Sydney N. Pahren

Sydney is an associate in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the health care group.  She focuses her practice on health care law including, transactional, regulatory and compliance matters.  Sydney has significant experience counseling clients on fraud and abuse issues, federal and state anti-kickback statutes, administrative appeals before government agencies, preparing for and responding to payor audits for Medicaid and Medicare, and privacy matters such as HIPAA compliance.  Additionally, she counsels clients in the cannabis and medical marijuana industry.

Sydney has considerable experience representing behavioral health providers and long-term care providers—including nursing homes, assisted living facilities and in-home providers—as well as counseling physicians on compliance matters.

Sydney has extensive experience in preparing employment agreements and negotiating and preparing transaction documents. 

Career highlights include:

• Representing a multi-facility nursing home in an asset purchase transaction, including preparation and negotiation of definitive transaction documents, as well as conducting full legal due diligence and overall transaction management.
• Representing assisted living facilities in membership interest and asset purchase transactions.
• Assisting health care providers with enrollment, licensure and certification issues.
• Assisting health care clients with Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement issues and preparing for and responding to payor audits.

Sydney has presented on a number of topics, including elder care law, long-term care provider case law and OIG settlements, HIPAA compliance for assisted living facilities and medical marijuana in assisted living facilities.

She received her J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and was an articles editor for the Ohio State Law Journal.  Sydney also was on the executive board of the Black Law Students Association.  Sydney received her B.A. in political science with a double minor in public policy and economics from Case Western Reserve University.

Honors & Recognitions

The National Black Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40 in Ohio, 2024

Professional & Community Activities

John Mercer Langston Bar Association, President, 2023-2024

Columbus Bar Association, Board of Governors, Member, 2024-2025

Columbus Bar Association, Health Law Committee, Chair, 2022-2024

Ohio Women’s Bar Foundation, Leadership Institute, 2022-2023

Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Pathfinder, 2022

Law and Leadership Institute, Diversity in Leadership Advisory Council, 2019-2020