governance–mapping vendor obligations to existing AI regulation while anticipating how emerging federal and state frameworks will reshape vendor obligations and client exposure
9:30 - 10:30 AM

2. Building your Personal Brand (not repeated)

Clevonne M. Jacobs, Creating Equity PLLC
Tara Ravi, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

3. Fireside Chat with Government Health Care Fraud Leader(s): Health Care Fraud Enforcement Priorities and Shifts in the Current Administration

Sandra Moser, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Jacob Foster, Acting Chief, Health Care Fraud Unit, US Department of Justice, Criminal Division

4. Designing Risk-Managed AI Workflows for Health Care In-House Legal Teams: A Practical Demonstration

10:45 - 11:15 AM

Sponsored Industry Insights

Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Insight Session

Sponsored Industry Insights

CobbleStone Software Insight Session

Sponsored Industry Insights

Pinnacle Healthcare Consulting Insight Session

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

5. Counsel to Catalyst: 5 Leadership Hacks to Close the Gap between Lawyer and Legal Executive (not repeated)

David Ellenbogen, Chief Legal Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Nancy Paridy, President & Chief Administrative Officer, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab
Denise V. Zamore, Chief Legal Officer, Agilon Health

6. Do Pass Go and Do Collect $200; An In-House Attorney’s Guide to Creating Win/Win Outside Counsel Engagements and Compensation Arrangements, When It’s Not Just Monopoly Money at Play

Marc D. Goldstone, Executive VP and Chief Legal Officer, Wellpath
Thomas N. Shorter, Husch Blackwell LLP

This presentation will examine the increasing adoption of alternative fee arrangements within health care legal departments. The session will focus on how these models are transforming the way legal budgets are managed and how they contribute to greater financial predictability and alignment with organizational priorities. Attendees will gain an understanding of the various types of alternative fee arrangements, including flat fees, contingency fees, and hybrid structures, with an emphasis on how these differ from traditional hourly billing and what they mean for internal legal teams. The session will also address common challenges faced by in-house counsel when implementing alternative fee arrangements, such as evaluating risk, ensuring clear communication with outside counsel, and aligning legal services with strategic goals. Real-world case studies will be presented to highlight best practices, demonstrate successful outcomes, and showcase the impact on both legal service delivery and client satisfaction within health care settings.
  • Key types of alternative fee arrangements—including flat fees, contingency fees, and hybrid models—and understand how each can improve predictability for health care in-house legal departments compared to traditional hourly billing
  • The main benefits and challenges of implementing alternative fee schedules from the perspective of in-house counsel, including managing risk, budgeting, and ensuring value from outside counsel relationships
  • Strategies for effective communication and collaboration between in-house teams and outside counsel when transitioning to or managing alternative fee arrangements
  • Real-world case studies that illustrate how in-house counsel have successfully adopted alternative fee models, and the resulting impact on budget control, legal service quality, and client (organizational) satisfaction
  • Best practices for structuring fee arrangements to meet the unique needs of health care organizations, ensuring alignment with internal priorities while supporting sustainable and high-quality legal services from outside counsel

3. Fireside Chat with Government Health Care Fraud Leader(s): Health Care Fraud Enforcement Priorities and Shifts in the Current Administration (repeat)

Sandra Moser, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Jacob Foster, Acting Chief, Health Care Fraud Unit, US Department of Justice, Criminal Division

12:30 - 1:45 PM

Conference Lunch

This luncheon is included in the registration fee; pre-registration is required; speakers and attendees are welcome. Continuing Education Credits are not available.

2:00 - 3:00 PM

7. Pulling the Levers and Finding Performance: Approaches for Achieving Excellence in Delivering In-House Legal Services (not repeated)

Thomas M. Donohoe, VP, Legal Services and Deputy General Counsel, Banner Health
Michael Watters, Chief Legal Officer, Essentia Health

  • Defining excellence in delivering in-house legal services
  • Areas for performance improvement for in-house legal departments through technology, customer service, outside counsel management and other mechanisms
  • Tools to increase in-house legal department performance such as technology/AI tools, contract management systems and outside counsel guidelines
  • Developing and measuring plans and meaningful indicators to measure performance and excellence
  • Guiding in-house departments in adapting to using performance enhancing tools and measurements to achieve excellence

8. Measuring Success: How the Right KPIs Drive Performance and Demonstrate Value

Jeramy R. Green, Deputy Chief Legal Officer, Intermountain Health
Lindsay P. Ridgway, VP, Deputy General Counsel, Integris Health

  • 3 years later, we'll revisit our previous guidance for lessons learned
  • Choose metrics that drive performance and demonstrate value
  • Align your metrics with the objectives of your organization
  • Develop structures and processes for implementing, reviewing, and managing your metrics
  • Win the hearts and minds of the reluctant and skeptical

6. Do Pass Go and Do Collect $200; An In-House Attorney’s Guide to Creating Win/Win Outside Counsel Engagements and Compensation Arrangements, When It’s Not Just Monopoly Money at Play (repeat)

Marc D. Goldstone, Executive VP and Chief Legal Officer, Wellpath
Thomas N. Shorter, Husch Blackwell LLP

This presentation will examine the increasing adoption of alternative fee arrangements within health care legal departments. The session will focus on how these models are transforming the way legal budgets are managed and how they contribute to greater financial predictability and alignment with organizational priorities. Attendees will gain an understanding of the various types of alternative fee arrangements, including flat fees, contingency fees, and hybrid structures, with an emphasis on how these differ from traditional hourly billing and what they mean for internal legal teams. The session will also address common challenges faced by in-house counsel when implementing alternative fee arrangements, such as evaluating risk, ensuring clear communication with outside counsel, and aligning legal services with strategic goals. Real-world case studies will be presented to highlight best practices, demonstrate successful outcomes, and showcase the impact on both legal service delivery and client satisfaction within health care settings.
  • Key types of alternative fee arrangements—including flat fees, contingency fees, and hybrid models—and understand how each can improve predictability for health care in-house legal departments compared to traditional hourly billing
  • The main benefits and challenges of implementing alternative fee schedules from the perspective of in-house counsel, including managing risk, budgeting, and ensuring value from outside counsel relationships
  • Strategies for effective communication and collaboration between in-house teams and outside counsel when transitioning to or managing alternative fee arrangements
  • Real-world case studies that illustrate how in-house counsel have successfully adopted alternative fee models, and the resulting impact on budget control, legal service quality, and client (organizational) satisfaction
  • Best practices for structuring fee arrangements to meet the unique needs of health care organizations, ensuring alignment with internal priorities while supporting sustainable and high-quality legal services from outside counsel
3:15 - 4:15 PM

Moderator Group Breakouts: Small Department (1-3 Attorneys)

Aletheia Lawry, LifeKind Health
Dwayne Leslie, Adventist HealthCare Inc
Julia Michael, K Health

Moderator Group Breakouts: Large Department: AGC, Senior Attorney, Staff Attorney

Lindsey Lonergan, Wellspan
Brian A. White, Wake Forest University

Moderator Group Breakouts: General Counsel Large Department

Michelle Johnson-Tidjani, Commonspirit Health

4:30 - 5:30 PM

9. Building and Maintaining an Effective In-House Legal Team/Building Great Legal Department (not repeated)

Brian Lynde, VP and Chief Legal Officer, WakeMed
David Vukadinovich, Deputy General Counsel, CommonSpirit Health

This session is designed to provide an overview and discussion of in-house legal services to health care systems of various sizes and complexities. Specific topics to be covered:
  • Aligning legal department organization structure with health system functions and ensure alignment with non-legal functions, including corporate responsibility/compliance, risk services, clinical functions/quality/patient safety
  • Developing in-house expertise while maintaining health law generalization to leverage talent and ensure top-of-license practice of attorneys, paralegals, and assistants
  • Effective utilization of outside counsel to deliver high value
  • Leveraging technology to drive efficiency
  • Building standardization through templates and standardized practice in order to dedicate attorney time to high-value work
  • Developing and maintaining effective legal operations team in face of ever-changing legal challenges and strategic/financial objectives
  • Deliver ongoing legal education and guidance to management and staff tailored to the issues affecting their departments
  • Ensure effective use of contract management software to streamline contract lifecycle
  • Develop and implement strategies to proactively address frequently recurring legal issues

4. Designing Risk-Managed AI Workflows for Health Care In-House Legal Teams: A Practical Demonstration (repeat)

8. Measuring Success: How the Right KPIs Drive Performance and Demonstrate Value (repeat)

Jeramy R. Green, Deputy Chief Legal Officer, Intermountain Health
Lindsay P. Ridgway, VP, Deputy General Counsel, Integris Health

  • 3 years later, we'll revisit our previous guidance for lessons learned
  • Choose metrics that drive performance and demonstrate value
  • Align your metrics with the objectives of your organization
  • Develop structures and processes for implementing, reviewing, and managing your metrics
  • Win the hearts and minds of the reluctant and skeptical
5:30 - 6:30 PM

Welcome Reception — Celebrating Our Professional Community and Building Connection, Sponsored by VMG Health

Annual Meeting Kick-off! This event is included in the conference registration; attendees, speakers, and registered adult, teen, and youth guests are welcome.

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Conference Accessibility and Special Needs

AHLA is committed to ensuring equitable access to our educational content. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and offering accessibility accommodations for our in-person conferences.

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Become a Sponsor

If your organization is interested in sponsoring AHLA's In-House Counsel Program, please contact the Conference Team.