Joe R. Ourth

Partner

Mr. Ourth is a Partner at Arnstein & Lehr LLP, where his practice focuses on health care, legislative and administrative advocacy, and public finance. Mr. Ourth has planned and implemented state government relations and legislative programs for numerous clients. He has successfully worked to pass, defeat and amend numerous legislative initiatives. He represents clients before various state agencies and clients doing business with the state on procurement and contracting issues. He represents hospitals, academic medical centers, health care systems, long term care facilities and other health care providers on state regulatory, Medicaid, contracting, and insurance issues, with a particular emphasis on certificate of need. He has successfully represented hospitals and other facilities on well over $2 billion of certificate of need projects over the last 20 years. Mr. Ourth has also advised numerous public bodies and municipalities on governmental law and regulatory issues. His public finance experience spans his entire career, during which time he has served as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, issuer’s counsel, and credit enhancer’s counsel on numerous tax-exempt financings. Mr. Ourth formerly served as Director of the Illinois House of Representatives Appropriations Staff.

Professional Activities and Achievements

Mr. Ourth has been selected as one of the Leading Lawyers in Illinois in the areas of Government, Municipal, Lobbying and Administrative Law. He is a member of the Illinois Association of Health Care Attorneys and served as Vice-Chairman of the Illinois State Treasurer’s Board of Ethics.

Recent Publications and Lectures

Mr. Ourth is the co-author of “Federal Campaign Financial Disclosure,” appearing in the Election Law text published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. He also authored “The Illinois Amendatory Veto: Defining and Enforcing the Limits, published in the University of Illinois Law Review.

Education

University of Illinois College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif); Editor-in-Chief of the University of Illinois Law Review
Graceland College (B.A., Valedictorian)
The National Law Journal listed Mr. Ourth as one of the top 25 legal graduates in the country in 1988.

Bar admissions

State of Illinois