General Counsel

SALT Dental Partners•Franklin, TN

21d

About The Position

SALT Dental Partners is one of the fastest-growing Dental Service Organizations in the country — a hyper-growth platform primarily supporting 250+ specialty practices across pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, and oral surgery. We are seeking a seasoned Senior Vice President & General Counsel to join our executive leadership team. This is a high-impact, highly visible role for a legal leader who thrives in a complex, people-intensive, and highly regulated healthcare environment. The General Counsel will be SALT's primary legal officer and a trusted voice in executive decision-making — owning the full scope of employment law, physician and provider matters, professional corporation structuring, regulatory compliance, and litigation management. This role focuses on the day-to-day legal foundation that enables the business to operate, grow, and protect its people and patients.

Requirements

JD from an accredited law school; active bar license in good standing (multi-state admission a plus).
3+ years of legal experience with substantial exposure to multi-site healthcare, employment law, provider agreements, and/or healthcare regulatory compliance.
Working knowledge of corporate practice of dentistry doctrine and professional corporation structuring across multiple states.
Experience advising on physician or provider employment and independent contractor arrangements in a healthcare services setting.
Strong command of HIPAA, healthcare fraud and abuse laws, and multi-state employment law.
Prior in-house experience strongly preferred; candidates from law firms with a deep healthcare services client base will also be considered.
Familiarity with specialty dental practices — pediatric, orthodontic, and/or oral surgery — is a meaningful plus.
Exceptional judgment, intellectual honesty, and the ability to give clear direction in ambiguous situations.
Comfort operating as a generalist legal leader in a growing, entrepreneurial environment.

Nice To Haves

multi-state admission a plus
Familiarity with specialty dental practices — pediatric, orthodontic, and/or oral surgery — is a meaningful plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as primary counsel on all employment matters across a multi-state, multi-site workforce spanning clinical and non-clinical staff.
Advise HR and operations leadership on hiring, terminations, performance management, leave of absence, accommodations, and employee relations matters.
Draft, review, and negotiate employment agreements, offer letters, severance agreements, and separation packages.
Ensure compliance with federal and state wage and hour laws, FLSA, state-specific paid leave requirements, and applicable licensing rules for clinical staff.
Oversee responses to EEOC charges, DOL audits, state agency complaints, and employment litigation, in coordination with outside employment counsel.
Partner with HR to develop and maintain employee handbooks, workplace policies, and compliance training programs.
Draft and negotiate associate dentist, specialist, and independent contractor agreements across pediatric, orthodontic, and oral surgery disciplines.
Advise on non-compete, non-solicitation, and restrictive covenant strategy and enforceability across operating states.
Manage provider credentialing, licensing, and enrollment matters in coordination with the clinical operations team.
Support due diligence on provider background and licensure history as needed in connection with new affiliations.
Structure and maintain professional corporations (PCs), professional limited liability companies (PLLCs), and related entities across all operating states
Advise on nominee dentist/owner arrangements, shareholder agreements, and equity transfer mechanics within compliant structures.
Draft, negotiate, and maintain joint venture agreements with affiliated dental professionals, health systems, or strategic partners — including governance rights, economic participation, buy-sell provisions, and exit mechanics.
Structure and manage special purpose entities (SPEs) created for specific practice locations, real estate holdings, ancillary service lines, or other strategic purposes; ensure appropriate separation and governance across the entity family.
Manage entity governance across the full enterprise including operating agreements, board resolutions, annual filings, and multi-state registrations.
Partner with outside transaction counsel on entity structuring for new practice affiliations and de novo openings.
Monitor state-level CPOD law developments and assess impact on existing and planned structures.
Advise on federal and state healthcare regulations applicable to specialty dental practices, including anti-kickback statutes, Stark Law analogues, and state fee-splitting prohibitions.
Manage specialty-specific regulatory matters relevant to pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, and oral surgery, including sedation/anesthesia permitting and state board requirements.
Monitor evolving regulatory and legislative developments and proactively communicate risk and recommended responses to executive leadership.
Develop and maintain a library of compliant contract templates, compliance policies, and operational legal resources.
Manage all active and threatened litigation, including dental malpractice, employment disputes, contract disputes, and regulatory proceedings.
Select, supervise, and manage outside litigation counsel; review litigation budgets and strategy.
Oversee malpractice and general liability insurance programs in coordination with brokers and carriers.
Lead incident response protocols in coordination with clinical operations and risk management teams.
Identify systemic legal risk trends and recommend operational or policy changes to reduce exposure.
Serve as a standing member of the executive leadership team, contributing to company-wide strategy, culture, and decision-making.
Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board on legal, regulatory, and reputational matters.
Manage outside counsel relationships and legal spend across all practice areas.
Build scalable legal operations infrastructure including contract management, matter tracking, and legal intake processes.
Mentor and develop internal legal and compliance staff as the team grows.