Lynn Gordon was placed as general counsel for New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina. New Hanover is a public, not-for-profit teaching hospital and regional referral center that serves as the tertiary care center for a seven-county area. It is the ninth-largest healthcare system in the state, with 855 licensed beds, 6,000 employees, and 560 physicians. NHRMC’s programs and services are often recognized for the level of care they provide and the standards they set for similar programs across the state and country; the system includes one of ten trauma centers in the state certified at Level II or above, and has received an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group for its commitment to safety. In her role, Lynn is responsible for identifying and analyzing legal issues, presenting risks and alternatives, and providing legal advice to the NHRMC leadership team. She serves as the primary legal counsel, negotiating and advising on major contracts and transactions, including acquisitions, joint ventures, and business and physician agreements, and focusing on regulatory compliance to pragmatically manage legal risks and minimize liability exposure, while achieving business goals.
Before joining New Hanover, Lynn served as an equity partner and the healthcare department chair for Nixon Peabody’s Chicago office. Nixon Peabody is a multi-specialty firm with several offices in the U.S. and abroad that has been named “Law Firm of the Year” for healthcare law by U.S. News & World Report. There, Lynn supervised 18 lawyers, assisting a variety of healthcare clients across the country, primarily focusing on transactional and regulatory matters. She also functioned as the full-time in-house counsel for two smaller Illinois-based health systems. In 2015, Lynn represented Ascension Health, the largest not-for-profit Catholic healthcare system in the nation, and its regional affiliate Alexian Brothers Health System in establishing a joint operating company with Adventist Health; the result of this transaction, AMITA Health, integrated the two founding organizations’ nine hospitals and an extensive physician provider network of more than 3,000 physicians. Lynn has made it a point to work with clients who are primarily not-for-profit, mission-based, and quite often in challenging markets with challenging payer mixes. During her tenure with Nixon Peabody, Lynn served for one year as associate general counsel for Resurrection Health Care in Chicago.
Lynn earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Michigan State University, her master’s degree in English from North Carolina State University, and her Juris Doctor (with a health law concentration) from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. While in law school, she served as a senior research associate with Loyola University’s Institute for Health Law, and as a hospital legal counsel intern with Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center. Lynn is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association’s Health Law Division. She has been named among 2017’s “Best Lawyers in America” for healthcare law in Chicago, and as one of Chambers USA’s “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.” Lynn and her husband are the parents of two children; the family enjoys outdoor activities, including horseback riding.
QLK’s Jake Barto led the search to recruit Lynn to New Hanover, where she began her duties on March 20, 2017.
