WJA 2023: Jamie Allen

Vice President & General Counsel, Saint Luke’s Health System

Jamie Allen started contemplating becoming an attorney earlier than most people.

In third grade, her teacher told her, “You would be a great attorney because you are extremely analytical,” recalled Allen, who is now vice president and general counsel of Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City.

She ultimately decided to study law, she said, because she saw an opportunity to help others and “enjoyed history, enjoyed reading case law and just really enjoyed studying the law.”

After graduating from Loyola Law School, Allen entered private practice and handled medical negligence cases and commercial transactions and insurance solvency, among other work.

After four years, she joined General Electric as in-house counsel.

“Being in house, you really feel like you’re a part of a team and really a part of seeing the big picture,” Allen said. “One of my favorite parts about in-house is sitting at a table with everyone who’s not a lawyer and hearing from [human resources], hearing from finance folks, hearing from the CEO. It really makes for a rich discussion.”

In 2013, she joined Saint Luke’s. As a member of the executive leadership team, she handles board governance and transactions and provides legal advice to hospital leaders and oversight and counsel to the medical staff.

As part of a faith-based, nonprofit health system, the hospital is “very mission driven,” Allen said. “It all goes back to patient safety and delivering the highest level of care to the patient, and it’s nice because in my role, I am able to be a part of that process.”

The attorney said she also appreciates the opportunity to work with the hospital’s female leaders, including its chief executive officer, chief operating officer and chief financial officer.

“There’s probably a time when we didn’t see women in such prominent leadership roles, and they are amazing and dynamic and very smart,” Allen said.

Lastly, she said she enjoys helping young attorneys learn how to navigate a large corporate environment and “manage competing priorities.”

“I have had the chance to closely mentor a couple [attorneys] over the years and really see the development and see them go on and do some great things,” she said. “That’s a proud moment.”