Associate General Counsel (Transactional)

VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 191,000 - 212,000; Full time

Job summary

Villanova University seeks an experienced Associate General Counsel (Transactional) to handle a broad range of university legal affairs and to draft and negotiate complex contracts. The role collaborates with Risk Management and Information Security and oversees compliance across multiple offices.

The position requires a law degree, bar admission, and at least 10 years of transactional experience, ideally within higher education or nonprofit settings, with strong written and oral communication

Qualifications

• 10+ years of legal practice with significant experience in complex transactional matters and intellectual property.
• Preferred experience in nonprofit higher education settings.

Responsibilities

• Provides general legal services and day-to-day advice to principal officers of administration.
• Drafts, reviews and negotiates complex commercial contracts involving a wide range of university operations.
• Collaborates with Risk Management and Information Security in contract review processes.
• Oversees compliance initiatives and annual filings with government agencies.
• Performs other duties and assists with special projects as assigned.

Skills

Contract drafting

Contract negotiation

Legal research

Oral and written communication

Analytical reasoning

Academic environment interaction

Education

J.D./LL.B.

Tools

Microsoft Word

Job description

Associate General Counsel (Transactional)

Posting Details (Default Section) Posting Number: 20260458S Position Title: Associate General Counsel (Transactional) Position Type: Staff Location: Villanova, PA Recruitment Type: Internal/External Applicants Work Schedule: full-time/12-months Avg Hours Week Department: 705-VP and General Counsel Position Summary: The Associate General Counsel is an officer of administration who assists in handling all University legal affairs under the direction of the Vice President and General Counsel.

Villanova is a Catholic university sponsored by the Augustinian Order. The University is an equal opportunity employer and seeks candidates who understand, respect and can contribute to the University’s mission and values.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides general legal services and day-to-day advice to principal officers of administration.
• Drafts, reviews and negotiates complex commercial contracts involving a wide range of business operations. Also drafts and reviews contracts such as student life, athletics, purchasing, research, sales or services agreements, licenses, settlement agreements, and releases.
• Works directly with the Office of Risk Management, the Office of Information Security, and other relevant partners in the internal contract review process.
• Oversees legal compliance efforts in several areas. Ensures appropriate annual filings with governmental agencies (i.e. FCC , PLCB , PA DOE ).
• Assists in formulating and implementing institutional strategies for avoiding future legal problems. Provides training to personnel as appropriate.
• Serves on University committees as assigned by the Vice President and General Counsel.
• Performs additional duties and assists with special projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Formal Education:

• Graduation from accredited college or university; graduation from accredited law school with a LL.B./J.D. degree. Must be admitted and in good standing in Pennsylvania or other state bar or admission to the Pennsylvania bar required within one year of appointment.

Specific Job Knowledge:

• Knowledge of major areas of the general practice of law.

Work Experience:

• 10+ years legal practice. Significant experience and expertise in complex transactional matters, intellectual property.

Work Skills:

• Demonstrated capacity for drafting and negotiating commercial contracts, legal research, analysis and reasoning, superior oral and written communication skills. Must have ability to identify and resolve complicated and sensitive problems creatively and with professional discretion and an ability to interact and function effectively in an academic community.

Equipment Knowledge:

• General knowledge of word processing equipment.

Working Conditions/Environment:

• Sitting for extended periods of time and occasional lifting of legal file boxes.

Preferred Qualifications:

Specific Job Knowledge:

• Knowledge of major areas of the general practice of law preferably in a nonprofit higher education setting.

Physical Requirements and/or Unusual Work Hours:

Special Message to Applicants:

Posting Date: 10/08/2026 Closing Date (11:59pm ET):

Salary Posting Information: This position falls within salaried grade 21 and the range is $191,000-$212,300. The final salary will be determined with consideration of several factors including the selected candidate’s qualifications, department budget availability, market data, and internal equity. Salary Grade: 21 Job Classification: exempt

References Needed

Minimum Number of References Needed 3 Maximum Number of References Needed 3

Supplemental Questions

* How did you first hear of this employment opportunity?

• Indeed.com
• Higheredjobs.com
• LinkedIn
• Glassdoor
• Chronicle Vitae
• Academic Keys
• PA CareerLink/JobGateway
• Professional Affiliation/Trade Website
• Diversity Association/Publication Website
• Advertisement in Academic or Professional Publication
• Referred by a current employee
• Referred by a friend, family member, or former employee
• Heard about it at a conference or career fair
• Browsing the Villanova website
• Cabrini University employee
• Other

* If your answer to the above question is "Other", please specify the source below. If this question does not apply to you, enter N/A.

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