ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL

Acuity Eye Group | Southern California | Full-Time, Exempt

Acuity is seeking an Associate General Counsel to serve as embedded in-house legal counsel. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role reporting directly to the General Counsel and partnering closely with the COO and executive team. You will handle a broad scope of legal matters, with particular depth in healthcare regulatory compliance, physician contracts, employment law, and ASC governance.

Position Summary

The AGC is the day-to-day legal resource for Acuity's operations, compliance, and business teams. You will be expected to work fast and work practically - drafting and reviewing contracts, advising on California employment matters, supporting incident response and risk mitigation, and staying ahead of regulatory developments that affect multi-site ophthalmology and ASC operations. This is not a purely advisory role; you will own work-streams and drive them to resolution.

Key Responsibilities

Healthcare Regulatory & Compliance
• Advise on HIPAA, Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and California-specific healthcare regulations
• Support AAAHC/CMS ASC compliance, including governing body structure, policy review, and incident response
• Manage OMIC and professional liability notifications; coordinate with external counsel on adverse events and claims
• Monitor regulatory changes affecting ophthalmology, ASC operations, and multi-site group practices
• Support development and maintenance of compliance policies across clinical and operational functions

Contracts & Transactions
• Draft, review, and negotiate physician employment agreements, independent contractor agreements, and PSAs
• Handle vendor contracts, real estate leases, equipment financing, and managed care agreements
• Support M&A diligence and integration activity as the platform continues to grow
• Maintain contract tracking system and manage execution workflows

Employment & HR Legal Support
• Advise HR and operations on California employment law - wage and hour, FEHA, FMLA/CFRA, retaliation, and separation
• Review and update offer letters, employment agreements, policies, and handbooks
• Support investigation of employee complaints and EEOC/DFEH responses
• Partner with COO and HR on performance management and termination risk assessment

Risk Management & Litigation
• Manage external counsel relationships; coordinate litigation strategy and monitor spend
• Conduct or oversee root cause analyses in response to adverse clinical or operational events
• Maintain litigation hold protocols and support discovery obligations
• Provide legal input on insurance coverage, renewals, and claims

Corporate Governance & General Counsel Support
• Assist GC in building and maintaining the legal function's infrastructure - templates, playbooks, tracking tools
• Support board and governing body documentation requirements for ASCs
• Handle state licensing, corporate filings, and regulatory registrations
• Serve as a trusted, practical advisor to business leaders who need answers, not just analysis

Qualifications

Required
• J.D. from an accredited law school; active California State Bar membership in good standing
• 5-10 years of legal experience, with meaningful time in healthcare - in-house, law firm, or both
• Demonstrated fluency in healthcare regulatory law (Stark, AKS, HIPAA, California DMHC/CDPH)
• Experience with ASC or multi-site clinical operations is strongly preferred
• Solid California employment law background - this comes up constantly
• Proven ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and give clear, direct advice

Preferred
• Prior in-house experience in a physician group practice, DSO, or ASC platform
• Experience with AAAHC accreditation, CMS Conditions of Participation, or ambulatory surgery governance
• Comfort with physician recruiting, compensation, and equity structures in multi-specialty group practices
• Familiarity with Nextech, CareCloud, or similar EHR platforms from a compliance/contracting perspective

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation is designed to attract an experienced healthcare attorney who wants to build something - not just advise from the sideline. Total package is competitive with Southern California in-house counsel benchmarks for multi-site healthcare platforms.

Component

Details

Base Salary

$175,000 - $220,000 annually

Annual Incentive

Up to 15% of base salary; tied to company performance and individual objectives

Total Cash Target

$201,250 - $253,000 at target incentive

Health Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision - employee and dependents

Retirement

401(k) with employer match

PTO

Four weeks annually plus paid holidays

Bar Dues & CLE

Fully covered

Professional Development

Budget for conferences, memberships, and continuing legal education

Location

Southern California - hybrid-flexible with travel to clinic/ASC sites as needed

Base salary placement within range is commensurate with experience, depth of healthcare regulatory expertise, and prior in-house versus law firm background.

Benchmarking Context

The range above reflects current market data for in-house healthcare counsel at California-based multi-site platforms in the $100M-$500M revenue tier. Key reference points:
• NALP/Bloomberg Law 2024 in-house survey: Southern California healthcare counsel (5-10 YOE) median base of $185,000-$205,000
• Radford/Aon benchmarks for multi-site specialty health: AGC/Senior Counsel roles at $170,000-$225,000 base depending on scope
• Premium applies for candidates with AAAHC, ASC, or ophthalmology-specific experience - scarcity commands a range ceiling approach
• Annual incentive at 10-15% is consistent with director/senior counsel peers in similarly sized healthcare platforms

Reporting Structure & Team

Reports to: General Counsel

Key working relationships: Chief Operating Officer, Regional Directors, VP HR, ASC Directors, Practice Managers, and external counsel partners.

This is currently a standalone AGC role. Acuity expects the legal function to grow with the platform; the AGC will help shape that growth, including future team structure, outside counsel strategy, and legal operations infrastructure.

Acuity Eye Group | Confidential | Job Profile v1.0

Salary Description

$175,000 - $220,000