Attorney Directory

Donna Gooden Payne
Vice President and General Counsel
As General Counsel, Donna is the chief legal officer for the University. She oversees the provision of legal and strategic advice to the University’s divisions, units, departments and owned or controlled entities on a wide range of areas including academic, health care, employment, intellectual property, corporate, real estate, tax, immigration, litigation and compliance. Donna manages and oversees the Office of Counsel comprised of 14 attorneys and 12 additional staff. She also oversees the engagement of all external legal service providers and manages the budget for delivery of these legal services.

Jack Bailey
Senior Counsel
Jack provides counsel on all aspects of labor and employment law, including discrimination and harassment complaints and claims; disability, family and medical leave, diversity and affirmative action issues; employment issues, including hiring, terminations, discipline, and performance management; wage and hour matters, employment agreements; and oversight of employment litigation. Prior to joining the Office of Counsel, Jack’s legal and non-legal experience included work at large international nonprofits, a for-profit corporation, and law firm practice.

Diane Caselli
Interim Deputy General Counsel for Health Sciences and Chief Counsel to URMC
Diane handles a wide variety of matters, including but not limited to health care policies, medical staff credentialing, patient care issues, medical center faculty employment, conflict of interest, corporate housekeeping, not-for-profit compliance and governance, and physician practice acquisitions. She works on a variety of contracts, including service agreements, employee lease agreements, consulting agreements, confidentiality agreements, student affiliation agreements, space licenses, facility use agreements, and business associate agreements. In addition to advising Strong Memorial Hospital, Highland Hospital, URMFG, the School of Medicine and Dentistry and the School of Nursing, she provides legal support to the Highlands at Pittsford, the Highlands at Brighton, Visiting Nurse Service, and Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network in these as well as other areas.

Richard S. Crummins
Deputy General Counsel
Rick has been with the Office of Counsel since 1997. He advises on a broad range of legal subject areas, including student affairs (including discipline and Title IX issues), disability law compliance, copyright and trademark, contracts of all types, and student privacy (FERPA) issues. Rick review and answers subpoenas, oversees litigation and Office for Civil Rights complaints involving students and visitors, and manages general liability claims and lawsuits involving injuries to persons on campus. Before joining the University, Rick was a trial lawyer and clerked for a US District Judge.

Carey Ann Denefrio
Senior Counsel
Carey Ann provides legal counseling on all aspects of labor and employment law, including discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and retaliation complaints; disability and family and medical leave issues; wage and hour matters; and health and safety related issues. Carey Ann also provides advice on various employment issues such as hiring, discipline, termination, and performance management; employment agreements; employment policies; and compliance with federal, state and local regulatory requirements. Carey Ann also handles matters before various state and federal agencies and oversees employment related litigation. Prior to joining the Office of Counsel, Carey Ann was Corporate Counsel at Paychex, and was previously a litigator in private practice and a Confidential Law Clerk for a U.S. Magistrate Judge.

Deirdre Flynn
Senior Counsel
Deirdre provides advice to the University on matters in litigation, those disputes that may have a risk of litigation and conducts internal investigations. She primarily advises the University’s hospitals, medical school, school of nursing, physicians, and other health care professionals, to avoid risk and manage disputes so that they do not end up in court. Deirdre works on the team that manages the University’s medical malpractice litigations, other general liability claims and the occasional commercial litigation. Deirdre also works on issues that may come up with the NYS regulatory agencies with the responsibility for health care operations and licensure of medical professionals. She is the primary liaison in the Office of Counsel for issues involving law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Prior to joining the University, Deirdre was a prosecutor, working as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Rochester office of the Western District of New York and a litigation associate.

Jessie Gregorio
Associate Counsel
Jessie provides legal services and advice to the Medical Center and its regional affiliates on a variety of health law issues, including but not limited to contracts, patient care issues, health care policies, medical center faculty employment, HIPAA, practice acquisitions, and other general legal matters that are presented to the Medical Center’s Office of Counsel. Prior to joining the University, Jessie was a health care litigator in private practice.

Michelle Johnson
Associate Counsel
Michelle provides legal counseling across the spectrum of labor and employment law including discrimination, harassment, and retaliation complaints; hiring, termination, and performance management; wage and hour matters; occupational safety and health issues; and leave issues. Michelle also advises on employment agreements, employment policies, and compliance with federal, state, and local law. Michelle handles matters before various state and federal agencies, and oversees employment related litigation. Prior to joining the Office of Counsel, Michelle represented and counseled employers in private practice in Baltimore, Maryland. Michelle is admitted to the bar of New York, Maryland, and Washington D.C. (inactive).

Claire St. Aubin Kuechle
Senior Counsel
Claire provides legal advice to the Medical Center, with a focus on third-party payor relationships, managed care contracting, reimbursement disputes, and payment policies. She counsels on fee-for-service and value-based care arrangements, including shared savings and bundled payment models. Claire also assists with complex state and federal regulatory issues related to transactions, such as joint ventures, collaborations, affiliations, and service line agreements. Her experience includes physician employment and professional services agreements, fraud and abuse compliance, and health information privacy laws. Prior to joining the University, Claire worked for over ten years as a heath law attorney in Buffalo, New York, most recently serving as in-house counsel for a large academic medical center.

Scott Malouf
Associate Counsel
Scott counsels on issues regarding procurement, contracts, purchase orders and vendor relationships. He is also focused on online issues such as collaborative tools, social media, and certain intellectual property, as well as technology issues more generally including software licenses and data privacy. Scott also provides legal support for the University’s research activities, including research collaborations, sponsored research and clinical trial agreements. He is an active member of the New York State Bar Association’s Commercial and Federal Litigation Section. Before joining the University Scott ran his own practice.

Michael Rooney
Associate Counsel
Michael advises the Medical Center and its regional affiliates with respect to a wide range of healthcare matters, including litigation, risk management, various patient care issues, compliance with federal and state healthcare statutes and regulations, healthcare policies, and other general legal issues that are presented to the Medical Center’s Office of Counsel. Prior to joining the University, Michael served as a law clerk to a U.S. District Judge and a U.S. Magistrate Judge and was a litigator in private practice.

James Shannon
Senior Counsel
James provides legal services and advice to the Medical Center and its regional affiliates on a variety of health law issues, including vendor contracting, compliance with federal and state fraud and abuse laws, physician employment and professional services agreements, physician practice acquisitions and other complex transactions, health information privacy laws, compliance with 340B Program requirements and other legal matters presented to the Medical Center’s Office of Counsel.

Spencer Studwell
Associate Vice President for Risk Management
As Associate Vice President for Risk Management, Spence has operational responsibility for healthcare risk management, professional and general liability claims management, and insurance and enterprise risk management for the University. He has in depth experience in the management and defense of medical malpractice litigation, medical professional liability insurance including captive insurance companies, response to regulatory investigations of hospitals and physicians, healthcare risk management, quality assurance, medical staff credentialing, patient safety and general health care law including medical staff issues, patient privacy (HIPAA), cyber security, patient's rights, and interactions with governmental regulatory agencies including the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Attorney General’s Office, the Office of Civil Rights, OSHA and the Joint Commission.

Laura Wilson
Senior Counsel
Laura advises the Medical Center regarding all non-malpractice patient care issues including patient/surrogate consent; advance directives; treatment of minors; patient discharge; withdrawal of treatment; rights and responsibilities of patients and their families; confidentiality and release of medical records; and the treatment of psychiatric patients. Laura oversees litigation regarding guardianships, patient treatment, and mental hygiene matters. Laura also drafts and reviews contracts and policies, and provides staff education regarding various topics. Laura serves on the Ethics Committees at both Strong and Highland Hospitals.

Mark R. Wright
Senior Counsel
Mark advises the University on all aspects of real estate, facilities and construction matters, including the preparation and negotiation of real estate leases, contracts for the acquisition and disposition of real estate, easements, access agreements and construction and design contracts, as well as construction disputes and land use issues. His practice also includes assisting with contracts and legal issues arising in connection with the University’s research activities, including research collaborations, sponsored research and clinical trial agreements. Mark also advises on various other contracting matters, including healthcare transactions and purchasing agreements.