Gabriela Sanchez

Gabi Sanchez co-leads Ballard Spahr’s Senior Living and Long-Term Care Group. Her practice focuses on the legal and operational challenges facing long-term care, senior housing, and home health and hospice providers. She advises clients on compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, regulatory matters, and risk management, with a focus on helping providers avoid, mitigate, and resolve problems.

Gabi counsels facilities on insurance payment disputes and recoupment issues. She also drafts admission agreements, resident handbooks, and related facility policies, and provides training on those documents. Her work includes advising on risk management strategies and defending clients in agency actions and investigations involving federal and state civil monetary penalties, survey deficiencies, abuse complaints, conditions imposed on licenses, and the denial, non-renewal, or revocation of licenses.

Gabi frequently presents to industry organizations and professionals. She chairs the American Health Lawyers Association’s Post-Acute and Long Term Services Practice Group. She is also a board member of the Oregon Health Care Association and serves on its Legal Committee. Her experience includes service on the board of a continuing care retirement community.

Multinational Senior Living, Health Care, and Residential Community Provider
Provide general counsel services to a large national senior living, health care and residential community provider.

Single-Facility Provider
Counsel client on business, regulatory, and resident matters.

National Owner and Operator of Senior Living Communities
Assisted a long-term care provider in successfully resolving a complex case involving license revocation and replacement of management companies. The matter involved defending the client in an Oregon Department of Justice Uniform Trade Practices Act investigation, resolving related elder abuse litigation, and sale of facilities.

Independent Health Care Providers
Drafted admission documents for all types of providers, including adult foster homes, assisted living, residential care, and skilled nursing facilities.

Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living, Home Health, Hospice, and Home Care Service Providers
Successfully represented multiple providers in complex resident transfer cases involving resident behavioral and/or payment issues.

National Senior Living Health Care Provider
Recovered millions of dollars owed to providers from residents, Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial and government related insurance companies. Single-Facility Providers Provide effective risk management strategies involving contentious resident issues.

Regional Long-Term Care Providers
Provide risk management strategies and regulatory advice related to abuse complaints, including sexual abuse.

Large Senior Living Provider
Assist a large senior living provider with incorporating nurse practitioners into its practice, including analyzing corporate practice of medicine issues in four different states.

• University of Oregon School of Law (J.D.)
• The University of Texas at El Paso
  M.S. Candidate
  Biological Sciences
  BEST Graduate Fellow (1999-2000)
• The University of Texas at El Paso (B.S.)

• Oregon
• Washington
• U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

• The Best Lawyers in America, Elder Law, 2025-2027; Health Care Law, 2026, 2027
• Chambers USA, Healthcare (Oregon), 2026
• Thomson Reuters, "Oregon Super Lawyer," Health Care, 2021-2025
• Thomson Reuters, "Oregon Rising Star," Health Care, 2012-2014

• LeadingAge Legal Committee, 2020-present; Chair, 2024
• American Health Lawyers Association, Post-Acute and Long Term Services Practice Group, Chair, 2022-2024); Post-Acute and Long Term Services Practice Group, Vice-Chair, 2017-2022; Post-Acute and Long Term Services Practice Group Leadership Development Program, 2016-present
• Washington Health Care Association
• Oregon State Bar Association, Health Law Section; Debtor/Creditor Section, 2003-2012
• Oregon Hispanic Bar Association, Co-Chair, Board of Directors, Board Member, 2019-2020
• Washington State Bar Association, Health Law Section