Assistant General Counsel

Wellesley College, a private, nonprofit undergraduate liberal arts college near Boston that is widely recognized as the top women’s college in the world, seeks a dedicated, collaborative, and experienced Assistant General Counsel (AGC) to join the Office of the General Counsel (OGC). Working under the strategic direction of the General Counsel, the AGC will provide timely, thoughtful, and strategic legal support to the College’s academic and administrative leadership across a broad and diverse array of institutional matters. This position provides the rewarding experience of practicing law within higher education, and the person in this role will be instrumental in advising on legal, regulatory, and compliance risks while aligning with the College’s mission of providing an excellent liberal arts education to women who will make a difference in the world.

The right candidate will have outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, the ability to solve complex problems in a collaborative way, a high degree of composure when faced with challenges, and the highest degree of integrity. Qualified candidates will have an aptitude for serving as a generalist within the Office of the General Counsel, able to handle a wide range of legal issues across multiple substantive areas of law with a willingness to learn and investigate new legal topics that emerge in the course of the College’s business and activities. The ideal AGC candidate will have significant prior experience in higher education law and/or deep expertise in several of the areas of practice covered by the position.

Primary Position Responsibilities:

General Legal Matters

• Monitor and interpret developments in laws and regulations affecting the College’s operations and emerging issues in higher education law and provide legal advice to key campus partners, including providing training as needed.
• Identify potential legal risks and recognize issues of institutional importance and keep the General Counsel informed.
• Conduct legal research and draft legal documents including memoranda, briefs, opinions, reports, contracts and correspondence.
• Collaborate with the General Counsel in addressing legal questions that may be raised by the Board of Trustees, the President, Senior Leadership or campus partners from across all areas of the College. Topics on which legal advice may be needed include nonprofit corporate governance, charitable giving and tax, contracts, construction, real estate (including landlord/tenant), environmental law, intellectual property (patents, copyright and trademarks), local government relations and compliance, labor and employment (faculty and staff), benefits, student affairs issues, admissions and financial aid legal issues, research compliance, collegiate athletics and NCAA compliance, data privacy and records retention, and discrimination, harassment, disability and sexual misconduct laws and regulations.
• Coordinate responses to a variety of legal requests and demands, including processing subpoenas and records requests, preparing responses to court orders and complaints from state and federal agencies, including Massachusetts Commission on Discrimination charges, preparing responses to demand letters from counsel, and drafting settlement agreements
• Oversee issuance of and compliance with document preservation notices.
• Review anticipated and pending legal claims, including reviewing documents and conducting interviews as necessary to assist the General Counsel in forming the College’s position on such claims
• As may be assigned on matters where the AGC has not provided legal advice, perform investigations into a variety of legal issues involving members of the College community, including conducting investigations into discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct matters in collaboration with the director of nondiscrimination initiatives
• Help supervise and manage specialized outside counsel to ensure high-quality and cost-effective legal services
• In collaboration with the General Counsel, advise members of the College community on legal risks arising in all areas of the College.

Legal Compliance

• Assist in ensuring the College’s compliance with internal bylaws and federal, state and local laws and regulations, including but not limited to the ADA, Section 504, FERPA, Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, Clery Act, and the False Claims Act, including policy development and updates.
• Engage in the regular review and advising on updates to College policies, including drafting new policies as needed, to ensure compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and alignment with current best practices.
• Create and deliver educational presentations and programs to various campus constituencies to support compliance needs of the College.

Contract review

• Review, negotiate, and manage a wide range of contracts, working directly with campus partners, including not only the Procurement Office but also the Provost’s office, Library and Technology services, Facilities Management, Student Life, and other departments across the College.
• Provide legal advice to the cross-campus team implementing a new contracts management process, including developing template contract language.

Miscellaneous

• Represent the OGC and contribute to institutional committees and at meetings, as needed.
• Act in the absence of the General Counsel.
• Engage in professional development to remain current on legal issues affecting higher education.
• Collaborate with external legal counsel, government agencies, and higher education law colleagues.
• Represent the College in external meetings as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the General Counsel.

Required Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in the Massachusetts bar, or ability to obtain admission within a year.
• 5+ years practicing law, preferably with experience advising higher education institutions.
• Broad experience as a legal generalist with demonstrated ability to analyze and apply laws relevant to higher education institutions and/or deep expertise in several of the areas of practice covered by the position.
• Preference for candidates with experience in the following areas of practice: contract drafting and review, charitable giving and tax, intellectual property, research compliance, benefits, real estate and/or construction.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to navigate nuanced issues with thoughtfulness, sound professional judgment, and integrity.
• Collaborative and collegial approach with a demonstrated ability to work effectively across diverse teams and communities.
• Demonstrated experience managing legal risk in a complex organization.
• Strategic thinker with excellent judgment and adaptability.
• Willingness to work flexible hours when needed and serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership.