Jeffrey Dunn

Jeff is an Equity Shareholder of Sandberg Phoenix, a member of the firm’s three-person Executive Committee and former leader of the firm’s Health Care Services practice group. In all of these roles, Jeff has helped lead the firm’s growth to nearly 350 employees and 200 lawyers while building Sandberg Phoenix’s industry-leading culture. Sandberg Phoenix has been named a St. Louis Business Journal’s Best Places to Work finalist each of the six years since Jeff was elected to the Executive Committee.

Jeff’s practice is focused on providing practical business and risk mitigation solutions to the healthcare industry.

The ever-changing healthcare regulatory and business environment creates both risk and opportunity. Jeff’s healthcare clients seek his leadership, advice, and judgment to successfully navigate uncertain waters. Beginning in law school, when he was elected president of the Health Law Society and continuing throughout his 25 years of legal practice, Jeff has focused on serving the needs of the healthcare industry.

Jeff is looked to as a healthcare industry leader, having led Lutheran Senior Services as Chairman of the Board from 2019-2023 and serving as the Extramural Executive Liaison to the Center for Innovation in Neurotechnology, a division of the Department of Neurology for the Washington University School of Medicine since 2022. In that role he has worked with faculty and entrepreneurs to start up two early stage Neurotechnology companies: Aurenar, Inc. and Inflexion Vascular, LLC.

Health Care 
Throughout his career, Jeff has represented a wide range of health care clients including hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, life plan communities, surgical centers, medical laboratories, physician groups, regenerative medical providers, mid-level providers and allied health professionals.

A substantial portion of his practice concentrates on providing solutions and litigation support for the firm’s healthcare clients. Jeff has successfully defended hundreds of nursing home matters in litigation in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and New Mexico and has appeared before the Illinois Department of Public Health and Missouri Department of Senior Services representing clients in administrative hearings. He has authored comprehensive admission agreements for multi-state skilled care providers and an article on the Illinois Supreme Court’s lifting of restrictions on the filing of lawsuits under the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act. He has also served as National Coordinating Counsel for a multi-state long-term care provider.

Litigation
Jeff is actively involved in all aspects of litigation from investigation through trial. He has represented clients in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa state court, as well as federal court in Missouri and Illinois. He has represented clients in mediations, arbitrations and state and Federal administrative hearings.

Since joining Sandberg Phoenix in 2001, Jeff has represented numerous consumer product manufacturers in state and federal litigation, focusing on consumer product liability and fire related suits. He has also represented product manufacturers in claims involving factories, dust explosions, television line cords, surge suppressors, extension cords, power saws, premises liability and benzene.
Jeff has served as national counsel for a consumer product manufacturer  , overseeing and managing their litigation across North America.

Business
A portion of Jeff’s practice is dedicated to managing risk and providing advice for his corporate and healthcare clients. Jeff provides consulting advice, business plan counseling, strategic planning and risk mitigation.

Core Values Initiative
In 2013, Jeff started the Sandberg Phoenix Core Values Initiative. The campaign codifies and celebrates the six core values that make Sandberg Phoenix’s culture so great. By weaving our core values into every aspect of what we do, our members are constantly reminded of what is truly important. It all begins with Core Value #1: We Put People First.

Through the program, Sandberg Phoenix awards Monthly “Values Champions”, builds training programs and outlines recruiting objectives to ensure Sandberg only hires new team members who live our values.

Since implementing the Core Values Initiative, Jeff has written articles and spoken nationally about company culture and core values.  His article for the Network of Trial Law Firms on the importance of developing company culture can be viewed here, The Lead Domino: The Exponential Impact of Improving Company Culture.

You can learn more about the initiative and Sandberg Phoenix’s Core Values, the Sandberg Phoenix Firm Culture Initiative and our Values Champions here.