TITLE

Assistant General Counsel

JOB SUMMARY

Assists General Counsel in providing legal advice and counsel to the University. Incumbent has a support role in areas of actual and potential legal liability, including but not limited to, reviewing, and drafting contracts, advising on personnel matters, providing representation in internal administrative proceedings, interpreting federal and state laws and regulations, interpreting University policies, regulations, and rules, developing and drafting policies and procedures, and assisting in legal transactions. Work is performed under the administrative direction of the General Counsel with limited supervision and occasional general supervisory review. The performance evaluation is conducted through the performance evaluation system and in accordance with the University Policies & Procedures.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Reports to: General Counsel, Secretary to the Board of Regents, and Chief Compliance Officer

Supervises: No supervisory responsibility

ESSENTIAL DUTIES - May include, but not limited to the following:

• Provides legal advice and guidance regarding a variety of general higher education issues and business law matters. This includes, but is not limited to, employment law, finance, and transactional matters, sponsored research, intellectual property licensing and tech transfer, copyright and trademark, data privacy and security, export control, contract disputes, institutional compliance and regulatory matters, general risk management and insurance, and ethics and conflicts of interest.
• Provides legal advice and recommend courses of action to resolve legal, procedural, or administrative issues in compliance with all applicable legal standards.
• Keeps informed of emerging legal issues that may impact the University.
• Researches legal issues and provides written recommendations, memorandum, and opinions.
• Reviews legal documents as necessary.
• Assists with the development, preparation, and implementation of policies, by-laws, administrative procedures, and other guidelines.
• Assists the General Counsel in coordination of outside counsel matters, including building and maintaining relationships with outside counsel firms, outside counsel contracts, and billing for their services.
• Provides legal support related to discrimination complaints, grievance and appeal processes, and general faculty, staff, and student issues.
• Responds to Texas Public Information Act requests and provides legal guidance on such matters, including, but not limited to, exceptions to disclosure, redactions, and legal sufficiency review of correspondence to the Office of the Attorney General.

Contract Reviewer for Office of General Counsel

• Reviews, negotiates, drafts, and conducts legal sufficiency reviews consistent with the appropriate contract review process. Relevant contracts include, but are not limited to, clinical affiliation agreements, non-clinical academic agreements, and procurement contracts.
• Drafts and updates standard form agreements for TWU, including waivers and releases, as needed.
• Collaborates with the Legal Operations Coordinator, Procurement Department, and the Administrator of Academic Agreements in Academic Affairs to process contracts and agreements.
• Communicates with departments to explain legal consequences of contract terms and conditions, when appropriate.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES

• Performs other duties as requested.

EDUCATION

J.D. degree from an accredited law school required. Member, State Bar of Texas required or ability to become licensed within twelve (12) months from date of hire.

EXPERIENCE

Two years of progressively responsible legal and administrative experience required. In-house or higher education legal experience preferred.

REQUIREMENT

Regular and reliable attendance at the University during regular scheduled days and work hours is an essential function of this position.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES - The following are essential:

• Ability to provide very strong research, writing and communications skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective work relationships with students, faculty, staff, and the public.
• Ability to organize work effectively, conceptualize and prioritize objectives and exercise independent judgment based on an understanding of organizational policies and activities.
• Ability to integrate resources, policies, and information for the determination of procedures, solutions, and other outcomes.
• Knowledge of an experience in business contracts and lease drafting preferred
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Ability to comply with deadlines such as legal/legislative.
• Familiarity with education, corporate and government law.
• Ability to travel as required.
• Ability to use a personal computer and other office equipment, including university related software and email.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described in the Essential Duties and below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

The employee may be required to travel.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

All employees are responsible for maintaining an environment that is free from discrimination, intimidation, harassment, including sexual harassment. Work is normally performed in a typical interior work environment.

SAFETY

TWU promotes a safe working environment. Employees are responsible for completing assigned tasks safely and efficiently, and supervisors are responsible for creating and maintaining a safe work environment. Employees must report any unsafe work conditions or practices, as well as any near-miss incidents, to their supervisor and Risk Management. Supervisors and employees should ensure that injury/accident reports are submitted to the Office of Human Resources and Risk Management within 24 hours of the incident.