Business and health law attorney returns with new academic health experience

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Susan Kratz brings new academic health law expertise to complement her extensive business and health care practice experience in her return to Nilan Johnson Lewis.

Kratz rejoined the firm in late March after seven and a half years as the Academic Health Center counsel for the University of Minnesota. She was a Nilan Johnson Lewis shareholder for five years before going to the University.

As academic health center counsel, Kratz helped establish the joint clinical enterprise arrangement among the University, University of Minnesota Physicians and Fairview Health Services. She also played a key part in the University’s creation of a regional medical school campus in St. Cloud through a new affiliation with CentraCare.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to help health care clients and other corporate clients in responding to complex legal needs that they have both in terms of how the law changes and how the industry changes,” Kratz said.

Kratz also wants to mentor the firm’s younger lawyers. She is a former chair of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Health Law Section.

Name: Susan Kratz

Title: Shareholder, Nilan Johnson Lewis’ Health Group

Education: B.A., economics, University of Minnesota; J.D., University of Minnesota Law School

Q: Best way to start a conversation with you?

A: I enjoy talking about the Gophers or the Vikings, getting excited about recent wins or commiserating over losses. If you’re not into sports, talk to me about yourself. There’s always some common connection that you can make.

Q: Why law school?

A: I had a grandfather on my dad’s side who was a small-town lawyer in Hibbing. I loved hearing stories about his legal practice, so that created an interest in going to law school. My undergraduate degree is in economics, and as I thought about what to do with that, I knew I wanted to stay in the business area. I thought that connection of business and law together, could create a really interesting career, and it certainly has.

Q: What are you reading?

A: I just finished “The Women” by Kristin Hannah. It’s historical fiction about nurses who served in the Vietnam War. I found the book to be enlightening about the challenges during that period.

Q: Pet peeve?

A: Probably misinformation and people’s unwillingness to try to agree on a common set of facts, and our tendency to use facts in a way that supports our own personal view on something, versus trying to come together to understand what the true facts are.

Q: Best part of your work?

A: Working with organizations that have a strong sense of mission, that I get to support.

Q: Most challenging?

A: Probably how rapidly things change in especially health law, whether it’s new regulations or the industry itself. But that’s also probably one of the best things about my job, because it is intellectually stimulating.

Q: Favorite activity away from work?

A: I like to stay active, so things like yoga, golf and pickleball. I love going to Gopher football or basketball games.

Q: Where would you take someone visiting your hometown?

A: I’ve been in the Twin Cities my whole life. We had visitors from Germany a couple years ago. We went to Minneapolis, to the Stone Arch Bridge and a brewery in that area. To Lake Minnetonka and 50th and France in Edina. It was August, so we took them to the State Fair too.

Q: Legal figure you admire?

A: The mentors throughout my career. That goes back to when I started practice, the mentor that got me into both corporate and health care law, and continued through my time at the University.

Q: Misconception about your work?

A: My practice is both corporate and health care. A lot of times when you say you’re a health lawyer, a health care lawyer, people assume that you do medical malpractice work. I explain that I’m a corporate attorney who has an emphasis in health care. That’s easier to understand because health law is a pretty diverse area of practice.

Q: Favorite book, movie or TV show about lawyers?

A: We recently watched season one on Netflix of “The Lincoln Lawyer.” Totally unrealistic but entertaining.