William R. Kucera

William R. Kucera Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Health Law

William R. Kucera (JD’68) made his mark in health care law in its infancy when there were not many regulations in place. AS a tribute to Kucera’s trailblazing career, and in honor of their shared belief in education, Kucera’s wife Barbara established The William R. Kucera Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Health Law at DePaul University. Kucera liked to say, “a lawyer’s job is to solve problems, not make problems.” What better way to honor Kucera than to help support the education of future lawyers in health care law.

When he began practicing, Kucera started out in corporate law before transitioning to the specialty of health care law. At that time health law was still in its developing stages, and there were many legal questions about medical law that needed to be addressed. Kucera was soon tapped to help revise nonprofit bylaws for hospitals. He practiced law for 20 years at two firms in Chicago – Hinshaw & Culbertson and Katten, Muchin & Zavis. After leaving Hinshaw & Culbertson, Kucera became a senior partner at Katten, Muchin, & Zavis where he established the health care law department and served as chairman.

As health care law became more prominent, so did Kucera’s reputation as a pioneer and specialist in this field. Kucera significantly contributed to the growth of health care law and invested his time in educating future lawyers. He represented hospital medical staff, worked on bond issues and expansions for hospitals, was an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and lectured on public policy in health care law at the University of Chicago. Not only did Kucera publish many articles on healthcare law, but he also spoke at several symposiums on the matter as well. He was on the board of directors at the Illinois Association of Hospital Attorneys, and he was an active member of the American Academy of Hospital Attorneys and the National Health Lawyers Association. Kucera helped establish the charters for the American Academy of Orthopedics Mercy Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Chicago Botanic Garden.

Before he made his mark in the health law field, Kucera was one of seven children raised in Brookfield, Illinois. During his primary years of education, he attended a Jesuit boarding school followed by Fenwick High school. He then went to Marquette University where he met his college sweetheart and future wife Barbara Kucera. After graduating from Marquette, Kucera decided to go to law school. Because of family roots in Chicago, and the prestige of DePaul’s name, Kucera made the choice to attend the university for his legal studies. He graduated cum laude from DePaul with his law degree in 1968, which began his legal journey and career. In 1989, Kucera passed away leaving a void in the field of healthcare law.