Carl Bergetz, JD

Chief legal officer for Rush University System for Health, and senior vice president of legal affairs and general counsel for Rush University Medical Center.

Chief legal officer for Rush University System for Health, and senior vice president of legal affairs and general counsel for Rush University Medical Center.

Carl Bergetz

Carl Bergetz serves as the chief legal officer and general counsel for RUSH. As the chief legal officer, Bergetz leads the Department of Corporate and Legal Affairs, which is comprised of the following divisions and offices: Office of Legal Affairs, Office of Risk and Claims Management, Office of Institutional Equity, Technology Transfer Office, Internal Audit, Corporate Compliance, Government and Public Affairs and the Board Secretary and Governance Office. As general counsel, Bergetz is ultimately responsible for the management and oversight of all legal services for RUSH, providing counsel on litigation and claims, risk, insurance programs, major transactions, government and regulatory issues, labor and employment law matters, higher education law and academic accreditation, clinical research, intellectual property and corporate law.

Bergetz also provides advice and counsel to the RUSH System Board of Directors concerning conflicts of interest, governance, and other legal matters to assist RUSH in complying with applicable regulatory and ethical standards.

Before being appointed to his current positions in July 2017, Bergetz served as RUSH’s vice president of legal affairs and deputy general counsel. He joined RUSH as associate general counsel in 2012.

Bergetz helped to form the new RUSH University System for Health and to streamline governance across RUSH. He also restructured RUSH’s Office of Risk and Claims Management, recruiting new personnel to improve capacity and enhance diversity. In addition, Bergetz restructured RUSH’s technology transfer processes and policies.

Before coming to RUSH, Bergetz worked in the Office of the Illinois Attorney General as assistant attorney general and chief of the Special Litigation Bureau. At the Office of the Attorney General, Bergetz served as co-counsel in People of the State of Illinois v. Blagojevich — an action in the Illinois Supreme Court to have the former governor removed – and provided advice to state officials during subsequent impeachment proceedings. While with the Attorney General, Bergetz also drafted and advocated for legislation including amendments to the Illinois False Claims Act in 2010 and 2012, and the Illinois Procurement Code, Grant Funds Recovery Act, and Ethics Act in 2009.

Bergetz began his legal career at McDermott, Will and Emery in 1996.

Bergetz teaches on health law and ethics and has authored numerous publications and presentations on law and policy, politics and popular culture.

Bergetz earned his juris doctor degree from University of Illinois College of Law, graduating magna cum laude, and was associate editor of the University of Illinois Law Review. He has a bachelor's degree from Stanford University, where he majored in economics and political science, and was a disc jockey on campus station KZSU