Assistant General Counsel

Grand Valley State University; Allendale Charter Township (MI); On-site; USD 108,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

Tuition waiver

Wellness resources

Retirement contributions

Job summary

Grand Valley State University seeks an experienced generalist attorney within the Office of General Counsel to provide legal advice and representation to university leadership, administrators, and campus partners across a broad range of matters.

The role requires a JD, active Michigan Bar admission, and at least eight years of practice, with strong research and communication skills. You will advise on compliance, contracts, investigations, and risk management to advance the university's mission.

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school.
• Active license and good standing with the State Bar of Michigan or willingness to seek admission.
• Minimum of eight years of progressively responsible legal experience.
• Ability to provide practical legal advice to clients and communicate clearly to non-lawyers.
• Strong research, analytical, writing, and risk evaluation skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely, practical legal advice to university clients on a wide range of issues.
• Manage and resolve legal questions from university departments and GC office.
• Draft, edit, and review legal documents and correspondence.
• Represent the university in litigation, investigations, and administrative hearings as needed.
• Provide training on compliance, risk management, and policy development.
• Monitor and analyze state and federal legislation affecting the university.
• Suggest changes to policies to ensure compliance and risk mitigation.

Skills

Legal advice to clients

Risk assessment

Legal research

Written communications

Oral presentation

Interpersonal skills

Judgment and discretion

Education

Juris Doctor

State Bar of Michigan

Job description

This position serves as a generalist within the Office of General Counsel and provides legal advice and representation to university leadership, administrators, and other campus partners across a broad range of legal matters and related issues.

Salary & Benefits

Minimum starting salary of $120,000, commensurate with experience.

Comprehensive benefits package including medical, vision, dental, life insurance, generous employer retirement contributions, wellness resources and tuition waiver effective on date of hire.

This role requires a confident, client-facing attorney with demonstrated experience providing practical legal advice, exercising sound judgment, and communicating clearly with non-lawyer audiences. This position requires comfort handling varied and evolving issues, identifying legal risks, and recommending solutions aligned with the university's mission and legal and compliance requirements.

Primary Duties

1. 1. Provide timely, practical legal advice to university clients on a wide range of legal issues and support implementation of such guidance, as appropriate.
2. 2. Manage and resolve legal questions from both university departments and generated by the Office of the General Counsel, including by identifying issues, asking questions, researching applicable law, assessing risk, delivering appropriate guidance, and drafting and reviewing written materials and communications.
3. 3. Draft, edit, and review legal correspondence, responses to government agencies, opinions, contracts, agreements, background documents, litigation-related materials, and other legal or related documents as needed.
4. 4. Represent or oversee the representation of the university in litigation, investigations, and administrative hearings, as needed, including preparing university employees for such processes and coordinating with outside counsel, and support or conduct internal investigations.
5. 5. Provide direction and training to university departments on compliance, legal risk management, and institutional decision-making, including through conducting internal legal audits, developing and implementing systems and processes, and providing recommendations as necessary to ensure compliance with applicable requirements.
6. 6 Define, support, and take actions needed to comply with the law and advise on a range of issues with high legal sensitivity/risk
7. 7. Monitor and prepare comments, analysis, or proposed revisions on proposed, new, or existing federal and state legislation and regulation, as needed.
8. 8. Recommend changes to university policies and practices to comply with new or updated legal requirements, manage risk, or achieve university goals.
9. 9. Provide interpretations and analysis of existing university policies, and draft and coordinate potential policy revisions or new policies across different groups of university stakeholders to ensure legal compliance, consistency, and operational alignment.
10. 10. Represent the Office of General Counsel in internal and external meetings, including on university initiatives and committees, and in meetings with external stakeholders.
11. 11. Collaborate with other attorneys in the Office of General Counsel, ensuring consistent and legally sound guidance in alignment with university policy and mission and efficient delivery of legal services.
12. 12. Perform other duties as required/assigned by leadership.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school.
• Active license and good standing with the State Bar of Michigan or member in good standing of another Bar Association and willingness to seek admission to Michigan Bar Association.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible legal experience, with substantial experience in the active practice of law.
• Demonstrated experience confidently providing legal advice directly to clients.
• Strong legal research, analytical, writing, risk evaluation, and oral presentation skills.
• Ability to communicate complex legal concepts clearly and concisely to non-lawyers.
• Demonstrated professional judgment, discretion, and ability to manage sensitive matters and protect confidential information.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including an ability to develop and maintain professional and collegial relationships with students, colleagues, administrators, vendors, government officials, outside counsel, etc.
• Commitment to respectful engagement and professional integrity in a public university environment.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Experience advising public sector, higher education, or similarly complex organizations.

• Exposure to a broad range of practice areas consistent with a generalist role, such as: employment and labor matters; civil rights or discrimination issues; student affairs and conduct matters; contracts and transactional review; litigation management; regulatory compliance, policy development and compliance; investigations and risk management; First Amendment or expressive activity;