Lawrence J. Tabas
Chair, Health Law Department
Chair, Election Law Practice Group
Partner Print This Page

Contact:
Phone: 215-665-3158
lawrence.tabas@obermayer.com
vCard

Lawrence J. Tabas is a partner and Chairman of the Firm’s Health Law Department and the Chairman of the Election Law Practice Group.

Health Law Practice
Mr. Tabas’ health care legal experience includes the representation of physician group practices (single and multi-specialty), hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, durable medical equipment companies, licensed health care providers and medical management service organizations. His practice includes representation of health care clients in connection with compliance matters, laws and regulations governing health care, third-party payor requirements, population care management and care management programs, acquisitions of medical practices by hospitals, group practice formation and managed care organizations. In his representation of physicians, he provides organizational, merger, employment, contracting, legal strategic planning, and financial risk and regulatory advice and guidance. He also represents health care professionals and entities in connection with audits, reviews and investigations (civil and criminal) conducted by government agencies (OIG, CMS, Justice Department, HHS (OCR) and states) and insurance companies. In addition, Mr. Tabas has served as the Co-Legal Independent Review Officer for a physician practice under a corporate integrity agreement of the U.S. Office of Inspector General of HHS.

Mr. Tabas developed and co-authored the materials for seminars on compliance with HIPAA and the Privacy Rules and responding to audits and reviews at health care providers’ offices from government and insurance company investigators. He also conducts Privacy Officer and Security Officer training for health care entities. He is also the author of a seminar presentation on legal perspectives of Accountable Care Organizations and the author of a paper dealing with restructuring financially-troubled health care providers.

Mr. Tabas has extensive experience with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's HealthChoices, a behavioral health managed care program for MA eligible individuals administered and operated by counties under contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Mr. Tabas and his firm represent numerous County HealthChoices Programs, and they have been involved since the Program’s inception in 1997. This representation includes contracting, risk management, and business structure issues, compliance with federal and state health care laws and regulations, and dealings with managed care organizations, providers, consumers and their families and advocates.  Mr. Tabas also represents county behavioral health and developmental disabilities programs and advises them relative to their legal, contracting and regulatory matters, and County Area Agencies on Aging. 

Mr. Tabas is a member of the Medical Group Association.

Election Law Practice
Mr. Tabas maintains an active and extensive practice in Election Law (federal and state) and election law litigation. He has over 35 years of experience representing federal, state, and local candidates; candidate committees; political party committees; political action committees; and governmental bodies in election law matters. This representation places special emphasis on campaign finance law (federal and state), nomination petitions and ballot access, recounts and election contests, regulatory matters, corporate and association sponsored political action committees, voting equipment and systems, conduct of elections, First Amendment issues relating to political speech, referendums, compliance with HAVA, and redistricting.

His clients include candidates for the President of United States (he served as Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Legal Team for Romney-Ryan in 2012, Chair of the Pennsylvania Legal Team for McCain in 2008 and Chair of the Litigation Team in Pennsylvania for Bush-Cheney 2004), the U.S. Congress, Pennsylvania Governor, the judiciary, the Pennsylvania State Legislature, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Mayor of Philadelphia, city-wide, and local offices. In addition to representing candidates, he also represents political parties, political action committees (including those sponsored by corporations and associations), and governmental bodies.

Mr. Tabas is currently the General Counsel of the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania (“RSC”). He also served as counsel to the Tom Corbett for Governor Committee and he is counsel to the Pennsylvania House Republican Campaign Committee. He previously served as counsel to the Pennsylvania Joint Senate/House Committee on Election Reform, 2001 – 2002 (appointed by the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives). He was an At-Large Delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 2008 and 2012, and a Member of the Conventions' Rules Committee.

Mr.Tabas’ notable election law litigation successes include: In re: Guzzardi, (Pa.Sup.Ct. 29 MAP 2014); the defense of In re: Nomination Petition of Mike L. Krancer for Justice of the Supreme Court, C.P. No. 127 MD 2007; Appeal of Pierce, Stepnick and Gantman, 843 A.2d 1223 (Pa. 2004); In re: Nomination Petition of Kerry Benninghoff, 852 A.2d 1182 (Pa. S. Ct. 2004); In re: Municipal Reapportionment of Haverford Township, No. 4 C.D. 2005 (Cmmwlth. Ct. 2005); and In re: Creighton, 899 A.2d 1166 (Cmmwlth. Ct.- 2006), aff’d 896 A. 2d 583 (Pa. 2006). Mr. Tabas was Chief Counsel in 2003 to a candidate for statewide judicial office during a recount challenge to her victory, and he successfully defended the recount challenge in state and federal courts, which upheld the candidate’s victory state-wide by 28 votes out of approximately 2.1 million cast.

Mr. Tabas was the Republican candidate for City Council-at-Large of Philadelphia (1991); City Controller of Philadelphia (1985); and the State House of Representatives (1980). In 1997, he was elected to a four-year term as a school board director of the Lower Merion School District of Montgomery County.

Mr. Tabas is a frequent lecturer on election matters and he is the author of many election law publications, including: “So You Want to Wear a Black Robe” – Running for Office as a Judicial Candidate, PBI 2014; "Gaining Access to Ballot as a Candidate in Pennsylvania – Fifth Edition," “Manual for Recounts and Election Contests in Pennsylvania – Third Edition” and “Manual for Election Day Conduct and Strategies.” He is also the co-author of the Chapter on Recounts for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute Election Law Course Book, 2005 and the sole author for this Chapter in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. In addition, he is the co-author of “Pennsylvania Election Law," including the chapters on "Campaign Contributions and Expenses," "Nominations of Candidates," and "Recounts and Election Contests," Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 1988. Mr. Tabas was also a panelist in 2010 for a PBI Seminar on the impact of the United States Supreme Court’s opinion in the Citizens United case, and he presented on this case before a committee of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Miscellaneous

In 2014, Governor Tom Corbett appointed Mr. Tabas as a member of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA) and he served as the chair until his term ended in 2015, and in 2011, appointed him as a Commissioner of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for his term, which ended in January 2015.

From 1996-97, Mr. Tabas served as a member of the State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators, appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania.

He served as the Chair (2011) and a member of the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board from 2005-2011, appointed by Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

He has been named to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® list as seen in both Philadelphia magazine (2004, 2006-2010 and 2014) and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine (2004, 2006-2010 and 2014 editions).

Office

Centre Square West
1500 Market Street, Suite 3400
Philadelphia, PA 19102-2101
Phone: 215-665-3000

Practice Areas

• Business & Finance
• Health Law
• Local Government Law
• Election Law

Education

• Georgetown University Law Center (JD '78)

• University of Pennsylvania (MA '75)

• University of Pennsylvania (BA '75)

Admissions

• Pennsylvania

Lawrence J. Tabas

visit superlawyers.com