General Counsel

WittKieffer has been retained by Cottage Health, located in Santa Barbara, CA, to aid in the recruitment of the System’s first in-house Vice President and General Counsel (VP and General Counsel).

Established in 1996, Cottage Health is a not-for-profit health system serving Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Santa Ynez Valley in California. The system is comprised of three acute care hospitals which include Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, a 519 bed teaching hospital and trauma center; Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital, a 52 bed acute care hospital; and Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital, an 11 bed critical access hospital. The system also offers a children’s hospital, Cottage Children’s Medical Center at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, and a rehabilitation hospital, Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital. With $940 million in annual net revenue, Cottage Health is licensed for 582 inpatient beds, employs more than 3,400, and has a medical staff of more than 600 physicians.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the System, the VP and General Counsel will serve as the chief legal advisor to the Cottage Health senior leadership team and Board of Directors. S/he will be an engaged member of the senior leadership team and will establish legal services as a credible and valued internal resource. The VP and General Counsel will be directly responsible for building a robust legal team and overseeing outside counsel. S/he will have direct oversight over all legal activities including contracting, internal audit, and compliance and privacy.

The ideal candidate will be a highly engaged and visible executive with a strong health law background. Candidates should possess a law degree from an ABA accredited school of law and have membership or be eligible for membership in the California State Bar. Candidates should have a strong track record of success supporting an integrated health care delivery system.