General Counsel

SALT Dental Partners is one of the fastest-growing Dental Service Organizations in the country — a hyper-growth platform primarily supporting 250+ specialty practices across pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, and oral surgery. We are seeking a seasoned Senior Vice President & General Counsel to join our executive leadership team. This is a high-impact, highly visible role for a legal leader who thrives in a complex, people-intensive, and highly regulated healthcare environment.

The General Counsel will be SALT's primary legal officer and a trusted voice in executive decision-making — owning the full scope of employment law, physician and provider matters, professional corporation structuring, regulatory compliance, and litigation management. This role focuses on the day-to-day legal foundation that enables the business to operate, grow, and protect its people and patients.

Employment & Labor Law

• Serve as primary counsel on all employment matters across a multi-state, multi-site workforce spanning clinical and non-clinical staff.
• Advise HR and operations leadership on hiring, terminations, performance management, leave of absence, accommodations, and employee relations matters.
• Draft, review, and negotiate employment agreements, offer letters, severance agreements, and separation packages.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state wage and hour laws, FLSA, state-specific paid leave requirements, and applicable licensing rules for clinical staff.
• Oversee responses to EEOC charges, DOL audits, state agency complaints, and employment litigation, in coordination with outside employment counsel.
• Partner with HR to develop and maintain employee handbooks, workplace policies, and compliance training programs.

Provider & Doctor Matters

• Draft and negotiate associate dentist, specialist, and independent contractor agreements across pediatric, orthodontic, and oral surgery disciplines.
• Advise on non-compete, non-solicitation, and restrictive covenant strategy and enforceability across operating states.
• Manage provider credentialing, licensing, and enrollment matters in coordination with the clinical operations team.
• Support due diligence on provider background and licensure history as needed in connection with new affiliations.

Professional Corporation & Entity Structuring

• Structure and maintain professional corporations (PCs), professional limited liability companies (PLLCs), and related entities across all operating states
• Advise on nominee dentist/owner arrangements, shareholder agreements, and equity transfer mechanics within compliant structures.
• Draft, negotiate, and maintain joint venture agreements with affiliated dental professionals, health systems, or strategic partners — including governance rights, economic participation, buy-sell provisions, and exit mechanics.
• Structure and manage special purpose entities (SPEs) created for specific practice locations, real estate holdings, ancillary service lines, or other strategic purposes; ensure appropriate separation and governance across the entity family.
• Manage entity governance across the full enterprise including operating agreements, board resolutions, annual filings, and multi-state registrations.
• Partner with outside transaction counsel on entity structuring for new practice affiliations and de novo openings.
• Monitor state-level CPOD law developments and assess impact on existing and planned structures.

Healthcare Regulatory & Compliance

• Advise on federal and state healthcare regulations applicable to specialty dental practices, including anti-kickback statutes, Stark Law analogues, and state fee-splitting prohibitions.
• Manage specialty-specific regulatory matters relevant to pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, and oral surgery, including sedation/anesthesia permitting and state board requirements.
• Monitor evolving regulatory and legislative developments and proactively communicate risk and recommended responses to executive leadership.
• Develop and maintain a library of compliant contract templates, compliance policies, and operational legal resources.

Litigation & Risk Management

• Manage all active and threatened litigation, including dental malpractice, employment disputes, contract disputes, and regulatory proceedings.
• Select, supervise, and manage outside litigation counsel; review litigation budgets and strategy.
• Oversee malpractice and general liability insurance programs in coordination with brokers and carriers.
• Lead incident response protocols in coordination with clinical operations and risk management teams.
• Identify systemic legal risk trends and recommend operational or policy changes to reduce exposure.

Executive Leadership & Legal Operations

• Serve as a standing member of the executive leadership team, contributing to company-wide strategy, culture, and decision-making.
• Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board on legal, regulatory, and reputational matters.
• Manage outside counsel relationships and legal spend across all practice areas.
• Build scalable legal operations infrastructure including contract management, matter tracking, and legal intake processes.
• Mentor and develop internal legal and compliance staff as the team grows.

• JD from an accredited law school; active bar license in good standing (multi-state admission a plus).
• 3+ years of legal experience with substantial exposure to multi-site healthcare, employment law, provider agreements, and/or healthcare regulatory compliance.
• Working knowledge of corporate practice of dentistry doctrine and professional corporation structuring across multiple states.
• Experience advising on physician or provider employment and independent contractor arrangements in a healthcare services setting.
• Strong command of HIPAA, healthcare fraud and abuse laws, and multi-state employment law.
• Prior in-house experience strongly preferred; candidates from law firms with a deep healthcare services client base will also be considered.
• Familiarity with specialty dental practices — pediatric, orthodontic, and/or oral surgery — is a meaningful plus.
• Exceptional judgment, intellectual honesty, and the ability to give clear direction in ambiguous situations.
• Comfort operating as a generalist legal leader in a growing, entrepreneurial environment.