Lawrence J. Beaser

Lawrence J. Beaser
Senior Counsel
Corporate

Biography

Lawrence (Larry) Beaser counsels individuals and entities in the fields of nonprofit and for-profit business law, health and health insurance law, and government law.

Nonprofit and Business Law

Larry’s extensive experience in the areas of nonprofit and for-profit business law includes:

  • Nonprofit and for-profit governance and management, including conflicts of interest, fiduciary duties, compliance and regulatory matters
  • Nonprofit and for-profit mergers, divisions, conversions and joint ventures
  • Structuring and restructuring startups and existing single-entity and multiple-entity organizations
  • Drafting and negotiating procurement, employment, affiliation, ASO (administrative services only) and management agreements, memoranda of understanding and other types of contracts
  • Nonprofit and for-profit lobbying and political activities

In addition to the above, his specific nonprofit experience includes:

  • Academic medical centers, hospitals and medical school issues, including accreditation appeals and privacy
  • Donor relationships, grant documentation and charitable fundraising
  • National, state, and local trade association governance, operations and contracting

Larry led the successful five-year effort to prepare and issue the Model Nonprofit Corporation Act, Fourth Edition, as Chair of the Model Nonprofit Corporation Act Subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section. He also was one of the drafters of Model Nonprofit Corporation Act, Third Edition.

Larry has experience as a board chair, nonprofit president, officer, and nonprofit board member. He served as Chair of Philadelphia Foundation’s Board of Managers. Philadelphia Foundation is a community foundation with over $700 million in assets. He currently is Chair Emeritus of that foundation. In addition, he served as the elected Chancellor (president) of the 11,000-attorney Philadelphia Bar Association.

Health and Health Insurance Law

Larry's practice includes extensive counseling of entities in the fields of health law and health insurance law, including physicians and other healthcare providers, physician associations, academic medical centers, health systems, medical schools, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and local governments.

His experience includes such issues as:

  • Corporate governance and organization
  • Conflicts of interest
  • Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act implementation
  • Contracting and procurement
  • Drafting and negotiation of self-insured arrangements, including ASO (administrative services only) contracts
  • Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse
  • HIPAA compliance and other confidentiality issues
  • Government relations and legislative drafting
  • Health system corporate restructuring
  • Medical staff issues
  • Patient care issues
  • Professional association matters
  • Compliance with Pennsylvania’s insurance laws and consideration by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department of insurance company mergers and restructurings.

Government Law

Larry has extensive experience in representing clients before state and federal administrative agencies, including:

  • State agencies, such as the Pennsylvania Departments of Human Services, Health, and Education; the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, state boards of medicine, osteopathic medicine, and optometry; and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board
  • Federal agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Park Service.

As a former general counsel to the Governor of Pennsylvania, Larry has been retained on numerous occasions to draft legislation and administrative regulations and coordinate legislative programs with clients, government affairs professionals and outside lobbyists.

Larry is co-author (with Brian S. Gocial, Esq.) of the Pennsylvania Government Contract Handbook (Thomson Reuters, 2009).

Government Service

Larry served as general counsel to the Governor and as a cabinet officer in the administration of then-Pennsylvania Governor Milton J. Shapp. In that position, he provided legal advice to the Governor and other Executive Branch officials, including:

  • Reviewed all legislation passed by the General Assembly and advised the Governor in the exercise of his constitutional duties
  • Participated in the drafting of numerous statutes and legislative amendments
  • Reviewed, approved, and frequently drafted documents for the Governor’s signature, including contracts, bonds, and administrative regulations
  • Functioned as liaison between the Governor and officials of Commonwealth departments, boards, and commissions
  • Functioned as liaison between the Governor and the Judicial Branch of the Pennsylvania government
  • Approved, and frequently drafted, all Executive Orders, Management Directives, and Administrative Circulars issued by the Governor
  • Negotiated agreements and mediated legal disputes among Commonwealth agencies, between the Commonwealth and Federal Government, and between the Commonwealth and other states
  • Represented the Governor and at times other Executive Branch officials in selected trial and appellate court litigation matters of particular concern to the Governor; and reviewed and coordinated other litigation matters wherein gubernatorial powers, prerogatives, or policy decisions had been challenged
  • Served as a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Criminal Justice Information Systems
  • Reviewed applications for the extradition of persons accused of crimes
  • Reviewed recommendations from the Board of Pardons for the granting of pardons and commutation of sentences

In addition to serving as the Governor's general counsel, Larry served under Harold E. Kohn, Esq., as Deputy Counsel to the Governor and the Honorable Israel Packel as Associate Counsel to the Governor.

Larry also served as a Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General for litigation and administrative law matters.

Larry began his government service as Law Clerk to the Honorable J. Sydney Hoffman, Judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

Larry is admitted to the Bars of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the United States Supreme Court and other courts.

Outside the Firm

Larry’s community activities include:

  • Chair Emeritus, Philadelphia Foundation
    • The Foundation is Philadelphia’s community foundation with over $700 million in assets.
    • He served as chair of the Foundation for seven and a half years and as a member of its Board of Managers for almost 20 years.
    • His service included chairing the Foundation’s Program and Distribution (grants) Committee, serving on its executive, nominating and governance, finance and audit committees, and chairing a committee to revise the Foundation's governance documents.
    • He currently serves as an advisory member of the Foundation’s executive, nominating and governance and finance committees. 
  • Former member, Board of Directors, Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research
  • Former member, Children’s Seashore House Ethics Committee
  • Former member, Board of Directors, Philadelphia Liberty Medal
  • Former member, Advisory Board, Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts

News & Views

See all News and Views

Recognitions

Larry has been honored with:

  • Giant of the Bar, by the Philadelphia Bar Association Business Law Section
  • Honorable Louis H. Pollak Champion of the Public Interest Award, by the Philadelphia Bar Foundation
  • Champion of the Year Award, by the SeniorLaw Center
  • Eddie Ohlbaum Distinguished Advocate for Children Award, by the Support Center for Child Advocates
  • Edwin P. Rome Pro Bono Achievement Award, by Blank Rome LLP
  • Dennis H. Replansky Memorial Award, by the Philadelphia Bar Association Business Law Section
  • Distinguished Leader Award, by The Legal Intelligencer
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, by The Legal Intelligencer
  • Wachovia Fidelity Award, by the Philadelphia Bar Association
  • Service Award, by the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association
  • Benjamin F. Levy Community Service Award, by the Louis D. Brandeis Law Society
  • Listed in Who’s Who in American Law and Who’s Who in America
  • AV-Preeminent®, listed by Martindale-Hubbell®
  • 1995–2025, Health Care Law in Philadelphia, listed by Best Lawyers in America©
  • 2004–2017, Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in Health Care, listed in Super Lawyers

Affiliations

Professional Activities

American Bar Association

Larry served on the Association’s House of Delegates. He is an active member of the Business Law Section, including:

  • Currently serving as chair of the Model Nonprofit Corporation Act Subcommittee, was one of the drafters of the Model Nonprofit Corporation Act, Third Edition, and currently is chairing the effort to revise that model statute
  • Active member of the Nonprofit Organizations Committee and its Nonprofit Governance Subcommittee
  • Served for four years as chair of the Section’s Health Law Committee
  • Served for four years as liaison to the Health Law Section from the Business Law Section
  • Served for four years as co-chair of the Committee on State and Local Bar Involvement
  • He is a Life Member of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.

Pennsylvania Bar Association

Larry served on the Association's House of Delegates. He currently is a member of a number of sections and committees.

Philadelphia Bar Association

Larry served as Chancellor of the 11,000-attorney Philadelphia Bar Association. He serves as Counsel to the Association and, as such, serves as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Association’s Board of Governors.

He has held numerous positions, both elective and appointive, in the Association, including chairing the Association’s Legislative Liaison Committee for 11 years and chairing the Association’s Task Force on Pennsylvania’s Lobbying Disclosure Act and Philadelphia’s Lobbying Ordinance.

Credentials

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania

Education

  • University of Pennsylvania, BA, cum laude
  • Harvard Law School, JD

A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.

Related Services

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