Opportunities at the Intersection of Health Law and Public Interest (If You Seize Them)
I was given the honor of moderating a panel on Non-Profit Organizations and Health Law at the ASLME Conference at Seton Hall Law last Friday. After listening to the panelists speak about the benefits and detriments of working in non-profit health law, I was left pondering the potential job opportunities in the field. The speakers, Keri Logosso of Wynona’s House and Bryn Whittle of the Community Health Law Project, both discussed their journeys toward their respective careers as health lawyers. One of the women characterized herself as a “non-practicing” attorney, whose original career goal was to become a doctor; the other said she was had never expected to be a trial advocate, but through the eventual twists and turns of her career history found herself representing low-income, disabled New Jersey residents. Through the narratives of their personal success stories, Ms. Logosso and Ms. Whittle imparted helpful advice for the future health lawyers in the audience.
When did you know you wanted to be a health lawyer? Both of the panelists spoke of the moments in their lives when they realized that combining their passion for serving and healing others with their interest in legal issues was what they wanted from their careers. Though this was not an epiphany they had early on, both women found that their career choices had come full circle in that each of their prior work experiences led to the eventual goal of practicing health law. That sort of incremental realization certainly gives hope to those of us who are still unsure as to career paths.
How do I get hired in the field of non-profit health law? Both speakers addressed the characteristics of ideal candidates for jobs in the field of non-profit health law. While those characteristics included such traditional requirements as past experience in the field, willingness to learn, and strength in knowledge of health law issues– some non-traditional factors also came up:
1. An aspiring health lawyer needs to have the tenacity that will take him past the initial crush of being turned down from fellowship opportunities or legal work at an advocacy organization. Other opportunities will arise which will ultimately allow one to work towards the goal– but you have to remain open to them.
2. The recent health law graduate should be willing to take not only that work that ideally interests him but any work that could potentially be of use later on in his career. Jobs you originally think might not interest you greatly could be career changers as was the case for both of these panelists.
3. The trained health lawyer must build connections at every step of his career. Ms. Whittle stressed the importance of getting your name out and building contacts for when you might need references or recommendations.
4. Finally, the health law student must be tenacious. The best way to get a job is by making that extra call or writing that additional letter. Also, the health law graduate should not be afraid to reach out to government leaders. Ms. Logosso stated that students should call their local elected officials to inquire about available work. Such techniques helped her once secure the position of Governor Corzine’s Health Policy Advisor.
5. The health law graduate should not shy away from trying out private law opportunities. Ms. Logosso said that in such private sector work there are often opportunities to perform high-level pro-bono work and to gain the necessary experiences to develop your strengths as a lawyer.
What’s the competition like? With all that has been happening in the field of health law, it is certainly an opportune time to be looking for a job in the field. The health law world is experiencing change on a unparalleled level. Such changes will require regulatory, compliance, and litigation advocates in unprecedented numbers as the dust settles on pending reform legislation. Lawyers, at all levels, will help define the fine print. As we posted a few months ago, according to American Lawyer magazine, Health Law jobs are already on the rise.
Having said that, it was also said that competition in the public sector can be stiff– and one needs to prepare oneself fully in order to successfully compete. The inspiring stories of Ms. Logosso and Ms. Whittle demonstrated, however, that it is certainly not impossible to get a job as a public interest health lawyer, and that one may work towards the dream job over a period of time– gaining at each turn the skills and experience requisite for that job of all jobs. It all brought to mind for me that famous quote from Warren Buffet: “I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over.”
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