L. Edward Bryant, Jr. has represented healthcare providers and professionals since 1967, when he became an associate attorney with Gardner Carton & Douglas LLP, a general practice Firm having over 230 attorneys in Chicago and Washington, D.C. He founded the Firm’s Health Law Department in 1979, and that group today includes 36 attorneys in Chicago and Washington, all of whom practice in the health industry.
Mr. Bryant’s legal work on behalf of the healthcare industry and professions and religious sponsors of healthcare has emphasized the formation of integrated delivery systems, corporate reorganizations, mergers and consolidations, acquisitions and divestitures, diversification, hospital closures, joint ventures, managed care arrangements, medical groups and physician contracts, special risk audits (mostly Medicare fraud and inurement), canon law compliance through use of civil law, patient care issues, medical staff privileges, academic affiliations, and federal taxation of exempt and taxable organizations. In recent years, the Firm has represented over 1600 healthcare institutions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Mr. Bryant has participated personally in over 240 health industry corporate restructurings since 1979, in over 125 hospital mergers or acquisitions and in hundreds of healthcare joint ventures. Many of his retentions today are to strategize on integration techniques and to implement needed organizational design change through post-merger corporate reorganizations.
Mr. Bryant is recognized as one of Chambers USA's 2006 "Leaders in Their Field for Health Care." In 2005, Illinois Super Lawyers named him one of the top 100 attorneys in Illinois. In 2006, Leading Lawyers of Illinois named him one of the top 100 business lawyers in Illinois.
Mr. Bryant has published and spoken widely within the health industry and to the health law bar. He recently served as a national advisory council member of the National Institute for Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health. He previously taught a course at the Kellogg School for seven years entitled “Corporate Legal Tactics for Healthcare Executives.” He also served on the faculty of the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law for seven years, where he taught a course on “Strategic Approaches to Health Policy and Regulation” in their masters degree in law program. In 1985 he was named by the National Law Journal as one of the outstanding health lawyers in the country, an honor also bestowed upon him in 1991 by the Illinois Legal Times and again in 1991 by the Chicago Lawyer. Chambers USA has extended its prestigious #1 rating to him in 2004 and 2005. He has also been selected by surveys of peers to the status of Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in Illinois and the Leading Lawyers Network of Illinois (top 5%). He served as a founding member of the Legal Advisory Committee to the Catholic Health Association in 1981-1983 and of the Illinois Association of Hospital Attorneys in 1976, which he served as director and president.
Mr. Bryant received both a B.A. degree in journalism in 1963 and a Juris Doctor in 1967 from Northwestern University. As an alumnus of Northwestern, he was president of its NU Club of Chicago, founding president of the NU Young Alumni Council, president of the Alumni Fraternity Board for 9 years and president of the Delta Tau Delta Alumni Board for 16 years, as well as a director of the NU Students Publishing Company since 1972. He was an alumnus trustee of Northwestern in 1972-73, received the Alumni Service Award in 1973. He served on his firm's Management Committee from 1980-88, was chair of the firm's first Strategic Marketing Committee, and has been a member of its Practice Council for many years and its chair for 1995 and 1996. In 1999 he received the James H. Douglas, Jr. Award for exemplary participation in public and/or charitable activities.
Mr. Bryant’s legal work on behalf of the healthcare industry and professions and religious sponsors of healthcare has emphasized the formation of integrated delivery systems, corporate reorganizations, mergers and consolidations, acquisitions and divestitures, diversification, hospital closures, joint ventures, managed care arrangements, medical groups and physician contracts, special risk audits (mostly Medicare fraud and inurement), canon law compliance through use of civil law, patient care issues, medical staff privileges, academic affiliations, and federal taxation of exempt and taxable organizations. In recent years, the Firm has represented over 1600 healthcare institutions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Mr. Bryant has participated personally in over 240 health industry corporate restructurings since 1979, in over 125 hospital mergers or acquisitions and in hundreds of healthcare joint ventures. Many of his retentions today are to strategize on integration techniques and to implement needed organizational design change through post-merger corporate reorganizations.
Mr. Bryant is recognized as one of Chambers USA's 2006 "Leaders in Their Field for Health Care." In 2005, Illinois Super Lawyers named him one of the top 100 attorneys in Illinois. In 2006, Leading Lawyers of Illinois named him one of the top 100 business lawyers in Illinois.
Mr. Bryant has published and spoken widely within the health industry and to the health law bar. He recently served as a national advisory council member of the National Institute for Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health. He previously taught a course at the Kellogg School for seven years entitled “Corporate Legal Tactics for Healthcare Executives.” He also served on the faculty of the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law for seven years, where he taught a course on “Strategic Approaches to Health Policy and Regulation” in their masters degree in law program. In 1985 he was named by the National Law Journal as one of the outstanding health lawyers in the country, an honor also bestowed upon him in 1991 by the Illinois Legal Times and again in 1991 by the Chicago Lawyer. Chambers USA has extended its prestigious #1 rating to him in 2004 and 2005. He has also been selected by surveys of peers to the status of Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in Illinois and the Leading Lawyers Network of Illinois (top 5%). He served as a founding member of the Legal Advisory Committee to the Catholic Health Association in 1981-1983 and of the Illinois Association of Hospital Attorneys in 1976, which he served as director and president.
Mr. Bryant received both a B.A. degree in journalism in 1963 and a Juris Doctor in 1967 from Northwestern University. As an alumnus of Northwestern, he was president of its NU Club of Chicago, founding president of the NU Young Alumni Council, president of the Alumni Fraternity Board for 9 years and president of the Delta Tau Delta Alumni Board for 16 years, as well as a director of the NU Students Publishing Company since 1972. He was an alumnus trustee of Northwestern in 1972-73, received the Alumni Service Award in 1973. He served on his firm's Management Committee from 1980-88, was chair of the firm's first Strategic Marketing Committee, and has been a member of its Practice Council for many years and its chair for 1995 and 1996. In 1999 he received the James H. Douglas, Jr. Award for exemplary participation in public and/or charitable activities.
