For her longstanding business and corporate, health care, construction, and real estate clients in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, Susan works diligently to understand their business and legal needs to provide innovative yet practical solutions to their pressing problems. With her in-depth experience and years of counseling executives and senior management, Susan effectively assists clients to minimize potential litigation and disputes.
From corporate governance to high-stakes acquisitions and joint ventures and strategic alliances, from negotiation and drafting construction documents for owners, design professionals, and contractors, to all aspects of the construction process, including land acquisition and project financing to documentation, from business succession planning and distributorship arrangements to secured lending and other forms of corporate finance structuring, Susan provides her clients with strategic counsel and advice.
She is also adept at advising health care professionals and institutional providers across a wide spectrum of issues, including licensing, managed-care products, provider agreements, employment relationships, medical fraud and abuse, regulatory compliance, and medical-staff organization and credentialing. Susan is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and, for more than five years, served as the legal writer for the monthly Health Care Professional.
Susan is a frequent pro bono speaker to legal, charitable, and community groups and published author on legal and ethics topics.
Education
- Boston University School of Law (J.D., 1979)
- Providence College (M.B.A., 1986)
- Wheaton College (B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1970)
Admissions
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court, District of Rhode Island
- U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
- When an out-of-state, for-profit hospice provider wanted to obtain a license from the Rhode Island Department of Health, Susan helped the client navigate its way through the regulatory process, anticipating and overcoming all objections raised and challenges encountered. She helped demonstrate the state agency and other interested parties that a for-profit healthcare provider could deliver high-quality services and be a good corporate citizen.
- When the founders of a successful closely-held business wanted to structure a transfer of ownership to their children as well as to certain longtime employees, Susan devised and implemented a transition plan that enabled a harmonious relationship among the directors and the shareholders, with mechanisms for decision-making to avoid deadlock and dissipation of the assets and to promote the long-term success and welfare of the company.
- When a local company was in danger of defaulting on a substantial loan to Susan’s European client and a major supplier to the Rhode Island corporation, Susan negotiated a conversion of the debt to a controlling equity interest in the company to protect her client’s interests and provide a continued source of future sales.
- Authored chapter in A Practical Guide to Organizing a Business in Rhode Island titled “Ethics Considerations in Representing the Business Entity” released Spring 2011.
- Former editor-in-chief, Rhode Island Bar Journal.
- Former legal writer for the monthly Health Care Professional (five years). Frequent lecturer for the Rhode Island Bar Association on business and corporate law, health care law, real estate law and proactive management and ethics issues.
- Frequent seminar presenter on topics of corporate law, health care law, practice management, and legal ethics.
- Rhode Island Bar Association Judge Florence K. Murray Award.
- Recognized in Chambers USA America’s Leading Business Lawyers in the area of Corporate/Commercial law.
- Charter Fellow, Construction Lawyers Society of America.
- Rhode Island Bar Association Award of Merit.
- Professional Excellence in the Law, Health Care, Rhode Island Monthly 2019 – 2023.
- Rhode Island Bar Association Ralph P. Semonoff Professionalism Award.
- Selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers In America® since 1995 in the field of Health Care Law.
- Named a Rhode Island Super Lawyer, 2007-2021.
- Rhode Island Supreme Court Citation for outstanding service on Disciplinary Board.
- AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for attorneys.
- Member, Rhode Island Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline.
- Past President, Rhode Island Bar Association.
- Member, House of Delegates, Rhode Island Bar Association.
- Past President, Member, Board of Directors and Fellow, Rhode Island Bar Foundation.
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation.
- Former Chair, Rhode Island Supreme Court Disciplinary Board.
- Member, Massachusetts Bar Association and American Bar Association.
- Member, American Health Lawyers Association.
- Member, Lawyers Helping Lawyers Committee, Rhode Island Bar Association.
- Judicial law clerk to Chief Justice Joseph R. Weisberger, Rhode Island Supreme Court
- Member, Trial Law Institute, Construction Lawyers Society of America.
- Member, Diversity Law Institute, Construction Lawyers Society of America.
- Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Quonset Development Corporation.
- President, Classical High School Alumni Association.
- Immediate Past President, URI Hillel Foundation.
- Past President, member, Executive Committee, Jewish Seniors Agency.
- Member, Board of Directors and former Vice Chair, Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.
- Former Vice Chair, The Miriam Hospital.
- IOLTA Grants Chair, Rhode Island Bar Foundation.
- Past Chair, Rhode Island Foundation, Professional Advisory Council.
