Caroline J. Berdzik, a partner based in Goldberg Segalla’s Princeton office and a member of the firm’s most senior leadership, has been named to The National Law Journal’s 2021 list of Health Care/Life Sciences Trailblazers, which recognized her as an “agent of change.”

Caroline was recognized for leveraging her leadership experience as a former in-house counsel to one of New Jersey’s largest privately held long-term health care companies to lead Goldberg Segalla’s national Health Care, Employment and Labor, and Long-Term Care practices. She has blazed numerous trails throughout her career, including chairing the Defense Research Institute’s national conference on COVID-19 liability for senior care and long-term care providers. This led to her being honored with the organization’s Albert H. Parnell Outstanding Program Chair Award for innovative programming for in-house counsel and insurance companies. She also continues to develop COVID-19-related protocols, which has become a turning point for many health care providers.

“There was no blueprint,” Caroline said in an interview with the National Law Journal. “And there are a lot of moving pieces, with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services not providing much guidance. And we are currently putting together similar protocols for vaccination.”

Caroline also shared that she believes the COVID-19 pandemic will lead to continued facility closings, consolidations, and challenges for providers to secure insurance.

“We will see if the government will step up and provide more funding so that wages can increase for caregivers,” Caroline said. “It’s a highly regulated industry—more so than nuclear energy. And there are questions whether providers will be able to continue to deliver care and be viable going forward.”

MORE ABOUT GOLDBERG SEGALLA’S CAROLINE J. BERDZIK:

Caroline J. Berdzik, chair of the firm’s Employment and Labor, Health Care, and Long-Term Care groups, devotes her practice to helping businesses, organizations, and management navigate the panoply of employment law issues, from proactive counseling through alternative dispute resolution and trial. In June 2020 the firm’s equity partnership elected Caroline to serve on the firm’s five-person Facilitation Committee overseeing 400 attorneys across 21 offices in 10 states. She is also co-chair of the firm’s Women’s Initiative. She has earned numerous honors that recognize the value of her legal services and her dedication to the community, including her recognition as one of the “Best 50 Women in Business” by NJBIZ and her regular appearance among the rankings of top legal practitioners in New Jersey and the New York Metro area.