Health care law expert Kenya Woodruff joined Katten in the firm’s first year in Dallas and in the almost six years since she has, in the words of Dolly Parton, poured herself a cup of ambition. She mentors younger diverse attorneys through the firm’s Kattalyst Sponsorship Program, leads its Women’s Leadership Forum, serves as one of the firm’s deputy general counsel, and this year became national chair of the Health Care practice.
The Texas Lawbook visited with Woodruff about how she keeps all the balls in the air, trends in health care, mentorship advice, and the innovative work by Katten client Parker University, a chiropractic college in Dallas that boasts the second largest chiropractic cohort of any campus in the world.
The Lawbook: What are your goals for leading the health care practice at Katten?
Woodruff: Katten has developed a premier practice that covers almost every aspect of health care law. Our team draws upon the firm’s well-respected Private Equity and Commercial Finance practices, as well as our White Collar and Internal Investigations and Litigation practices, to take on a full scope of health care matters. Our experience ranges from private equity transactions, M&As, corporate reorganizations and joint ventures, through to fraud, abuse, antitrust, government investigations, professional board investigations and internal compliance reviews. Our work also extends to tax, financial offerings and health care-related litigation.
As practice chair, my goal is to build one of the most in-demand health care practices in Texas and across the country. I want to continue to develop our stellar client list of high-profile, top-tier players in health care, like Texas-based clients JPS Health Network, Parker University and Metro Anesthesia, and provide quality representation to individual practitioners whose licenses are at risk or who are attempting to develop innovative health care delivery models. Core to those efforts are attracting and retaining skilled and experienced attorneys who are also known thought leaders in the industry.
Health care law is exciting because it’s dynamic. The ever-changing regulatory and enforcement landscape and the continued expansion of technology including AI in health care compels us to remain partners with our clients and help them navigate these challenges. To the extent that certain organizations or people might know one aspect of our health care team, my aim is to continue to develop and raise awareness for the full-service practice that we are.
The Lawbook: You recently presented a webinar on “9 Key Trends to Watch” in health care. What are the most urgent developments for health care providers in Texas?
Woodruff: Because the health care landscape is evolving rapidly, it’s more important than ever to stay informed about developments in the industry. Ultimately, I try to stay focused on how these advancements can help ensure the best possible patient care while promoting a sustainable and equitable health care system.
When it comes to health care today, Texas is a microcosm of what’s happening across the country. For example, the national health care community is watching the antitrust enforcement matter involving U.S. Anesthesia Partners as it will give an indication on how courts are going to analyze structures that seek to bring together large numbers of providers in a specialty. The numerous challenges related to shortages of mental health interventions and providers impacting Texans mirrors what’s happening nationally. Additionally, access to quality health care in rural areas continues to be a challenge that must be addressed.
The Lawbook: What are two or three of the most interesting matters you have handled recently? Anything to note from Q1?
Woodruff: The work we’re doing for Parker University, a chiropractic college in Dallas, is significant because its chiropractic cohort is the second largest of any campus in the world. We have been advising them regarding ongoing operational and regulatory matters for Synapse, its innovative clinic dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of those suffering from any brain injury, especially veterans.
In our representation we have also helped Parker navigate scope of practice rules; various clinical relationships between medical doctors, Doctor of Chiropractic, and other allied health professionals; and patient privacy rules. It’s important and innovative work because, although Parker is a chiropractic college, it is leveraging different types of practitioners in a collaborative environment to achieve better outcomes for a very vulnerable population.
Additionally, amongst the various public and private entities and providers that we represent are hospital districts. We represent several of the largest hospital districts in the state, including JPS Health Network. I have supported various regulatory, contracting and governmental entity compliance matters for them; and it is a privilege to work with entities that are such a vital part of the health care safety net system.
The Lawbook: What are one or two key lessons you learned from your time in-house at Parkland that guide you in your private practice?
Woodruff: Looking back at my time at Parkland, I know how special it is to have health care providers who are connected to the mission of the institution. That level of understanding and support is critical for any health care organization to be successful. One of the privileges of working in this industry is the opportunity it offers to help ensure the public’s access to quality health care. My time at Parkland helps me approach issues from the client’s perspective – taking into account both technical matters and practical concerns. When I’m structuring an arrangement, I strive to create one that is compliant but also operationally beneficial to the client.
The Lawbook: How do you juggle all of the hats you wear i.e. deputy general counsel of the firm, chair of the health care practice, chair of the Women’s Leadership Forum, serving as a mentor, practicing law, etc.?
Woodruff: I am surrounded by an awesome team of attorneys and Katten has amazing business professionals, so I rely on a lot of people to help me keep so many balls in the air. At Katten we like to say, “Our success is a testament to the great people we have working here” and I wholeheartedly agree.
For example, in my role as deputy general counsel, I have brilliant counterparts in every office to bounce ideas or issues off of, no matter the subject. For the women’s leadership group that I lead, I have wonderful team members who take my “pie in the sky” ideas and turn them into the most impactful programming for our women attorneys. For example, in honor of International Women’s Day this year the team helped me secure a firm-wide virtual conversation with Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall, the first Black female CEO in the history of the National Basketball Association; and prior to that, a few years ago I spoke with National Public Radio legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg.
And now, as I lead our national Health Care practice where the workload is often very demanding it takes the whole team to get everything done in a manner that meets and exceeds client expectations. I simply trust and rely on other smart attorneys to help focus get the job done. We are a true team.
The Lawbook: You have been recognized for your mentorship. Who has shaped your vision for mentorship?
Woodruff: Michael Silhol, a marvelous attorney I met when I was a young associate at another law firm, has had the greatest impact on me. His style of open communication shaped me and helped him see my potential. He was willing to provide me opportunities and then was there to support me if something went wrong. At the same time, he was always happy to stand by and let me shine if something went well.
Michael gave me many assignments, always believed I was equal to bigger tasks, and even hired me a few different times throughout my career. I started to realize these projects and positions were opportunities for professional development. He impressed upon me that genuine interest and guidance can help someone guard against pitfalls, stretch their skills, and give them the confidence they need to stand out. He also taught me to spot and cultivate talent and motivated me to help others the way that I have been helped. In fact, it was Michael who suggested that I would make a great health care lawyer so many years ago, and I hope I’m making him proud! We still keep in touch.
The Lawbook: How would you encourage attorneys looking for a mentor? And what advice do you have for lawyers serving as mentors?
Woodruff: Care about somebody else and invest in someone. It’s as simple as that.
Studies have shown that while a great majority of professionals want a good mentor, many of them experience difficulty finding one. Research has also found that many mentors aren’t making as much of an impact as they could if they were more honest about what their mentees need.
In addition to trust, honesty is a key ingredient in every successful mentor-mentee relationship. Mentors can help move careers forward, but in order for these relationships to thrive, there must be trust that the mentor has a young professional’s best interest in mind, and the mentee must be open to guidance and understand that there is a bigger picture that he or she may not immediately see. I have found that new attorneys sometimes do not understand that mentors have been where the younger professionals are headed and that there is value in the words of more experienced attorneys.
I’d also suggest not to overlook formal mentoring programs that may be offered by your employer or any other organization that you are affiliated with early in your career. In addition to numerous organic mentoring relationships I have cultivated over the years, I’ve also served as a sponsor paired with senior associates as part of Katten’s Kattalyst sponsorship program, which is designed to empower historically underrepresented attorneys to build stronger business and career connections. This program allowed me to work with my protégé on creating and executing business plans and discussing law firm economics and how to receive and solicit feedback, among a variety of other activities. It was a very rewarding experience both for me and the other attorney.
The Lawbook: Can you identify one or two successes resulting from Katten’s Women’s Leadership Forum?
Woodruff: Katten’s Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF) is the cornerstone of the firm’s efforts to support the retention and advancement of women attorneys. During my tenure as chair, we launched a business development boot camp, a series of six sessions, which centered on personal branding, leveraging the firm’s internal resources to identify business targets and prepare strategies to develop and expand business relationships, and guiding attorneys on how to successfully implement their action plans for business development. This turned out to be a terrific program because what generally helps position attorneys for advancement is building their client list and developing sustainable and financially successful legal practices. Although it sounds simple, it can be quite daunting.
I’ve also continued the legacy of our national mentoring panel, which is comprised of senior partners who make themselves available to discuss any concerns or hurdles to advancement and how to navigate past those barriers. There is also a focus on networking, how to build one’s profile locally and across offices, and the importance of enhancing careers through both civic involvement and skills development.
When I look at the programming, networking, and mentoring consistently provided by WLF, I know it’s no coincidence that Katten continues to see a steady increase of women in leadership. Just in the last few years, we have appointed three women to manage our New York, Chicago and Charlotte offices. Seven out of 11 of our deputy general counsel are women and we have women running our Corporate, Litigation and Structured Finance departments, just to name a few.
The Lawbook: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Woodruff: Aside from law firm life, I am equally committed to elevating the North Texas community in any way that I can. I look for opportunities to serve on boards and councils where I can help advocate for the necessary resources to improve access to services in minority communities like the HIV/AIDS organization Prism Health North Texas and Southwest Transplant Alliance, a nonprofit organ procurement organization serving patients across the state. It’s also just as rewarding to help the community through the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas. My most important roles, of course, are wife and mother. I have a wonderfully supportive husband and two amazing and strong teenage girls.
Publisher’s Note: Katten is a sponsor of The Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker page. This Q&A is an associated thought leadership piece and is publicly available (no subscription required).