Vice President and General Counsel
Nicholas Wachinski has been involved in private sector government relations on a national scope for the last fifteen years. His experience began as a attorney/lobbyist in Pennsylvania working on insurance related and criminal justice issues.
In 2014, Nick became Executive Director for a national trade association specifically tailored to niche insurers, and then worked as an in-house executive for one of the association’s members. Through his career, Wachinski has been engaged in 40 state legislatures as well as the United States Congress. Most notably in Pennsylvania, Wachinski worked with other stakeholders in various broad-based coalitions to unanimously pass Act 16 of 2015, legislation that changed the manner in which suretyships are treated by the Courts. He also helped lead a coalition that secured unanimous passage Act 146 of 2022, landmark legislation which how prior authorization of health care services by insurers is handled. The law has become the national model for how other states will and should address prior authorization.
In addition to legislative matters, Nick has been involved in regulatory issues with agencies in other states. He has represented clients related to charter school regulations in Pennsylvania and insurance regulations in Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut overhauled, Virginia and Tennessee. He has worked closely with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department to further the interests of his clients in regulatory issues.
In addition to his legislative and regulatory work, Wachinski maintains an active legal practice where he not only provides services to clients in the Courts but also provides continuing legal education to magisterial district judges. He has been an instructor with the Minor Judiciary Education Board of the Pennsylvania Courts since 2011 and served as a member of the Minor Judiciary Education Board since 2017.
Whether working in the legislature, addressing a regulatory issue or providing guidance on administrative rule making issues, Nick provides quality service to his clients through his knowledge of the law and his ability to apply the necessary legal changes to conversations with policy makers.
Wachinski holds a B.S. in Business Administration (Economics and International Business) from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and was awarded his J.D. from the Widener University School of Law. He is currently admitted to practice before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.