Good Faith Pay Range: In accordance with Virginia law, the good-faith pay range for this position is $175,000 - $350,000 per year. Actual compensation will be determined based on the candidate's qualifications, education, experience, skills, and other legitimate business factors.
Position Summary
The General Counsel serves as the University's chief legal officer, providing executive-level legal leadership and strategic counsel across the institution.
Reporting to the President and engaging directly with the Board of Trustees, this individual will partner closely with the Chief Regulatory Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and Human Resources leadership to provide practical, business-oriented legal guidance that supports institutional objectives while managing legal and regulatory risk.
This position requires sound legal judgment, executive presence, strong business acumen, and an appreciation for the operational realities of a highly regulated university. The General Counsel is expected to build and oversee the University's overall legal function, including outside counsel relationships and, over time, any internal legal staff.
Primary Responsibilities
Institutional Governance & Board Relations
- Serve as chief legal advisor to the President, executive leadership, and Board of Trustees.
- Advise on corporate governance, institutional bylaws, board policies, and fiduciary matters.
- Prepare and present legal updates and risk assessments to the Board and its committees.
- Oversee the University's overall legal function, including management of outside counsel and, as the function grows, internal legal staff.
Higher Education & Regulatory Affairs
- Serve as the University's principal counsel on matters affecting private higher education institutions.
- Advise executive leadership on federal and state regulatory compliance, accreditation, institutional eligibility, consumer protection, student matters, and other legal issues affecting higher education.
- Serve as the primary legal point of contact with governmental agencies, accreditors, and state authorization bodies.
- Monitor evolving higher education law and regulation and advise leadership on institutional impact and required action.
Employment & Human Resources
- Serve as senior legal advisor to Human Resources and executive leadership on employment law matters.
- Provide legal guidance on employee relations, workplace investigations, accommodations, wage and hour issues, policy development, and litigation avoidance.
- Partner with Human Resources on the design and defensibility of employment practices and organizational policy.
Contracts & Business Transactions
- Oversee the drafting, negotiation, and review of significant commercial agreements.
- Advise on procurement, technology contracts, software licensing, real estate matters, vendor relationships, and strategic partnerships.
- Structure and support institutional transactions, acquisitions, and other business initiatives.
Risk Management & Litigation
- Own the University's overall legal risk posture, setting strategy and escalation practices across departments.
- Select, engage, and manage outside counsel across practice areas, including budget oversight.
- Direct litigation strategy and manage disputes, claims, and regulatory inquiries.
- Establish and maintain institutional policies and controls that reduce legal and compliance risk.
Strategic Initiatives
Partner with executive leadership on major institutional initiatives including:
- Enterprise technology modernization
- ERP and Student Information System implementation
- Artificial intelligence governance and policy
- New academic programs
- Campus expansion
- Institutional partnerships and affiliations
- Corporate governance initiatives
- Long-term build-out of the University's internal legal function
Qualifications
Required
- Juris Doctor from an ABA-accredited law school.
- Active membership in good standing with at least one state bar.
- 10+ years of progressively responsible legal experience, including significant experience advising senior executives or a governing board in a complex, regulated environment.
- Strong higher education, employment law, and contract experience.
- Demonstrated experience managing outside counsel, litigation strategy, and institutional legal risk.
- Excellent written, analytical, negotiation, and communication skills.
- Ability to provide practical, business-oriented legal advice to executive leadership and a governing board.
Preferred
- Prior experience as General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, or senior in-house counsel for a college or university, or representing higher education institutions in private practice.
- Experience with the legal and regulatory framework governing institutions of higher education, including federal student aid programs, accreditation, state authorization, institutional governance, and related regulatory matters.
- Experience building or scaling an in-house legal function.
- Experience advising executive leadership and a Board of Trustees on strategic institutional initiatives.
- Familiarity with the operational and regulatory environment of private higher education.
Leadership Characteristics
The successful candidate will be:
- Practical and solutions-oriented.
- Collaborative and approachable, while comfortable exercising independent executive judgment.
- Comfortable working directly with executive leadership and a governing board.
- Able to balance legal risk with institutional objectives.
- Interested in building and growing a legal function, and a long-term career with the University.
- Comfortable working in an environment where executives are engaged in both strategic and operational decision-making.