Director, Legal
About The Position
The Director of Legal is a licensed attorney responsible for supporting the development and execution of the College’s legal function. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Legal and Compliance, this role provides legal counsel to institutional leadership, supports governance and legal operations, and coordinates with external counsel on legislative, regulatory, and legal matters. The position delivers practical, risk-informed legal guidance while helping build scalable legal infrastructure aligned with institutional strategy. This role offers the opportunity to help shape and mature a growing in-house legal function within a highly regulated higher education environment.
Requirements
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school required.
- Active license to practice law and in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar required.
- Minimum of seven (7) years of legal experience, preferably including higher education, healthcare, employment law, regulatory law, legislative affairs, or complex organizational advising.
- Demonstrated experience with contract law, legal risk analysis, and collaboration with external counsel.
- Strong professional judgment, discretion, and ability to maintain attorney-client privilege.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate complex legal concepts into practical operational guidance.
- Ability to collaborate across institutional functions, influence decision-making, and support leadership in navigating legal risk.
Nice To Haves
- Experience providing practical legal guidance within a regulated environment strongly preferred.
- Familiarity with subpoena response processes, legal correspondence, and governance practices preferred.
Responsibilities
- Provide legal advice and analysis to leadership and collaborators on institutional initiatives, operational decisions, and regulatory interpretation.
- Deliver attorney-client privileged guidance consistent with ethical obligations and applicable law.
- Assist in building and maturing the College’s internal legal function, including workflows, templates, governance practices, and legal review processes.
- Review institutional communications, policies, and initiatives through a legal risk lens while maintaining clear functional ownership of policy development.
- Draft legal correspondence, demand letters, and other legal communications as appropriate.
- Coordinate with external counsel on legal, legislative, and regulatory matters, ensuring effective internal alignment and preparation.
- Provide legal guidance on institutional contract strategy and risk considerations in collaboration with Procurement and other institutional functions.
- Oversee legal intake and response processes for subpoenas, record requests, and legal holds in coordination with relevant functions.
- Support legislative and regulatory initiatives by providing legal analysis and collaboration with internal and external partners.
- Partner with Compliance, Title IV, and Legislative and Regulatory Affairs functions to ensure legal interpretation informs institutional strategy while maintaining distinct role boundaries.
- Assist in developing scalable legal infrastructure, documentation standards, and knowledge management practices to support organizational growth.
- Supervise and mentor assigned staff, including the Contract Specialist and administrative personnel supporting legal operations.
- Perform other duties as assigned in support of the legal function and institutional priorities.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
