Senior Counsel

Highmark Health•Washington, DC

12d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role involves support of Highmark’s diversified businesses, including dental, vision, and pharmacy lines of business. This position involves investigating factual situations, conducting independent legal research and analysis, and providing creative, well-reasoned solutions. The successful candidate will offer timely and accurate legal advice and prepare effective documents based on federal, state, and other applicable laws and regulations relevant to the Corporation and its affiliates. This is a senior-level attorney role that requires advanced legal skills and a proven ability to deliver or oversee business-oriented, effective, and efficient legal services. Key responsibilities include project management and strategic counseling on significant projects or matters for specific units of the Corporation. The ideal candidate will possess deep knowledge of the Corporation’s business, maintain rigorous legal analysis, anticipate and address internal and external business issues, and recommend best practices. Collaboration with both inside and outside legal counsel is expected. Experience with contracting pharmacy benefit managers is ideal, though not strictly required. Health insurance or PBM contracting experience would be a significant advantage. This role will be a hybrid based role at any of the Highmark locations. Onsite 3 days a week - T, W, Th.

Requirements

Juris Doctorate
License to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or applicable state (DE, WV or NY); or eligible for admission within one year of hire
10 years of elated, progressive law experience that is deeper in the area of relevant specialization.
7 years in related disciplines, such as insurance regulation, health law, general corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, contracts, antitrust, employee benefits, intellectual property and litigation
Strong written and oral communication skills
Strong relationship building skills
Client focused with strong business acumen
Self-starter with the ability to work under pressure independently and as part of a team
Ability to think strategically and act proactively to create strong trust and confidence with business units
Strong innovative problem-solving capabilities
Keep current on recent developments in the law and develop in-depth knowledge of one or more areas of the law which are applicable to the Corporation’s business
Observe high standards of confidentiality consistent with all applicable laws, professional standards and requirements of the Corporation
Observe high personal and professional ethics

Nice To Haves

Experience with contracting pharmacy benefit managers is ideal, though not strictly required.
Health insurance or PBM contracting experience would be a significant advantage.
Obtain and maintain certification as a privacy professional within one year of employment

Responsibilities

Provide regular legal support for one or more discrete units of the Corporation; demonstrate deep knowledge of the Corporation’s business, while retaining the discipline of legal analysis; interpret law and apply to internal / external business issues and recommend best practices
Provide timely, accurate, comprehensive, thorough and practical legal advice and prepare effective documents based upon knowledge of federal, state and other applicable law and the regulatory environment in which the Corporation functions
Apply sound business judgment to the provision of legal advice; have highly advanced expertise in areas of legal practice that are necessary to effectively provide legal counsel; is viewed as a subject matter expert
Provide results of analysis to other attorneys in the Law Department (“Department”) or directly to appropriate management and staff of the Corporation; provide legal advice to management and staff of the Department.
Maintain positive, responsive, consistent and effective relationships with other members of the Department, as well as management and other staff of the Corporation, and teams of inside / outside counsel; mentor attorneys and paralegals; educate internal customers on legal issues; maintain and foster productive relationships between the Corporation and external parties.
Manage litigation, transactions or other matters and/or assist and work cooperatively with and/or supervise outside legal counsel, including outside lawyers from approved law firms used by the Corporation; may direct such work of outside legal counsel or facilitate such work of outside counsel to address issues effectively and efficiently, including minimizing outside legal counsel fees and expenses, as appropriate.
Have excellent skills in preparing precise, thorough and responsive legal memoranda, contracts, pleadings, analyses, correspondence and other relevant documents; perform legal research and investigate facts; exhibit a strong attention to detail and work ethic; able to handle complex legal matters or projects independently.
Should have excellent decision-making capability and should be highly proficient in being able to make business-oriented yet legally compliant recommendations.
Investigate highly complex situations and present well-reasoned, broad perspective, innovative and creative solutions and alternatives based upon independent legal research and analysis of the facts and the law.
Ability to easily engage in two-way communication and solicit and accept feedback. Excellent negotiating skills with outside parties.
Able to juggle multiple matters and effectively multi-task and prioritize tasks to ensure that work is completed in a timely, thorough, comprehensive and efficient manner.
Will work through goals and objectives despite changing priorities and demonstrate the willingness to do things differently.
Will seek out challenging tasks and assignments, engage in frequent development discussions, set his/her own career goals and development plans and execute against them; is open to feedback and effectively adapts / changes as a result of such feedback.
Other duties as assigned or requested.