Associate General Counsel in Santa Ana, California at Acuity Eye Group

ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL

Acuity Eye Group | Southern California | Full-Time, Exempt

Acuity Eye Group is one of the largest ophthalmology platforms in the Western United States, operating 50+ clinic locations and multiple ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) across Southern California. Our subspecialty footprint spans general ophthalmology, retina, glaucoma, oculoplastics, and cataract/anterior segment. We combine physician-led clinical excellence with a platform-scale operations model, and we are in an active growth phase — new locations, new physician partnerships, and continued investment in compliance infrastructure.

Acuity is seeking an Associate General Counsel to serve as embedded in-house legal counsel. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role reporting directly to the General Counsel and partnering closely with the COO and executive team. You will handle a broad scope of legal matters, with particular depth in healthcare regulatory compliance, physician contracts, employment law, and ASC governance.

The AGC is the day-to-day legal resource for Acuity's operations, compliance, and business teams. You will be expected to work fast and work practically — drafting and reviewing contracts, advising on California employment matters, supporting incident response and risk mitigation, and staying ahead of regulatory developments that affect multi-site ophthalmology and ASC operations. This is not a purely advisory role; you will own work-streams and drive them to resolution.

Healthcare Regulatory & Compliance

• Advise on HIPAA, Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and California-specific healthcare regulations

• Support AAAHC/CMS ASC compliance, including governing body structure, policy review, and incident response

• Manage OMIC and professional liability notifications; coordinate with external counsel on adverse events and claims

• Monitor regulatory changes affecting ophthalmology, ASC operations, and multi-site group practices

• Support development and maintenance of compliance policies across clinical and operational functions

Contracts & Transactions

• Draft, review, and negotiate physician employment agreements, independent contractor agreements, and PSAs

• Handle vendor contracts, real estate leases, equipment financing, and managed care agreements

• Support M&A diligence and integration activity as the platform continues to grow

• Maintain contract tracking system and manage execution workflows

Employment & HR Legal Support

• Advise HR and operations on California employment law — wage and hour, FEHA, FMLA/CFRA, retaliation, and separation

• Review and update offer letters, employment agreements, policies, and handbooks

• Support investigation of employee complaints and EEOC/DFEH responses

• Partner with COO and HR on performance management and termination risk assessment

Risk Management & Litigation

• Manage external counsel relationships; coordinate litigation strategy and monitor spend

• Conduct or oversee root cause analyses in response to adverse clinical or operational events

• Maintain litigation hold protocols and support discovery obligations

• Provide legal input on insurance coverage, renewals, and claims

Corporate Governance & General Counsel Support

• Assist GC in building and maintaining the legal function's infrastructure — templates, playbooks, tracking tools

• Support board and governing body documentation requirements for ASCs

• Handle state licensing, corporate filings, and regulatory registrations

• Serve as a trusted, practical advisor to business leaders who need answers, not just analysis

Required

• J.D. from an accredited law school; active California State Bar membership in good standing

• 5–10 years of legal experience, with meaningful time in healthcare — in-house, law firm, or both

• Demonstrated fluency in healthcare regulatory law (Stark, AKS, HIPAA, California DMHC/CDPH)

• Experience with ASC or multi-site clinical operations is strongly preferred

• Solid California employment law background — this comes up constantly

• Proven ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and give clear, direct advice

Preferred

• Prior in-house experience in a physician group practice, DSO, or ASC platform

• Experience with AAAHC accreditation, CMS Conditions of Participation, or ambulatory surgery governance

• Comfort with physician recruiting, compensation, and equity structures in multi-specialty group practices

• Familiarity with Nextech, CareCloud, or similar EHR platforms from a compliance/contracting perspective

Compensation is designed to attract an experienced healthcare attorney who wants to build something — not just advise from the sideline. Total package is competitive with Southern California in-house counsel benchmarks for multi-site healthcare platforms.

Component

Details

Base Salary

$175,000 – $220,000 annually

Annual Incentive

Up to 15% of base salary; tied to company performance and individual objectives

Total Cash Target

$201,250 – $253,000 at target incentive

Health Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision — employee and dependents

Retirement

401(k) with employer match

PTO

Four weeks annually plus paid holidays

Bar Dues & CLE

Fully covered

Professional Development

Budget for conferences, memberships, and continuing legal education

Location

Southern California — hybrid-flexible with travel to clinic/ASC sites as needed

Base salary placement within range is commensurate with experience, depth of healthcare regulatory expertise, and prior in-house versus law firm background.

The range above reflects current market data for in-house healthcare counsel at California-based multi-site platforms in the $100M–$500M revenue tier. Key reference points:

• NALP/Bloomberg Law 2024 in-house survey: Southern California healthcare counsel (5–10 YOE) median base of $185,000–$205,000

• Radford/Aon benchmarks for multi-site specialty health: AGC/Senior Counsel roles at $170,000–$225,000 base depending on scope

• Premium applies for candidates with AAAHC, ASC, or ophthalmology-specific experience — scarcity commands a range ceiling approach

• Annual incentive at 10–15% is consistent with director/senior counsel peers in similarly sized healthcare platforms

Reports to: General Counsel

Key working relationships: Chief Operating Officer, Regional Directors, VP HR, ASC Directors, Practice Managers, and external counsel partners.

This is currently a standalone AGC role. Acuity expects the legal function to grow with the platform; the AGC will help shape that growth, including future team structure, outside counsel strategy, and legal operations infrastructure.

Acuity Eye Group | Confidential | Job Profile v1.0