Lawrence J. Tabas
Chair, Health Care Law Department
Chair, Election Law Practice Group
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Contact:
Phone: 215-665-3158
lawrence.tabas@obermayer.com
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Health Care Law Practice

Mr. Tabas’ Health Care Law 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, Mr. Tabas 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 the author of a seminar presentation on legal perspectives of Accountable Care Organizations.

Mr. Tabas has extensive experience with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s HealthChoices Behavioral Health Program for MA eligible individuals administered and operated by counties under contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. 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, and consumers, and their families and advocates.

Mr. Tabas is the Co-Sponsor of a nationally recognized health care law blog called: Health Law Gurus; www.healthlawgurus.com. He has twice won (2016 and 2017) the JD Supra Readers’ Choice Award as one of the top 10 national authors.

Mr. Tabas is a member of the Medical Group Management 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 38 years of experience representing federal, state, and local candidates; candidate committees; political party committees; political action committees; governmental bodies (including state and local); business entities; and non-profit entities in election law matters. This representation places special emphasis on campaign finance law (federal and state), ballot referendum matters, 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 and Vice President of United States (Pennsylvania Lead Counsel to President-Elect Trump and Vice President-Elect Pence in connection with pre- and post­election litigation matters in 2016 and numerous recount proceedings filed in Pennsylvania following the November 2016 Election). Mr. Tabas handled the 2016 recount proceedings in Pennsylvania filed in federal court, statewide courts, local county courts, and before county boards of election. He was successful in each such action, including winning a critical victory in federal court just one day before the mandatory Federal Safe Harbor for the certification of the Electoral College members in Pennsylvania. As a result, he ensured that President Trump’s victory margin of approximately 47,000 votes in Pennsylvania in the November Election was recognized and certified. Mr. Tabas was elected to the Pennsylvania Electoral College in 2016 as an elector for President Trump and Vice President Pence, and he served as the Parliamentarian for the Electoral College. 

Mr. Tabas also 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, and city-wide, county, and local offices. In addition to representing candidates, he also represents political parties and political action committees. 

Mr. Tabas served as the General Counsel of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania (“RPP”) from 2005 through January 2017 and was Special Election Law Counsel to the RPP in 2004. He also served as the General Counsel to the Tom Corbett for Governor Committee in 2013 and 2014, 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, 2012, and 2016, and a Member of the Convention Rules Committee in 2008 and 2016. 

Mr. Tabas’ notable Election Law litigation successes include: recount and election contest litigation in Pennsylvania in federal and state courts initiated by Jill Stein and her supporters in connection with the 2016 Presidential Election; 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. Sup. Ct. 2004); In re: Municipal Reapportionment of Haverford Township, No. 4 C.D. 2005 (Cmmw. Ct. 2005); and In re: Creighton, 899 A.2d 1166 (Cmmw. 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 in state and federal courts, which upheld the candidate’s victory state-wide by approximately 54 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 law matters and 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,” “Manual for Recounts and Election Contests in Pennsylvania,” 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, 2013, and 2015.

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. Mr. Tabas frequently lectures and writes on the legal and political aspects of Super PACs, corporate sponsored PACs, independent expenditure only PACs, political committees, and advocacy groups. He also regularly teaches courses on campaign finance law and ballot access for candidates and committees.

Miscellaneous

In 2014, the Governor 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. 

In 2011, the Governor appointed Mr. Tabas as a Commissioner of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and he served until his term 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. 

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

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Office

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

Practice Areas

• 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

• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

• U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit

• U.S. District Court, E.D.PA and M.D.PA

• U.S. Federal Court of Claims