Christopher M. Locke

“Navigating complex health care transactions requires a multidimensional approach. By combining my legal experience and business acumen, I anticipate challenges and drive effective, results-oriented solutions throughout a transaction’s life cycle.” —Christopher M. Locke

Professional practices, hospital systems, ambulatory surgery centers, and private-equity-backed entities turn to Chris Locke when health care transactions carry regulatory complexity and strategic significance.

He guides clients through partnerships, purchases, sales, joint ventures, and other transactions, bringing decades of experience across practice specialties, regulatory frameworks, and deal structures. Clients rely on him to cut through complex deal terms and deliver the kind of business insight they expect from a trusted adviser—not just legal counsel.

Chris regularly works on deals involving partnerships between professional practices—including nephrology, gastroenterology, urology, concierge medicine, anesthesia, emergency department staffing, and other specialty practices—and private equity-backed management entities (with experience representing both sides of the transaction). Beyond private equity transactions, Chris advises hospital systems on acquisitions, joint ventures, and other arrangements with professional practices, academic medical centers, and other hospital systems. He also counsels telehealth entities—particularly in behavioral health—on regulatory and structural compliance as they expand across state lines.

Many health care clients rely on Chris to serve as outside general counsel, benefiting from his broad industry knowledge and ability to advise management and boards of directors on matters ranging from corporate governance to employment issues.

What Chris Delivers for Clients

• Clarity in Complex Health Care Transactions: Chris translates deal terms into business language that resonates with practice leaders, management teams, and boards, helping clients understand not just what they're signing but why specific provisions matter to their strategic goals and operational reality.
• Dual-Perspective Insight: His experience representing both professional practices and private equity-backed management entities in partnership transactions gives clients visibility into the other side's priorities, strengthening their negotiating position and enabling more efficient deal execution. Similarly, his experience representing both hospital systems and professional practices enables him to help his clients understand the opposing side’s goals and issues, leading to more efficient and effective outcomes in their transactions.
• Regulatory Navigation Across Jurisdictions: Clients expanding across state lines benefit from Chris's knowledge of varying regulatory frameworks, particularly in telehealth and behavioral health, where compliance requirements shift significantly from state to state.
• Outside General Counsel Partnership: Serving as outside general counsel to health care organizations, Chris functions as an embedded strategic resource—providing day-to-day guidance on governance, compliance, and operational issues so that legal strategy advances, rather than slows, business priorities.

Private Equity-Backed Practice Partnerships

• Represented a national private equity fund-backed management entity in its partnership with nephrology practices in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
• Represented multiple ear, nose, and throat practices in Michigan with respect to a partnership with a private equity fund-backed management entity.
• Advised a national private equity fund-backed management entity on its partnership with concierge medicine practices in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Virginia.
• Advised a national private equity fund-backed management entity on its partnership with urology practices in New Mexico and Virginia.
• Guided a national anesthesia private equity fund-backed management entity through its partnership with numerous anesthesia practices and management companies in a variety of states.
• Counseled gastroenterology practices in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Tennessee on partnerships with private equity fund-backed management entities.
• Advised urology practices in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, and Tennessee on partnerships with private equity fund-backed management entities.
• Represented emergency department staffing practices in Illinois and North Carolina in partnerships with a private equity fund-backed management entity.
• Guided an ear, nose, and throat practice in Texas through a partnership with a private equity fund-backed management entity.
• Counseled an ophthalmology practice in Florida on a partnership with a private equity fund-backed management entity.
• Advised a radiology practice in the U.S. Virgin Islands on a partnership with a private equity fund-backed radiology practice.

Health Care Facility Transactions

• Represented an ambulatory surgical center in Maryland and its owners in the sale of 60 percent of its outstanding equity to a national management company and the subsequent repurchase of the facility.

Hospital System Transactions

• Advised a national hospital system on a joint venture with a university medical center with respect to a rehabilitation hospital in New Mexico.
• Represented a national hospital system in the acquisition of assets and assumption of operations of a rural hospital in Oklahoma.
• Represented a national hospital system in a professional services agreement with a physician practice in Georgia.

Telehealth and Regulatory Compliance

• Counseled numerous behavioral health telehealth providers and associated management companies on the formation and expansion across state lines, as well as on regulatory and structural issues.

• The Best Lawyers in America^©: Health Care Law (2026)
• The Legal 500 United States: Recommended Attorney (2017)

Education

• New York University School of Law (J.D., 1996)
• Brandeis University (B.A., cum laude, 1993)