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Steven S. Reed , Esq.

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Steven S. Reed, Esq., joins JAMS following over 20 years in corporate leadership positions in healthcare. Most recently, Mr. Reed served as chief legal officer at BrightSpring Health Services, a multinational provider of specialty, pharmacy and senior care to over 350,000 people daily. Mr. Reed led the company’s legal team, it’s 200+ subsidiaries, and over 40,000 employees through the company’s IPO in 2024.

Before becoming CLO, Mr. Reed served on BrightSpring’s board of directors for 11 years, holding committee assignments as the chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee. This experience enriched his approach to conflict resolution with a deeper understanding of the complex issues facing all levels of corporate leadership.   

In his prior roles as a U.S. attorney and assistant U.S. attorney, Mr. Reed partnered with federal law enforcement on major investigations. He prosecuted civil fraud matters, including heath care fraud, and False Claims Act cases. As a federal prosecutor, he had a particular sensitivity to crime victims and held one of the first national conferences on the Violence Against Women Act (1994).

Objective

A natural peacemaker, Mr. Reed’s objective is to empower parties to resolve seemingly intractable litigation through talking, listening and understanding.

Representative Matters

As a former chief legal officer and member of corporate boards, Mr. Reed has extensive litigation and settlement experience in a wide variety of areas, including:

Business Commercial

  • Private and public corporate governance experience as corporate governance chair and corporate secretary
  • As CLO and corporate secretary, advised the CEO and board on major litigation, including efforts to pierce the corporate veil, internal investigations, corporate integrity agreements, shareholder class action litigation, cybersecurity and data privacy class actions, Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class actions, copyright infringement litigation, contract litigation, and mergers and acquisitions disputes

Employment Law

  • As chief legal officer:
    • Managed more than 25 wage and hour class actions in California, with results ranging from dismissals to seven-figure settlements
    • Managed Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) actions in California
    • Managed multiple wage and hour class actions in Texas, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, West Virginia and Connecticut
    • Managed multiple Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) class actions in California, Missouri, Kansas and West Virginia
    • Managed Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) class action in Ohio
    • Managed ERISA class action litigation in Indiana
    • Managed multiple cases involving noncompete, nonsolicitation and confidentiality provisions with corporate executives  
    • Managed multiple wrongful discharge and discrimination matters
    • Managed multiple retaliation cases

Health Care

  • As chief legal officer and U.S. attorney:
    • Managed False Claims Act (FCA) cases across the U.S., ranging from dismissals to nine-figure settlements
    • Managed qui tam matters across the U.S.
    • Managed multiple investigations by state regulatory authorities across the U.S.
    • Managed over 1,200 BrightSpring licenses and more than 2,000 provider enrollment numbers
    • As a board member of Baptist Health of Kentucky and its nine hospitals, collaborated with the general counsel on legal strategy involving sentinel events and alleged violations under the False Claims Act
    • As board chair and trustee for the University of Kentucky, led a stakeholder engagement “listening tour” that transformed UK Healthcare

Insurance

  • As chief legal officer:
    • Presented proactive strategy for case resolution to insurance companies at Lloyds of London in London and Bermuda
    • Managed insured cases with excess coverage involving multiple carriers and tiers

Personal Injury

  • As chief legal officer:
    • Managed wrongful death cases across the U.S.
    • Managed catastrophic injury litigation in multiple jurisdictions across the U.S., including matters that required life care plans
    • Managed personal injury, severe burn, sexual assault and automobile accident litigation in jurisdictions across the U.S.

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships 

  • American Bar Association
  • Kentucky Bar Association
  • National Association of Former United States Attorneys 

Board Service 

  • Director, Delta Dental of Kentucky, 2016–2025
    • Vice-Chair, 2024–2025
    • Member, Executive Committee, 2020–2025
    • Chair, Governance and Nominating Committee, 2020–2025
  • Director, Res-Care, Inc. (n/k/a BrightSpring Health Services), 2002–2013
  • Director, Baptist Health of Kentucky, 2007–2017
  • Public Member, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Professional Ethics Executive Committee, 2014–2018
  • Member, Board of Trustees, University of Kentucky, 1994–2006
    • Chairperson of the Board, 2004–2006
    • Presidential Search Committee, 2000
    • Committee, Albert B. Chandler Hospital, University of Kentucky, 1994–2002 

Civic Involvement 

  • Member, Criminal Justice Act Planning Committee, U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky, 2022–2025
  • Board Member, The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, 2009–2019
  • Board Member, Center for Women and Families, 1995–2001
  • Mentor, University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law, 1990–2025 

Selected Speaking Engagements 

  • Conversation With Hon. Robert L. Wilkins, United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, Roy R. and Virginia F. Ray Distinguished Lecture Series, University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law Grand Courtroom, Oct. 10, 2024

Background and Education

  • Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, BrightSpring Health Services, 2013–2025
  • Partner, Reed Wicker PLLC, 2002–2013
  • United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky (Louisville), 1999–2001
  • Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky (Louisville), 1993–1999
  • Deputy General Counsel, Office of Governor Brereton C. Jones, 1991–1993
  • Judicial Law Clerk, Chief Judge Edward H. Johnstone, United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, 1988–1990
  • Associate; Brown, Todd & Heyburn (now Frost Brown Todd); 1986–1988
  • J.D., University of Kentucky, 1986
  • B.A., magna cum laude, Western Kentucky University, 1983
  • Stanford Directors’ College, Stanford Law School, 2021

Virtual & In-Person Locations

Home Office

  • St. Louis, MO

Virtual hearings available nationwide

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