Externship Opportunity, Fall 2024 - Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (“SRAlab”), formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, a not-for-profit hospital, located in Chicago, Illinois, is the first-ever “translational” research hospital applying research to physical medicine and rehabilitation. SRAlab has been ranked as the top physical medicine and rehabilitation hospital in the United States for decades, providing rehabilitation to patients around the world with stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, cancer, and other conditions. SRAlab’s research enterprise is the largest of its kind and renowned for breakthroughs in biomedical, neural, mechanical and electrical engineering; molecular/cellular biology; robotics and pharmacotherapeutics.

Requirements: SRAlab is seeking motivated, bright, and interested candidates who want experience in a busy and dynamic legal and regulatory environment in the Office of General Counsel and the Office of Corporate Compliance. Students who have completed their 1L year and have an interest in health law and compliance are encouraged to apply. Please note this is an unpaid position.

Office of General Counsel: Assignments related to health law may include mental health, consents, advance directives, guardianships, legal aspects of patient care, not-for-profit issues, Medicare and Medicaid, fraud and abuse, Stark, joint ventures and affiliations, bylaws, policy and procedures, and medical staff issues. Other assignments may relate to patent law (conducting prior art searches and evaluating search results, considering Office Actions from the US Patent Office and preparing responses thereto), corporate law (contract review, drafting and negotiation, conducting research on state specific issues), employment and labor law, trademark law (conducting clearance searches and identifying proper trademark use), risk management and professional liability, real estate and gifts, and various aspects of litigation, which may include researching and drafting legal memoranda, attending depositions and interacting with staff and outside counsel.

Office of Corporate Compliance: Assignments may relate to health care regulatory issues, compliance with federal and state mandates such as Medicare/Medicaid programs, HIPAA, and IRB requirements. Assignments may include researching and drafting regulatory memoranda, reviewing and revising hospital policies and procedures, conducting audits to determine operational compliance with various laws, creating educational programs for staff regarding regulatory requirements, and identifying opportunities to mitigate risks.

Remote Work: Until further notice, selected externs will be working remotely, and there may also be hybrid work opportunities.

Time Commitment: Two or more days per week (with minimum of four hours per day) preferred; minimum number of hours per week for the externship program is 16. Selected externs must commit to an agreed-upon schedule; however, the weekly schedule can be adjusted on an as-needed basis. Selected externs must also complete all new hire orientation requirements.

Application Process: Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and law school transcript to Cristina Catezone at ccatezone@sralab.org. There are no length requirements or limitations on the writing sample. Please submit all required documents in PDF format.

Deadline to Apply: July 12, 2024

Interviews: Applicants selected for an interview will be contacted shortly after the application period ends.