Finalist: Elspeth Paul

Deputy General Counsel
Cedars-Sinai Health System
UC Berkeley School of Law

Elspeth Paul is the deputy general counsel of Cedars-Sinai Health System. She is an expert in healthcare business transactions and hospital operations, as well as Stark, anti-kickback, corporate practice of medicine and tax-exemption rules. Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Paul was the general counsel of Verity Health System, formerly the Daughters of Charity Health System. Verity consisted of six hospitals in California, a state-wide physician network, multiple provider joint ventures and an offshore self-insurance trust. In 2018, Verity filed for Chapter 11 protection. During her tenure, Paul led the organization through what (at the time) was the largest healthcare bankruptcy in U.S. history. She successfully completed multiple hospital sales under Section 363 and prevailed in litigation with the California Attorney General. She spent many years at law firms, as a partner with Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, and an associate with Latham & Watkins, before transitioning to in-house with Dignity Health, where she was associate general counsel.