Legal Counsel

The mission of the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is the development of professional health care practitioners through innovation, individualized, and quality classroom, clinical, and distance education.

GENERAL SUMMARY

The Legal Counsel for the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) serves as an internal subject-matter expert in higher education law, providing strategic legal guidance and support to the institution. This role requires experience advising on a wide range of issues, including student and faculty affairs, regulatory compliance, higher education legislation, legal claims management, and governance. The goal is to ensure consistent, high-quality, and timely legal advice for USAHS stakeholders. The Legal Counsel will collaborate with both internal and external counsel, as needed.

This position will be based on the Austin, Texas campus.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Advice & Guidance

• Provide timely, consistent, sound, and practical legal advice, counseling, training, and documentation on a wide range of academic and operational matters, in collaboration with legal department staff, in a fast-paced, complex higher education environment.
• Provide day-to-day legal guidance on a broad spectrum of issues, including contracts, general employee and  student matters, policies, and other legal concerns.

Legal Records and Document Management

• Manage and maintain legal records, ensuring accuracy and compliance with retention policies, and coordinate timely responses to subpoenas and document requests.
• Assist with gathering materials and records required for litigation or claims management of employee and student matters.
• Demonstrate knowledge of University governance requirements and provide support, as needed.
• Assist with the review of university policies, procedures, employee/student/faculty/clinical handbooks, and other institutional documents.
• Coordinate closely with parent entity and university general counsel to ensure review of required corporate filings in compliance with local and federal requirements.

Contracts & Agreements

• Negotiate, draft, and review contracts of varying sizes and complexity.
• Review and advise on MOUs, vendor agreements, and partnerships to mitigate risk.
• In coordination with Human Resources, provide annual review of employment agreements to include confidentiality, standardized patients, outside employment disclosures, reimbursement agreements tied to immigration and relocation, etc.
• Review and provide guidance on clinical affiliation agreements to identify potential risks and recommend appropriate revisions.
• Review and approve all Independent Consulting Agreements (ICAs) to ensure appropriate classification and compliance with federal and state requirements.

Campus Safety

• Serve as a member of the Campus Response and Readiness Teams; in coordination with University General Counsel; will specifically support activities for assigned campuses.
• Assist with campus safety requirements and initiatives across all campuses and locations.
• Provide guidance and input on safety and security related policies, procedures and training programs as necessary.

Training & Education

• In partnership with Human Resources and department management, support training and education efforts for the campus community on key legal and compliance issues (e.g., Title IX, FERPA, employment law, HIPAA, Workplace Violence, etc.)

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

May perform other duties and responsibilities that management may deem necessary from time to time to include the following:

• Provide support to University General Counsel, as needed, on matters related to employment and immigration matters, policy review and creation,
• Contribute to resolution of issues related to employee, faculty and student conduct, accommodations, discipline, and complaints.

POSITION IN ORGANIZATION

Reports to:  University General Counsel

Positions Supervised: Not applicable

TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL & PEOPLE SKILLS REQUIRED

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Incumbents will be evaluated, in part, based on performance of each essential function.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Strong client counseling skills, from both the legal and business perspectives, with the ability to differentiate between the two
• High degree of professionalism and ability to work independently and as a part of the legal team.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, capable of providing sound and timely advice
• Good organization and interpersonal skills, ability to be very hands-on with a 'roll up the sleeves' mentality
• Proven ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
• Demonstrated mental acuity with eagerness to learn new functions and areas of expertise
• Comfortable working in a distributed campus community, across varying cultures
• Experience with MS Office products, e-mail and tools necessary for research

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

·A Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school with active membership in the Bar

·A minimum of  five years of legal experience in a university, law firm or corporate setting, especially experience in dealing independently with business clients primarily in connection with employment, student affairs, compliance and/or contract law.

• Experience working in a highly regulated environment, with healthcare and/or education highly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to assess and interpret changes in state and federal laws and regulations
• Ability to monitor legislative and regulatory updates to evaluate and communicate their impact on the university.
• Experience with employment or student affairs, preferred.

TRAVEL

Some limited travel may be required to campuses within the United States.

BUSINESS COMPETENCIES

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Collaborates - Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Being Resilient - Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.
• Instills Trust - Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Drives Results - Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Innovation - Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
• Customer Focus - Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work is performed primarily in a standard office environment but may involve exposure to moderate noise levels. Work involves operation of personal computer equipment for six to eight hours daily and includes physical demands associated with a traditional office setting, e.g., walking, standing, communicating, and other physical functions as necessary.