General Counsel

Position Summary

The General Counsel will lead the legal and compliance department and manages all external legal services for National 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 external regulators, accreditors, local/state/national government officials, public/private sector partners, and the general public.

Essential Functions:

• Provide expert legal advice and counsel on university matters including:
  • Governance, compliance, and risk management
  • Employment law and labor relations
  • Contracts and commercial transactions
  • Commercial real estate
  • Intellectual property
  • Litigation and dispute resolution
  • Data privacy and cybersecurity
  • Academic affairs incl 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.
• Oversees the administration of NU’s compliance programs 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.
• Oversees 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.
• Represents the organization with various government, regulatory, and accreditation agencies.
• Selects and retains outside counsel to obtain legal opinions or to manage claims and litigation.
• Reviews and counsels leadership incl 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.
• Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:  Hire, train, and develop legal support teams consisting of Staff Attorneys, Paralegals, and Compliance staff.

Requirements:

Education & Experience:

• Juris Doctorate degree, required; and ten (10) years’ relevant experience in a legal-counsel role and at least five years within a higher education setting producing high quality results and within a fast-paced organization, preferred
• Active license to practice law; California licensure a plus.

Competencies/Technical/Functional Skills:

• Ability to develop and implement legal strategies and solutions and provide competent legal advice and counsel on a wide range of legal/policy issues
• Superior critical thinking, analytical, independent judgment, problem-solver, customer service, high attention to detail with strong strategic skills.
• Must be able to deal with complex matters with multiple stakehol