Hiring firms up U.'s legal 'dream team'

During "one very long weekend" in June, the University and the Health System's formerly separate legal offices brought together their knowledge and expertise --Eliterally. As part of the consolidation of the two legal entities, the combined Office of the General Counsel joined together not only in name but in location --Ein recently renovated office space in the Mellon Bank building at 36th and Walnut streets. Officials announced plans for the consolidation last February, just over a year after former White House counsel Peter Erichsen took charge of all the University's legal services. Before his arrival, the University and the University of Pennsylvania Health System had separate general counsel offices. Erichsen took over as the University's Vice President and General Counsel, with UPHS General Counsel Thomas Tammany and University General Counsel Shelley Green both reporting to him. But after Green resigned a year ago, Erichsen decided to redesign the department by creating three deputy general counsels who report directly to him. Tammany assumed the role of deputy general counsel for the Health System and Lee Dobkin, the former senior counsel for the Health System, took the administrative officer role of deputy general for compliance. The third deputy position remained unfilled until the end of September when Wendy White took what was essentially Green's job in the role of deputy counsel for the University. With the arrival of White came the completion of the four-player team for which Erichsen said he'd been waiting. Despite the three months the consolidation has been in effect, Erichsen said the addition of White has finally brought them "in the early days of discovery." Erichsen said he hopes the joined offices can plot strategies together to solve legal problems across both sides of the institution, combining their knowledge to save time and energy. Nearly four months after the restructuring, Erichsen said the already visible benefits are just the beginning. Although a few lawyers are still working out of King of Prussia and Pennsylvania Hospital, almost all of the University's lawyers now spend their hours in close proximity to each other, promoting a sense of collegiality that Erichsen said was not present before. "It's worked even better than I would have expected," he said. In addition to Erichsen and the three deputy general counsels, the office is now comprised of seven University lawyers and 10 Health System attorneys. Three new associate general counsels also joined the Penn's legal department this year --EBob Bohner, Brian Leslie and Liz Salasko.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.