Michael Guanzon is a partner in the firm’s Business Law, Municipal Governance, Commercial Real Estate Development and Health Care practice groups. He is an experienced business and commercial transaction attorney with a significant background in health law and regulatory matters. Mr. Guanzon currently serves as general counsel to a regional industrial facility authority and an economic development authority. On a regular basis, he serves as special counsel to two industrial development authorities. Mr. Guanzon has represented a variety of clients including municipalities, local government agencies, private and public companies, and acute-care hospitals. In his business practice he advises on general corporate, regulatory and securities matters; complex commercial transactions; mergers and acquisitions; commercial real estate matters; financing, negotiations and contracting; procurement; and board of director matters.
His health law experience includes Stark law, anti-kickback and HIPAA matters; medical practice acquisitions; employment issues; contract review and negotiations; medical staff credentialing; professional licensure; informed consent and human research institutional review boards; regulatory compliance; and Medicare billing matters. Mr. Guanzon has served as general counsel to health systems, hospitals, hospital medical staffs, assisted living facilities, a nursing school, an imaging center, multi-specialty physician practices, a free clinic, medical billing companies, a regional community services board, a Virginia medical association and a health foundation.
Mr. Guanzon has held various senior leadership positions in statewide bar associations. He served on the Executive Committee of Bar Council of the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Bar Association Board of Governors, and the Board of Directors of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Virginia. He currently serves on the Board of Managers (Directors) of the University of Virginia Alumni Association.
PRACTICE AREAS
Commercial and Real Estate Lending
Corporate Law
Health Care
Municipal Governance and Public Sector
Real Estate Development and Finance
ADMISSIONS
Virginia
North Carolina
District of Columbia
Representative Corporate Matters
• Advise on legal considerations relevant to structuring transactions, to assessing and managing risk and transactional costs, and to negotiating contracts based on client goals and risk tolerances
• Advise and assist with corporate succession planning
• Negotiate and manage buyouts of shareholders, LLC and joint venture members
• Provide post-merger and post-business acquisition integration planning and strategy
• Negotiate national chain, shopping center and mall leases, purchase and sale agreements and franchise agreements, and various procurement contracts
Representative Public Sector Matters
• Participate in governmental client’s board meetings and executive staff planning meetings; prepare resolutions and contracts; advise on Freedom of Information requests and compliance with open meeting, procurement and conflict-of-interest laws; provide counsel in closed session meetings; and monitor and enhance bylaws and other organizational documents
• Counsel on economic development, finance, contract, tax credit and employment issues
• Negotiate and draft complex real estate development agreement among multiple municipalities for the formation of a new governmental regional industrial facility authority
• Represent a regional industrial facility authority in multi-phase acquisition, bond and grant financing, and continuing development of 3,500-contiguous acre industrial park
• Manage procurement contracts and RFPs
Representative Health Law Matters
• Advise on operational, transactional, compliance, risk management and medical practice management issues
• Represent acute care, tax-exempt hospital with acquisition structure, lease and employment arrangement with large physician group that included potential Medicare regulation liabilities
• Represent health care facilities and providers on medical staff bylaws and physician discipline
• Represent health care facilities and providers with state Board of Medicine hearings and appeals, and National Practitioner Data Bank matters
University of Richmond School of Law, J.D., 1995
University of Virginia, B.A., 1991
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Virginia State Bar
• Education of Lawyers Section, Board of Governors, 2012-2018
• Bar Council Executive Committee, 2007-2009
• Bar Council, 2003-2009
Virginia Bar Association
• Law Practice Management Division, Council, 2012-present; Chair, 2023-present
• Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, 2022-present
• Board of Governors, 2023-present, 2009-2012
• Health Law Council, 2009-present
• Nominations to Virginia Commissions & Appellate Courts, Committee Member, 2013-2014
Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Virginia
• Board of Directors, 2007-present
National Filipino American Lawyers Association
• Member
American Bar Foundation
• Fellow, Virginia Chapter, Class of 2013
American Health Law Association
• Member
Virginia Law Foundation
• Fellow, Class of 2016
North Carolina State Bar
District of Columbia Bar
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
University of Virginia Alumni Association
• Board of Managers, 2021-present
UVA Club of Southern Virginia
• President, 2016-2019
Martindale-Hubbell
• AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated
Virginia Super Lawyers
• Business/Corporate, 2013-2023
Legal Elite (Virginia Business)
• Business Law, 2009, 2011-2015, 2017, 2019-2022
• Health Law, 2003, 2006-2008, 2010, 2016
• Young Lawyers, 2004-2005
Virginia Rising Stars
• Health Law, 2007-2010
SELECT PUBLICATIONS
• Author, “Law Practice Musings: Keeping Up with the Joneses During Post-Pandemic Recovery?," VBA Journal, Fall 2023
• Co-author, “Law Practice Musings: Top 10 DEI Tips from Two Asian-American Partners,” VBA Journal, Fall 2022
• “Health Care Law,” Annual Survey of Virginia Law, 41 U. Rich. L. Rev. 179 (2006)
SELECT PRESENTATIONS
• Panelist, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion," Virginia Bar Association Practice Management Advisor Live Chat, 2022
• Panelist, “DEI Done Right," 132nd Summer Meeting of the Virginia Bar Association, 2022
• Co-presenter, “The Changing Laws of Virtual Treatment,” Virginia Bar Association’s Health Care Practitioners’ Roundtable, 2020
• Co-presenter, “HCQIA Changes and the Hospital-Physician Discipline Process,” Virginia Bar Association’s Health Care Practitioners’ Roundtable, 2019
• Presenter, “Federal Tort Reform: Cautionary Tale of HIPAA’s Implementation,” Foundation of Southwest Virginia Association of Philippine Physicians Conference, 2018
• Co-presenter, “Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood … And I Took the Third Route: The Intersection of Law, Health Care and Ethics,” Virginia Bar Association’s Health Care Practitioners’ Roundtable, 2016
• Co-presenter, “How Virginia Physicians Make Money Now and Under Health Care Reform: Challenges and Opportunities,” 122nd Meeting of the Virginia Bar Association, 2012
• Co-presenter, “Disruptive Practitioners and the New 2009 Joint Commission Standards,” Health Care Compliance Association’s Quality of Care Compliance Conference, 2009