Pam dedicates her practice to the representation of senior housing and care providers and tax-exempt organizations.

Pam's clients in the senior housing and care field look to her for advice regarding issues large and small from development, operations, risk management, and licensing to joint venturing, affiliations, mergers and acquisitions. Her intimate knowledge of clients’ operations and contracts, coupled with her extensive tax-exempt expertise, makes her a natural choice for borrower’s counsel whenever clients incur or modify the terms of their tax-exempt debt. Her clients in the industry include assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, skilled nursing facilities, housing providers, hospices, home health agencies, adult day health centers and home care agencies.

Pam remains on the cutting edge of legal reforms and developments in the senior housing and care industry. She is currently a member on the LeadingAge California Board of Directors and is a former chair of the LeadingAge Legal Committee. She was an active member of the state committees that rewrote California’s continuing care laws and introduced "care at home" legislation, as well as numerous task forces that have addressed elder care issues. She frequently speaks before industry organizations and has contributed numerous articles to related trade publications.

Pam is also a nationally-recognized expert in the legal concerns of nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations. For more than 33 years, she has advised publicly-supported charities, private foundations, trade associations, self-insurance groups, title holding companies and other nonprofit entities on a host of start-up and operational issues. Her extensive experience spans the entire life cycle of a nonprofit organization.

Pam works with nonprofit clients to find the most streamlined way to achieve their goals through pragmatic decision making. Pam collaborates with clients to develop best practices for operations and governance. She also keeps abreast of developments in the nonprofit and tax-exempt arenas to help clients anticipate and respond to changes.

Pam is a popular speaker and regularly speaks before industry organizations such as LeadingAge, American Health Lawyers Association, Senior Living 100, Senior Living Business, LeadingAge California, LeadingAge Oregon, LeadingAge Washington, the California Assisted Living Association (CALA), and the California Association for Health Facilities (CAHF) on issues including coping with economic challenges, innovations in senior care, care at home models, Medicaid divestitures, elder abuse, disability discrimination, fair housing advertising, corporate compliance, tax exemption challenges, social accountability, and corporate governance issues. She has contributed articles on these and other subjects to The Journal on Taxation, Taxation of Exempts, Tax Exempt Organization Tax Review, Spectrum Magazine, California Health Law News, and the legal newsletters published by LeadingAge, LeadingAge California and CALA.

Pam is committed to the use of plain English and advocates practical, cost-effective solutions to clients’ problems.

Bar Admissions

• California

Education
J.D., University of Virginia School of Law (1986)
B.A., with distinction in all subjects, Cornell University (1980)

Professional Associations

• LeadingAge California, Board of Directors Member
• LeadingAge Legal Committee, former Chair

Professional Activities and Experience
Accolades

• Best Lawyers® Nonprofit/Charities Law (2016-2017, 2019-2023)
• Best Lawyers® (2009-2022)
• California Lawyers Association, Wiley W. Manuel Pro Bono Legal Services Award (2019–2021)
• Woman Leader in The Law, The American Lawyer (2020)
• Lawyer of the Year: Northern California, Best Lawyers® (2017, 2019)
• Women in the Law Award, Best Lawyers® (2016-2019, 2022)
• Chambers and Partners USA, Healthcare
• Top Rated Lawyers™ in Healthcare Law, Martindale-Hubbell® (2013)
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating
• Northern California Super Lawyers (2010-2012, 2017)

"Private Pay Assisted Living Providers Are Eligible for HHS Provider Relief Payments – But Only Briefly," Senior Housing and Care Law Alert (September 2020)
"Main Street Lending Program Now Open for Nonprofits," co-author, Tax + Health Care Law Alert (July 2020)
"Last Chance for ACA-Related Protective Refund Claims for 2016," co-author, Tax Law Alert (July 2020)
"Business Realities in the Age of COVID-19," co-author, Seniors Housing Business (June 2020)
"Cannabis in Long-Term Care: A Risk Management Assessment," American Bar Association Health eSource (April 2020)
"Court Reinstates End of Life Option Act Pending Further Hearings," Senior Housing and Care Alert (June 2018)
"Is This The End of the End of Life Option Act? The Suspension's Impact on Senior Care Providers," Senior Housing and Care Alert (June 2018)

"Aid-in-Dying Laws Present New Challenges for Health Care Providers," The Voice of Experience (October 2017)
"Legal Marijuana Raises Burning Issues in Senior Care," Senior Housing Business (September 2017)
"Aid-in-Dying Laws Present New Challenges for Health Care Providers," American Bar Association Health Law Section (August 2017)
"CMS Reverses Its Position Regarding Arbitration Agreements in Long-Term Care," co-author, Senior Housing and Care Law Alert (June 2017)
"Death with Dignity: Applying the End of Life Option Act to residential care facilities for the elderly," Chicago Medicine (February 2017)
"21st Century Cures Act Holds Promise for Seniors and Senior Care Providers," co-author, Health Care Law Alert (January 2017)
"Death with Dignity in Assisted Living: Applying the End of Life Option Act to RCFEs," CALA Legal Update (October 2016)
"The Eleven Habits of Ineffective Nonprofit Boards," LeadingAge (May 2016)
"OIG Finds that Hospices Inappropriately Billed Medicare $268 Million," co-author, AHLA Alert (April 2016)
"New Law Streamlines Dissolution for Dormant Nonprofit Corporations in California," co-author, Nonprofit Law Alert (November 2015)
"New California Assisted Suicide Law Gives Senior Care Providers Limited Protection," co-author, Senior Housing & Care Law Alert (October 2015)
"New Enforcement Initiatives in Dementia Care Could Affect SNFs' Five-Star Rating," co-author, Health & Senior Care Law Alert (May 2015)
"​IRS Notice Liberalizes Private Use Rules Governing Bond-Financed Facilities," co-author, Health Care Law Alert (November 2014)
"Advising California Nonprofit Corporations," co-author, California Continuing Education of the Bar (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Editions)
"Developing Retirement Communities: Business Strategies, Regulation, Taxation," by Paul Gordon (co-author 1990-1996 updates)