University Attorney - General Counsel

Overview:

Methodist University seeks to hire a full-time General Counsel, to work with a dynamic and energetic president and senior management team. The General Counsel will be a key member of the President’s Cabinet, which is the strategic leadership team of the university. The General Counsel will join Methodist University at a critical and exciting moment in the University’s trajectory, with growth and momentum in establishing a state-of-the-art medical school. They will be vital to the implementation of Methodist University’s ambitious strategic plan and will serve as a trusted advisor. Reporting to the President, the General Counsel will serve as the chief legal officer of the University, coordinate all Methodist University’s legal affairs, and provide advice and counsel to Methodist University’s President, Board of Trustees, executive officers and deans, The General Counsel will oversee all use of outside counsel and advise on all legal matters and will be responsible for compliance with federal and local laws governing non-profit institutions of higher learning. The General counsel will play a vital role in advising on legal matters related to the establishment and operation of the medical school.

Responsibilities:

• Candidates with diverse professional backgrounds will be considered, although ideal candidates will have demonstrated experience and success in many of the following areas:
• Represents Methodist University as its chief legal officer, serving as the legal representative of and a senior advisor to the President, the Board of Trustees, executive officers and deans.
• Provides comprehensive legal counsel, representation, and oversight on the wide range of legal matters affecting Methodist University, including matters affecting the medical school.
• Provides advice to all University academic and staff leaders on legal and regulatory matters related to Methodist’s activities, transactional matters, dispute resolution, human resources, investigations, and policy formulation, and conducts all necessary and appropriate related legal work.
• Provides expertise on representative areas of law routinely addressed in higher education, including governance; labor and employment; civil rights (including Title IX and FERPA); HIPPA and other health- and medicine-related areas, tax; real estate; land use and property law; investments; contracts; financing transactional work; complex gifts; research and cooperative agreements; government and foundation grants; technology licensing; intellectual property; cultural property; insurance; compliance; and litigation.
• Protects Methodist’s institutional integrity, extending to best practices, potential liability, and matters that present substantial institutional risk, advising on issues that present risk of impairment of Methodist’s reputation, legal status as a tax-exempt organization, or financial condition.
• Manages the operations and workload of the General Counsel office using advanced IT tools and systems.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and rules enforced by U.S. federal, state, and local regulators, and appropriate global regulators, developing good relationships with relevant regulators.
• Leads a service-oriented office of legal affairs, coordinating and managing provision of legal services across Methodist University.
• Selects and supervises outside legal counsel, including in transactions, contracting, litigation, and regulatory matters. The General Counsel, President, and the Chief of Staff, are the only officials authorized to engage or approve the engagement of outside counsel on behalf of the university.
• Serves as an ally in advancing innovative university ideas and practices, while addressing any legal concerns.
• Serves as a member of the executive leadership team of the university and works in collaboration with other members of the team.
• Oversees the status of the university as a tax-exempt organization.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

• To apply for this position, apply online at: Job Opportunities; applicants should include a resume and cover letter.
• Methodist University is considering only those applicants who have valid authorization to work in the United States. Methodist University does not sponsor employment-based visas for this position.
• Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with both experience and achievement.
• For more information about Methodist University, please visit https://www.methodist.edu

Education, Experience and Other Requirements:

The successful candidate should hold a law degree, be a member in good standing of a state bar and satisfy all applicable requirements for attorneys practicing law in North Carolina.

The General Counsel must be an experienced attorney with the requisite legal background and interpersonal skills to function successfully in a senior, complex role. The following background is strongly preferred:

• Minimum 10+ years relevant legal experience.
• Experience as a trusted adviser to a President and governing board.
• Expertise in, and exposure to, legal issues similar to those at Methodist University, with familiarity with higher education (including undergraduate, professional, graduate, health, and medical education), academic, research, and student life issues.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills and a commitment to candor and honesty.
• Effectiveness in working as a positive contributor to senior management teams and in developing collegial relationships across complex organizations.
• An entrepreneurial mindset.
• Experience managing a broad portfolio of legal issues, litigation, and legal risk assessment.
• Knowledge of IT systems that improves the efficacy of the operations of a General Counsel office.

Critical Competencies for Success:

Legal and Managerial Skills

• Demonstrated legal talent with the ability to focus on and counsel leadership on the major issues—current or potential—facing a complex academic institution.
• Expertise in and a track record of successfully managing complex employment and labor issues.
• Demonstrated sound judgment with a track record of serving as a key contributor to a fast paced, entrepreneurial leadership team.
• Demonstrated ability to influence major decisions through reasoned analysis and effective communication.
• Ability to engage and manage outside counsel.
• Ability to forecast and manage a legal budget cost effectively, including management of outside legal counsel.
• Versatility in addressing and advising on a broad portfolio of legal matters.
• Excellent time management and ability to balance a wide range of legal needs in a complex university environment that encompasses undergraduate, graduate, professional, and medical education and research.

Strategic and Entrepreneurial Thinking

• A strategic thinker who can move fluidly between the big picture and details, who will bring pragmatism, a sense of urgency, a bias toward action, and a passion for Methodist University’s mission and new strategic plan.
• Understands the University’s agenda and can counsel University leaders on how to achieve the agenda while best mitigating associated risk.
• Possesses a service mentality, implementing systems and structures to support University clients with their legal questions and needs.
• Possesses courage of his/her own convictions and is willing to articulate contrary but well-reasoned positions in appropriate situations.
• Values inclusive excellence in staff and programs and has demonstrated behaviors that articulate that value.

Collaborative Leadership

• Systematically builds partnerships with colleagues across Methodist University, invests time to gain a clear understanding of the University’s programs and issues, and gains credibility with senior leadership and board members by consistently delivering an outstanding work product and sage counsel in a timely fashion.
• Is accessible and responsive, invites discussion and debate, possesses the self-confidence to set forth opinions even in the face of contrary views, the capacity to listen carefully and reconsider, and the ability to view multiple aspects of challenging issues.
• Welcomes the importance of serving as a member of a strategic leadership team while inviting participative engagement across the university.
• Models’ collegiality and collaboration.

Other Personal Characteristics

• Uncompromising integrity and the highest ethical and moral standards
• Innovative, forward-thinking, and entrepreneurial
• Interpersonally sensitive and a good listener
• A commitment to advancing diverse points of view and backgrounds
• Thoughtful decision-maker
• Commitment to the strategic aspirations of Methodist University