General Counsel

Tuskegee University; Tuskegee (AL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Tuskegee University is seeking a General Counsel to lead its legal and government affairs department. This role involves providing strategic legal counsel and ensuring compliance with laws while supporting the University's goals.

The ideal candidate will have at least ten years of relevant experience and a license to practice law in Alabama. Responsibilities include managing contracts, litigation, and representing the university in legal matters.

Qualifications

• Ten (10) years of relevant experience in a legal-counsel role.
• Experience in higher education preferred.
• License to practice law in Alabama is required.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice and counsel on university matters.
• Manage the legal department and ensure compliance with laws.
• Represent the University with government officials.

Skills

Critical thinking

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

Active license to practice law; Alabama licensure

Higher education experience preferred

Job description

General Counsel

Status: Full Time

The General Counsel will lead the legal and government affairs department and manage all government affairs for Tuskegee University. As a trusted advisor and business partner, the General Counsel collaborates with senior leadership to provide strategic legal counsel ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations while mitigating risk and supporting the University’s vision, mission, and strategic goals. In addition to working with internal stakeholders (faculty, staff, students, Board of Trustees), the General Counsel may represent the University with local, state and national government officials and the public. This position will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice and counsel on university matters including:
• Governance, compliance, and risk management
• Employment law and labor relations
• Contracts and commercial transactions
• Litigation and dispute resolution
• Data privacy and cybersecurity
• Academic affairs including student and faculty matters
• Communicates with key stakeholders through periodic updates on active, pending, and potential litigation
• Reviews, researches, interprets, and prepares both written and oral opinions on a wide variety of legal issues for the organization
• Manages the legal department including but not limited to contract administration, timely and accurate counsel to leadership and respective departments, ongoing legal projects, litigation management and external counsel and legal compliance
• Ensures the University is in compliance with Federal, State, and other external agencies rules and regulations, including but not limited to adherence with Title IX, Clery Act, Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA) and Campus SaVE regulations, as defined by the Department of Education and other designated agencies
• Assists the compliance department ensuring compliance practices are followed. This includes oversight of the university’s whistleblower hotline and Enterprise Risk Management program
• Reviews legal team’s correspondence, memoranda, notes, reports, pleadings, subpoenas, affidavits, legal briefs, and other documents in compliance with organization policies and procedures and administrative agency, Federal, State, and local court requirements
• Selects and retains outside counsel to obtain legal opinions or to manage claims and litigation
• Reviews and counsels leadership including Board of Trustees on policies and procedures, regulations, bylaws, and other legal documents
• Oversees and engages, when necessary, in discovery and document review, fact investigation and research
• Represents or oversees the representation of the organization in judicial and administrative proceedings
• Stays informed of and navigates evolving legal landscape and regulations related to higher education
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Ten (10) years of relevant experience in a legal‑counsel role
• Higher education experience preferred
• Active license to practice law; Alabama licensure is required

Physical Demands

• Prolonged sitting or standing
• Stooping, bending, and reaching
• Reaching by extending hands or arms in any direction
• Ability to operate standard office equipment
• Ability to walk short distances
• Ability to view a computer terminal; extensive reading

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Knowledge of:
  • Developing new insights into situations; questioning conventional approaches; encouraging new ideas and innovations; designing and implementing new or innovative programs and processes
  • Preparation and processing requirements of legal pleadings and documents in accordance with State and Federal rules
• Skills:
  • Superior critical thinking, analytical, independent judgment, problem-solver, customer service, high attention to detail with strong strategic skills
  • Work independently and foster a cooperative spirit within a large and/or small team of diverse cultures across the University and within all level
  • Excellent research, writing and communication skills
  • Proficiency with the formatting of legal pleadings and documents in accordance with State and Federal rules
• Ability to:
  • Develop and implement legal strategies and solutions and provide competent legal advice and counsel on a wide range of legal/policy issues
  • Deal with complex matters with multiple stakeholders and prioritize workload successfully and appropriately
  • Interpret and apply policies and procedures
  • Communicate and interact with members of the University with a wide range of individuals of constituencies in a diverse community
  • Research and interpret applicable laws, analyze, and interpret issues and to prepare legal opinions learn and apply new legal principles, manage a sizeable volume of projects with hard deadlines and respond to the needs of various client representatives
  • Supervise and train staff, including organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments
  • Anticipate and plan for changes
  • Lead, direct and/or influence others to obtain results using a wide degree of creativity and latitude
  • Understand, diagnose and plan for business issues, processes, structure, outcomes, and profitability
  • Generate and or recognize imaginative or creative solutions that generate successful outcomes

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Transcript 1
• Letter of Recommendation 1
• Letter of Recommendation 2
• Letter of Recommendation 3