Speaker 1 (00:00): Wondering what a health lawyer actually does.
Well, you are in luck because in today's video, we are diving into exactly what healthcare is
and what it looks like to practice it. Hey guys, if you're new to this channel, I'm Angela Vorpahl
of angelavorpahl.com and the Law School Network Facebook group. And in this video series, we are
breaking down different legal niches so that you can actually see what it means to practice that
type of law. Because the truth that the matter is is that there are hundreds of different types of
law out there. And most of us practicing lawyers included have zero idea what 99%
of lawyers actually do. And so by breaking down these different legal practice areas,
the idea is to give you an inside look and hopefully help you figure out what type of
law you may wanna practice one day. Speaker 1 (00:48):
And on that note, be sure to take the, what type of law should I practice quiz before diving into
this video, it will give you a foundation as to what your natural strengths and abilities
and interests may lend themselves to in the practice of law. So once you've done that
smash, this like button, so we can dive into this video and get going and to walk us through what
health law is and what it looks like to practice. It is Angela. Han. Angela is an attorney and a
life coach as an attorney. She works in health law for an in-house corporation. And as a life coach,
she helps lawyers get results by transforming their blind spots into strengths. Angela,
thank you so much for being with us. Speaker 2 (01:27):
Absolutely. Thank you for having me. Speaker 1 (01:30):
All right. So what is the ten second down and dirty version of what health law is
Speaker 2 (01:36): Ten second down and dirty version
of what health law is? You know, I honestly can't answer that question but then
if I had to, it's really about the following the regulatory bodies of healthcare agencies
of the government so that we provide fair, equitable health healthcare for
all in the us. Speaker 1 (01:58):
Amazing. And the, what would be the longer version of what a health lawyer actually does?
Speaker 2 (02:06): What, what a healthcare
actually does. So I work with a lot of different types of healthcare attorneys. I'm just one type
and I, what they really do are there experts of the rules and regulations that are required to
provide healthcare really in Amer in the us. And so a lot of that entails making sure that we are
not overcharging and that we are not overbilling patients or the government or payers or providers
so that we are offering, like I said, good healthcare, quality healthcare
to our patients. Speaker 1 (02:47):
And what sector of the legal industry do you practice health law in?
Speaker 2 (02:53): Yeah, so my company is we,
we staff, we staff skilled nursing facilities and senior living facilities across the uni,
the, the, the states I keep saying the us but yes, so we, we provide staffing for physical therapy,
occupational therapy and speech and language, language pathology
therapy personnel in those facilities. Speaker 1 (03:19):
Okay, awesome. So you're an in-house lawyer, which I know is sort of this unicorn position that so
many lawyers aspire to have. And so can you walk us through what a typical week might look like for
you kind of when your day starts, when it ends in some of the typical tasks that you're doing
kind of day to day and week to week? Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yeah, it's very understandable that it's kind of like that unicorn desired career, because,
well, for me personally, this is the only in-house position that I've had. So I can't really speak
for any other in-house positions, but the, the biggest reason that this is so attractive to me
is the, the people that I work with and especially my boss, because he really makes me feel safe
being, being an attorney and, and being part of his team. But in terms of like what we
actually do commercial contracts and negotiating those contracts HR issues and managing litigation
with outside counsel, those are the kind of three main things, also corporate filing,
making sure that we're able to do business in all the places that we do business.
And yeah, it's, it's kind of all of it, corporate transactional regulatory
litigation, all of it. Speaker 1 (04:34):
And in terms of how much you're required to work. I know one of the big differences between
working in a law firm and working in house is that working in house, you don't have billable hours.
And so how does that translate into sort of a day to day workflow for you? And does it feel
more manageable? Does it feel more flexible than it may otherwise be for health lawyers
working in law firms? Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah. You know, because I also work with health lawyers working at law firms. I, I understand that
they have longer hours because, because like, there are times when we need answers pretty
quickly. And so the turnaround time for them is, is, is, is tighter than for us. And so the,
the places where there is a high demand for us to work over time is when there is a deal going on or
where there is an urgent customer situation going on, just our stakeholders. And so that is for us
something that happens from time to time, but it's not like a daily occurrence. Whereas I think for a
big law, I'm assuming that that probably happens a little bit more often because they have more
clients who are in an urgent need for answers as soon as possible all the time. .
Speaker 1 (05:47): And if you're open to sharing with us,
how much does a healthcare lawyer working in house typically make? How much can you expect
to make in a role like that? Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, I think there is definitely a range. I started at like a mid five figure salary,
and now I'm at a low six figure salary, and I think it really depends on the size of a company.
And so the size of the company and whether it's privately held publicly held all of the,
like the, the, the outside council budget, all of that stuff. So I would definitely check out
I think Barker Gilmore, I think, has a report on the range for in-house council positions based
on your experience, your expertise, even school, where you live, all of that stuff.
So that's a very helpful resource. Speaker 1 (06:36):
Okay, perfect. And what would you say is the most fun part of the job and also the worst
part of the job? Speaker 2 (06:44):
Okay. The most fun part of the job is being able to use different parts of my brain. That's been
something that I always wanted to to have like in any career, because like, if I'm doing just like
one thing, like there are some people who really want to go deep into like one topic and be like
an expert in that in a very deep way, profound way. But then for me, I'm kind of like all over
the place. So I kind of wanna think about like an HR issue for one second and then talk about
a contract issue another second, or talk about some sort of other litigation. And so I think
that's my favorite part that I don't have to like stick to just one thing all day, every day and the
worst part. I guess like, that's like the flip side of that is that I, I don't get to say that
I'm an expert in like this one law or like this one tax code or this one regulation or whatever.
And so sometimes like that could instill this fear of the future, like, oh, what if I do want
to be seen as an expertise? And so I don't think like I used to have that fear in the beginning,
but because I think that being in a house council is also a deep skill in and of itself. It,
it's not so much something that I necessarily hate, but it is a possible downside that I can
think of right now. Speaker 1 (08:06):
Got it. Yeah. That makes total sense. And one of the other questions that I'd love to ask is what
steps did you take in law school or right after law school to get into this area of the law?
Speaker 2 (08:17): Yeah, so I think a couple things, like in
terms of just like my personal inner work I had to decide what industry I wanted to go into because
I knew that if I was just throwing spaghetti at the wall, thinking like whatever would stick,
it would kind of take a longer time to find my, my little niche or like my space. And so I decided I
wanted to go into healthcare because I had my own healthcare struggles when I first came to
the states as an immigrant. And so I wanted to pick an industry that was personal to me.
And in terms of like actually finding a position, I, it was really kind of finding a needle in a
million haystacks, but I was very persistent looking at every possible job board there was
from indeed, even though that necessarily wasn't the most helpful for me.
Speaker 2 (09:11): That was the one that was most well known.
So I went to indeed, I went to a simplicity. I think that's, that's one of the job boards that's
available in law schools. And the place that I actually found this position was go in house.com
I believe. And so what they have a functionality there where you can subscribe based on industry
and area. And so I subscribed like for every healthcare job available and they
would send me openings every single day and I would read them up every single day.
And they also have, I also subscribe to jobs that are available in the DC area, because that's where
I live DC Baltimore area. And they would send another email every single day. So I would get
two emails from them every day and I would just be looking. And so after like four to five months, I
finally found this one position that was open for entry level attorney junior in house position. And
so I was like, oh my gosh, I can't believe I found this and applied and took about a couple months
to go through the process. Speaker 1 (10:17):
That's incredible. That's so amazing. Especially since you hear
all the time that you can't go in house straight out of law school. And so to have
that experience and to be an example of that is, is just so fantastic. So thank you so much for
sharing that with us. And the last question I'd love to ask is if you had to recommend
this area of the law, so health law to a law student or a new lawyer, what would you rate it?
One through 10? Speaker 2 (10:48):
So this, this one is a sort of a tricky question because it, the,
the, the fact that I enjoy my practice has only partially due to the fact that it's health law,
and most of it has to do with the fact that I work for my boss and the company that I work for. And
so health law in and of itself I would rate it, I would rate it at a 10 just because that, it, it,
it, it's such a rich place to learn. Like it, it tells you how literally the whole government works
and how, and I feel like with health, like that is something that is not going anywhere like you,
your health will always be there. . And so the fact that you are understanding how the
government and other private providers like interact with our personal health
is such an important feel to just be in the know of. But yeah, so, but then in terms of like,
why I recommend that you become a in-house healthcare lawyer, I would say you've really gotta
find the people that that you vibe with people who respect your personhood and your lawyer hood and
your personal growth and all of that. Because even if health itself is such a fascinating
field, if you are surrounded by people who are toxic, it, it's not gonna matter how great it
is. So that would be like, that would be my caveat to the rate, the rating of 10 stars.
Speaker 1 (12:19): yeah. That makes total sense.
And I think that's such an important message in the legal industry in general, because
it has such a reputation for being such a tough incredibly demanding place to work. So always,
always a good piece of advice to keep in mind as well. And if people want to reach out to you,
learn more, ask any follow up questions, where's the best place for them to find you.
Speaker 2 (12:43): Yeah. Find me on LinkedIn. Angela Han
it's gonna be very easy to find me. Speaker 1 (12:48):
amazing. Angela. Thank you so much. This was so fantastic. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (12:54): Absolutely. Thank you for having me, Angela.
Speaker 1 (12:57): All right, guys. Thanks
so much for tuning in. I hope you guys found this video helpful. If you have any questions,
drop them in the comment section below, and we will see you in the next video. Bye guys.