Vice President for Legal Affairs & General Counsel

Job Description Summary:

As the University’s chief legal officer and a member of the President’s Cabinet, the Vice President for Legal Affairs & General Counsel will shape and safeguard La Verne’s mission-driven culture by:

• Delivering proactive, strategic counsel on complex legal, regulatory, and policy matters.
• Partnering with internal clients—President, Board of Trustees, Provost and other members of senior leadership, Deans, HR, Student Affairs, Title IX, Finance, Facilities, Research—to anticipate and manage legal risk.
• Leading the Office of General Counsel (including a paralegal) and, when needed, coordinate cost-effective litigation defense with outside counsel.
• Championing a culture of preventive law: designing training, policy frameworks, and compliance programs that reduce disputes and reinforce ethical decision-making.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Juris Doctorate (JD) from an accredited law school
• Membership in good standing in the State Bar of California
• Minimum 8 years of practice in California, including work in state and federal employment law, civil rights, administrative hearings, education lawn, and higher education
• Proven experience in higher-education legal affairs or similarly complex organizations.
• Ability to develop and implement effective strategies for handling complex University legal issues.
• Demonstrated expertise in risk assessment, policy drafting, and compliance training.
• Excellent oral advocacy, negotiation, and written-communication skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound ethical judgment, and build consensus across diverse constituencies.
• Deep knowledge of higher-education law and best practices in academic and corporate governance.
• Skilled in translating complex legal issues into practical guidance.
• Proven project-management capabilities and attention to detail.
• High emotional intelligence, political savvy, and interpersonal dexterity.
• Track record of developing and delivering engaging legal-risk trainings.
• Commitment to inclusive excellence, community engagement, and ethical leadership.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 8–10 years of progressively responsible legal experience, including in-house counsel or General Counsel roles at a private or public university.
• Litigation experience in employment, student conduct, Title IX, ADA, or civil rights matters.
• Familiarity with gifts/development law, immigration issues, tax/payroll, and environmental/regulatory compliance.
• Experience in contract review, development, and negotiations
• Experience advising governing boards and senior executives, leading preventive law programs, and delivering engaging risk-management trainings.
• Experience supporting or advising on collective bargaining and labor relations.

Specific Duties:

Duty: Strategic Counsel & Governance

• Advise President, Cabinet, and Board on major decisions (governance, finance, crisis response, public relations).
• Prepare quarterly reports for Trustees on litigation, risk, and compliance.
• Monitor California legislative and regulatory developments; recommend policy responses.
• Provide preventive legal advice and guidance

Percentage of Time: 25

Duty: Policy Development, Risk Management & Compliance

• Draft, review, and update policies, handbooks, and governance documents (e.g., conduct code, Title IX, ADA, FERPA, faculty handbook).
• Oversee enterprise risk assessments, compliance audits, and investigations.
• Advise on breach response plans, vendor agreements, business and IT governance policies.
• Coordinate with OIT on risk mitigation and incident response.
• Design and deliver training on preventive law: non-discrimination, wage/hour, privacy, ethics

Percentage of Time: 20

Duty: Contracts, Licensing & Intellectual Property

• Negotiate and review contracts, MOUs, leases, construction, purchasing, and sponsored-program agreements.
• Manage trademarks, copyrights, software licenses, technology transfer, and IP commercialization.
• Advise on procurement law and real-estate transactions.
• Environmental agreements and policies

Percentage of Time: 15

Duty: Litigation & Outside Counsel Management

• Oversee pre-litigation and claim mitigation
• Oversee defense of claims (employment, civil rights, student/faculty disputes, ADA, Title IX) with insurers.
• Select, supervise, and budget outside-counsel engagements.
• Represent University in administrative and arbitration proceedings.

Percentage of Time: 10

Duty: Employment Law & HR Partnership

• Counsel on faculty/staff employment, organized employee relations, performance management, terminations, workplace investigations, ADA and workplace regulations and laws
• Ensure compliance with California and federal statutes: FLSA, FEHA, Title VII, FMLA, Cal-OSHA.

Percentage of Time: 15

Duty: Cross-Campus Collaboration & Communications

• Serve as legal resource for Student Affairs, Athletics, IT, Facilities, Finance, and Sponsored Programs
• Partner with Strategic Communications on public-facing legal messaging.
• Build rapport with community stakeholders and regulators

Percentage of Time: 10

Duty: Special Projects & Other Duties

• Staff ad-hoc Presidential or Trustee committees.
• Lead targeted initiatives as needed

Percentage of Time: 5

Salary Range
Maximum: $290,000.00
Minimum: $224,295.03

Benefits Summary:

Applicants, please note that actual compensation is determined by several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, depth of experience, certifications, relevant education or training, and specific work location, among others. The offered wage or salary is only one aspect of an employee’s total compensation

Benefits include a comprehensive health and wellness plan, tuition remission program for employee, spouse, and dependent children, a generous contribution to the University’s 403B retirement plan, and a generous time off plan.

Employment is contingent upon successful completion and clearance of a background check and employment verification.

Location: La Verne Main Campus