DanielL.Tatum
Daniel L. Tatum is Of Counsel in Beard, Kultgen’s Healthcare section. He joined the firm in 2025 after 35 years of practice in large and small Texas firms, in-house practice with large physician groups and major hospital systems, and several years of solo practice. His law practice centers on healthcare regulatory, corporate, and transactional matters, and on general corporate representation in transactional and other business-related matters.
Mr. Tatum’s areas of expertise include representation of physicians and physician groups, hospitals, and other healthcare-related businesses in such matters as negotiation and resolution of reimbursement issues; negotiation of contracts relating to major healthcare equipment and services; merger and acquisition of medical practices and other provider entities; hospital/physician joint ventures; negotiation of physician services agreements for hospital systems and hospital districts; physician recruitment, employment, and contracting; analysis and counsel of hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare businesses on compliance with federal and state self-referral (Stark) and fraud and abuse statutes and regulations; set-up, administration, and acquisition of medical practice entities; counseling providers on impaired physician issues; and anti-trust issues relating to hospitals and healthcare providers.
Mr. Tatum also has extensive experience in formation and dissolution of corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and other business entities, business mergers and acquisitions, and representation of corporations and other entities in contract negotiation, regulatory matters, litigation, and other issues relating to start-up and mature business organizations.
Before entering private practice, Mr. Tatum served as a Briefing Attorney for the Honorable David O. Belew, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. He also has litigation experience in state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate levels. He is rated AV by Martindale Hubbell.
Areas of Practice
- Healthcare Law
- Contracts
- Transactions
- Compliance
Bar Admissions
- Texas, 1989
Education
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University of Houston Law Center
- J.D. - 1989
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Washington & Lee University
- B.A. - 1985
Memberships
Mr. Tatum is a member of the State Bar of Texas (Health Law Section), the Dallas County Bar Association (Health Law Section), and serves on the Board of the Texas Health Lawyers Association. He is a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, the Dallas County Bar Foundation, and is a former charter member of both the Tarrant County Bar Foundation and the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Texas, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Western Districts of Texas, and the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Publications And Speaking Appearances
Mr. Tatum regularly speaks and writes on a number of legal topics such as physician employment agreements, provider non-competes, medical record privacy and security, regulatory compliance, and formation of compliance programs. He speaks regularly on “The Basics of Physician Employment Agreements,” and has presented papers on the same topic to the Residency Programs at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and the University of North Texas Health Science Center. He has presented papers on “The Confidentiality of Medical Records” at Lorman Educational Services Seminars in Fort Worth, to the American Society of Risk Managers Annual Meeting, and the Plano Physician Group Administrators Conference. Mr. Tatum also speaks frequently on various topics in world and U.S. history.
Community Involvement
Mr. Tatum has served on the Medical/Legal Liaison Committee of the Tarrant County Bar Association, and served as Program Director and two terms as Treasurer of the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court. He has served on the boards of directors of the Fort Worth Opera, the West Side YMCA of Fort Worth, and the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation. He has also served on the Community Board of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital. Mr. Tatum also served on the Executive Committee of the Fort Worth Country Day School Board of Trustees, where he also chaired the board’s Program Committee. He has also been president of the Fort Worth Chapter of the Washington & Lee University Alumni Association and the Fort Worth Country Day Alumni Association. Since 2011, Mr. Tatum has been a volunteer adult literacy teacher with Literacy Instruction for Texas and Aspire to Learn.org. Since 2016, he has been a member of the Addison Rotary Club and has served in multiple positions on its Board of Directors. He is currently serving as Vice President. Since 2023, he has served on the Dallas Municipal Library Board by appointment of the Dallas City Council. He also volunteers regularly with The Dallas Cat Lady, a north Dallas cat rescue and adoption organization.