Alumni Profiles

A Passion for Health Care Law

Attorney Christine Solt ’92 came to UMass Amherst as an out-of-state student based on the strength of its biology department. She stayed because of her experience in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences’ political science department. “With the number of Ivy League schools in Massachusetts, it is easy for many to dismiss UMass Amherst,” Solt reflects. “But the truth is that our alumni are very successful. I like to remind people of what is possible with this education.”

Solt did not leave Ohio with the intent of becoming a partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP in Boston. “From about third grade on, I was convinced that I would be a doctor. I’d major in biology and then attend med school back in Ohio. But freshman experiences in World Politics and Introduction to Constitutional Law were enough to make me change my major to political science.” But Solt didn’t leave medicine behind completely. She continued to take science courses, held summer jobs at hospitals, and after UMass Amherst went to work for the summer at the Administration on Developmental Disabilities at the US Department of Health and Human Services. “That was a real eye-opener about how health-care policy is adopted. I was hooked on the idea of practicing health care law.”

Having earned a prestigious Truman Scholarship, Solt arrived at Harvard Law with an appreciation for how important student/faculty relationships can be. “Two of my professors in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, John Brigham and Sheldon Goldman, did wonders to build my confidence,” she says. “They challenged me in the classroom. And their faith in me, their personal attention and concern as mentors and cheerleaders, showed me how invaluable networks can be.”

In law school Solt pursued all the health-care law courses possible, and did a stint as a research assistant for a professor who later was advisor for her third-year paper. In the meantime, she worked as a summer associate at Choate, Hall & Stewart. It didn’t take the firm long to see her potential. With the firm for ten years, she became chair of the health care practice group this past February.

The group’s work falls into three general categories: serving as outside general counsel to community hospitals and other providers that have limited or no in-house legal staff; offering regulatory and strategic planning advice to venture capital and private equity firms looking to invest in health-care companies; and providing corporate compliance and government enforcement defense work, including Medicare and Medicaid fraud defense representation of individuals and organizations. Solt manages the practice’s budget and marketing, coordinates cross-disciplinary projects with other practice groups, and maintains primary responsibility for many of Choate’s key health-care clients. “Much of my time is spent with executives to develop and implement creative opportunities and partnerships to provide the best care possible,” Solt explains. “A portion of my day often involves handling patient care emergencies, such as reporting requirements, confidentiality matters, or treatment of minors. Given the 24/7 nature of the medical profession, my schedule is often unpredictable.”

Solt is quick to concede that the law is demanding of both time and talent. It is important, she says, to build a legal career related to something about which you are truly passionate. “For me, that passion related to medicine and the health-care system. I could have gone in another direction; for example, had I known that the Red Sox, with whom I spend an enormous amount of time at Fenway Park, had a general counsel’s office, I might have gone another route! Television doesn’t come close to painting an accurate picture of what a lawyer’s life is like. To observe the skills you’ll need to do the job, get an internship as a paralegal or file clerk with a small office.”

Solt is active with UMass Amherst in multiple ways. As a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, she is eager to help shape the mission. “I am particularly interested in its Science, Technology and Society initiative, an interdisciplinary approach that has relevance to so many sectors of life. As someone who deals routinely with matters involving privacy, healthcare and biotechnology, I see a lot of value in examining developments in this area from a social science perspective.”

November 30, 2005