Erika Mayshar
Partner
Office: Los Angeles
Years at Firm: 2
What is your favorite part about practicing health care law at McDermott?
When I moved to McDermott, I was proud to be joining the nation’s top health care law practice, but the industry rankings don’t tell the whole story. The breadth and depth of expertise are backed by a collegial and innovative culture that builds strong relationships among colleagues and clients. Health lawyers at McDermott truly enjoy their work and working with each other.
What is the biggest opportunity and greatest challenge facing clients in your area of focus today?
Industry disruption in health care is an ongoing reality for boards of directors and health system leadership. Being able to respond to moving-target opportunities is a challenge for leaders facing fast-paced regulatory change and economic pressure. The challenge is to determine what type of change makes sense for each organization – not to embrace disruption for the sake of staying current, but to seek opportunities that further the corporate mission and then implement change with meaningful stakeholder involvement. Tax-exempt nonprofit hospitals face additional hurdles, both cultural and legal, but are continually finding new ways to serve their communities and collaborate with for-profit businesses in creative ways.
What kind of client work gets you most excited when it comes across your desk?
I am a tax lawyer with a background in private equity and M&A, now focused primarily on tax-exempt organizations, ranging from hospitals to private foundations to large operating charities. My work is most exciting when these seemingly disparate practice areas intersect. Large, sophisticated nonprofits engage in complex business arrangements that require specialized knowledge of both tax exemption issues as well as transactional tax structuring. On the same day I can negotiate the partnership agreement for a nonprofit health system’s service line joint venture, and help one of the nation’s most prominent philanthropic foundations structure tax-efficient alternative investments.
What is the proudest moment of your career to date?
Joining McDermott! An easy question.
If you were not a lawyer, what career would you pursue?
If I weren’t a lawyer I would choose a career focused on financial education. I opened a Roth IRA when I was 15 years old using extra babysitting money. The complexity of our current tax system tends to discourage financial literacy more broadly. I’ve had countless conversations with business owners and philanthropists who worry that the next generation lacks the skills to serve as stewards of the family’s wealth. I’ve been involved with a local program for high school students that teaches market and finance fundamentals – concepts foreign to most graduates today. When people feel personally invested in their financial decisions and have the support of capable advisors to help them navigate the complexities, great things can happen on both a small and large scale.
