Gerard R. Goulet has been named managing partner at Hinckley, Allen & Snyder. In his new role, he will have principal responsibility for the strategic direction, management and administration of the firm while maintaining an active practice in health care law. Previously, Goulet served as chief of the division of medical care standards of the R.I. Department of Health. Goulet has a B.A. from Harvard College, an M.A. in public health from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School Of Law.
PBN: What are you looking forward to in your new position?
GOULET: Hinckley, Allen & Snyder has enjoyed success over the past decade by focusing on the long-term view and conservative management. This has enabled the firm to approach the next decade with a stable platform at the outset – providing it with the ability to be somewhat more adaptable to changing economic forces than some of its peers. … I look forward to helping position the firm to achieve its strategic goals by setting systems in place that enable us to marshal our attorney assets through highly effective regional teams that focus on helping clients resolve complex problems.
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PBN: What are the important questions the health care industry is facing?
GOULET: As a society, we have defined health care as a right, but have been unwilling to pay for that right. We have a pluralistic system that continually grapples with the problem of the disadvantaged but does so without any real controlling levers except for layers of governmental regulation. This does little but add cost to the system. Until we value health care at a level commensurate with our demand for health care services, we will continue to deal with tension in the system between providers and payers.
PBN: Are there any lessons or a specific case that became a benchmark for your decision-making process as a lawyer?
GOULET: I am reminded periodically that clients value practical advice above almost anything else. Clients want solutions to their problems, want their lawyers to understand their business, and want to be able to understand what their lawyers tell them or write to them. Sometimes we forget that our clients are not law school professors. Whether we are writing an opinion, trying a case, or helping a client through a regulatory review, we have to remind ourselves that the right result is far more important to the client than the process. •
