Garlo Ward, P.C.

- Individual Attorney Profiles
- Legal Practice Philosophy
- Mission Statement
- Performance Standards
- Garlo Ward, P.C. Staff

Garlo Ward is a law firm for health care providers. Our clients include long term care, retirement, home health care and assisted living providers, ICF-MRs, physicians and other health care providers. We focus exclusively on representing health care providers; we do not do anything else. We are equipped to address all of the legal concerns that arise in the course of owning and operating a health care business.

Based in Austin, Texas we represent providers in many states, including: Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Oklahoma and South Carolina.

Specifically we assist our clients with the following types of issues:

Regulatory and Governmental Matters
Litigation Defense
Labor & Employment
Transactional Services

Legal Practice Philosophy
We feel it is essential to provide each client with thoughtful and individualized advice that incorporates their changing needs, concerns and goals. We strive to address alternative dispute resolution, client education, risk management, and prevention of both the number and magnitude of future problems in every matter we handle. It is our goal not only to remedy a present matter in the least intrusive manner, but also to inform our clients and empower them to prevent or offset future legal intrusion. We work to demystify the legal and regulatory process for clients, and are very cognizant of their concerns about cost. We are mindful of the importance of clear and timely communication with clients about their legal needs, the various means available to resolve them, the ramifications of choosing a particular legal solution, and the progress of their cases.

For these reasons, we have chosen to practice in a small, uncomplicated, yet high-technology setting, fostering direct client to attorney contact. Our focus has earned us confirmed client loyalty though shared operational savings combined with the provision of efficient, skilled legal services. We strive to maintain long term, service-oriented client relationships.

Mission Statement
Garlo Ward will provide high-quality, individualized, value-added legal services in a cost-effective manner with integrity, honesty and loyalty.

We will educate our clients to make informed decisions thereby enabling them to confidently participate in their legal matters.

We will foster a synergistic team environment that encourages mutual respect for the diversity of strengths.

We will strive to minimize client and firm-related operating costs.

Through these efforts, we will assure continued success of the firm and excellence in client services.

Performance Standards
At Garlo Ward, P.C., we are a team. No one of us can make this business operate optimally on our own. Likewise, we must all acknowledge the tremendous contribution of each person to the operation of the business and, from that perspective, treat one another as equally important to the final outcome, no matter what role we play. We are each others' mirrors. When something is not working, we must first look to ourselves for the reason and to create the solution. Following are general performance standards expected of all individuals working in this organization.

"RULES OF THE GAME"

Alignment
(1) Be willing to support our purposes, rules, policies and goals.
Have the willingness to stay and work together to produce synergistic results (where the whole produced by the team is greater than the sum of individual efforts).

(2) Have the willingness to win yourself as well as allow others to win.
Never abandon a teammate in need. Do not let personal issues stand in the way of your assignments or tasks.

(3) Agree to agree, and commit to reach a resolution (which takes into account everyone's interests) rather than compromise (where someone must give up something).
If an upset occurs and lasts longer than 50 minutes, each party will consult with a neutral third party in an effort to determine what is blocking them from coming to resolution.

Responsibility
(4) Complete your assignments with your time agreements, thus demonstrating responsibility.

Make only agreements you will keep.
Communicate any potential broken agreement at the first appropriate opportunity.
Clear up any broken agreements at the first appropriate opportunity.

(5) Be responsible -- lay no blame or justification.
Be willing to acknowledge your responsibility in any situation.

Communication
(6) Speak supportively and with good purpose.
Speak in a supportive manner, always being willing to compassionately tell the truth without the necessity of making anyone "wrong" or "right" and to communicate any concerns you have directly to the person involved rather than others.

(7) Acknowledge whatever is being communicated as true for the speaker at that time, honoring their perspective.

(8) When in doubt, clarify your communications and verify the response.
Hold the person "innocent" until proven "guilty."

(9) Whenever possible, honor the importance of another's work and time by putting communications in writing, unless it is something urgent where disrupting them may be necessary.

Operations
(10) If a problem arises, first look to the system for corrections and then communicate your solution to the person who can do something about it. Be willing to do whatever it takes to support any and all team members.

(11) Be effective and efficient.
Optimize every event … do more with less at every opportunity ... add value whenever possible.

(12) Focus on what works.
Ask "what's missing?" not "what's wrong?" Play win/win –– not win/lose. Get off what is clearly not working.