About The State University of New York :

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the state's only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. 

The Office of General Counsel provides legal services and support to the Board of Trustees, the Chancellor and senior officers in System Administration at Albany, New York, and the presidents and administrators of the campuses within the System. Under the leadership of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and the General Counsel, the SUNY Office of General Counsel is responsible for providing legal services to the System and the 29 state operated campuses. 

The legal practice of the OGC involves a substantial array of topics, including public procurement, governance and ethics, legislation, health care, capital construction, public finance, labor grievances and arbitration, litigation oversight (the State's Attorney General defends litigation brought against the University), student affairs, and the use of real property, among others. The OGC represents the State University in interactions with State officials who may regulate the affairs of the State University, including the Attorney General, State Comptroller, the Governor and staff, and members of the State Legislature and staff as well as other state and local agencies and entities.

Job Description:

The Chief Campus Counsel - Western Campuses will competently and comprehensively act as lead attorney in all aspects of the management and supervision of the OGC satellite office for the SUNY Western Campuses ("WestCam"), including providing highly competent, professional, and timely legal services to leadership and administrators at WestCam, effective legal advice, advocacy, and preparation and review of campus documents/policies. The Chief Campus Counsel reports to the SUNY Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel through the Assistant Deputy General Counsel with the WestCam Presidents being the chief clients for all legal matters. The SUNY campuses that make up the Western Campuses include Alfred State, Brockport, Buffalo State, Fredonia, and Geneseo.

The WestCam Chief Campus Counsel will provide legal guidance to colleagues in the WestCam OGC Office and campus administrators on areas within subject matter expertise and/or working with subject matter experts; manage the office; manage complex transactions; supports the implementation of OGC's strategic plan; serve as a liaison to the Attorney General's Office and other State agencies; and perform other duties as requested and/or needed by OGC leadership and campus leadership. 

The ideal candidate will have legal experience in the following areas:

• Labor & employment law, including management of DHR/EEOC/OCR complaints and arbitrations;
• State contracts & procurement (and familiarity with New York State finance laws);
• Non-procurement agreements (such as Inter-Agency MOU's, affiliation, and academic agreements);
• Student affairs issues, including Federal CLERY, FERPA, and Title IX compliance;
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 legal issues; and
• Ethics and Public Officers Law compliance.

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing, negotiating, reviewing academic agreements with other colleges and universities;
• Providing advice and recommendations regarding campus-based policies;
• Advising in various student-related matters concerning reasonable accommodations, academic leaves, student discipline, and dismissal;
• Representing WestCam in state and federal administrative agency proceedings as well as, on occasion, in state and federal courts;
• Representing Westcam in employee and student discipline matters, discrimination cases and internal investigations, and with labor and employment issues;
• Developing and delivering training to campus constituencies on key compliance issues including First Amendment/free speech, attorney-client privilege, record retention/e-discovery, email, FOIL, media response, open meetings law, and other areas of importance to the campus;
• Supervision of attorney(s) and/or legal support staff;
• Providing advice and mentoring attorneys on a variety of topics; and
• Performing non-litigation assignments and special projects as well as other duties, as assigned

Administrative Duties: The Chief Campus Counsel is responsible for the direct administrative management and oversight of the WestCam legal office, including the supervision of an associate/assistant counsel, and paralegal, the assignment of legal matters, and other office administrative matters. The Chief Campus Counsel directly handles or delegates to direct reports all other duties as may be assigned by the SUNY General Counsel. The Chief Campus Counsel may recommend to the Campus President, with approval of the SUNY General Counsel, the engagement of outside counsel for certain legal matters and offer recommendations to the SUNY General Counsel on hiring/termination of direct reports.

SUNY Office of General Counsel (OGC) Duties: This position reports directly to the SUNY General Counsel regarding all aspects of the position. In addition, the Chief Campus Counsel interfaces with other OGC colleagues to coordinate the delivery of consistent legal services, including participation in OGC staff meetings and training. Last,

Additional responsibilities include an extensive range of legal matters on behalf of the SUNY, including statutory and regulatory interpretation; drafting legal guidance; and answering legal inquiries from campus clients; and, performing special projects as well as other duties as may be assigned.

Additional Information:

This position supervises all legal staff supporting WestCam including the WestCam attorney(s) and paralegal(s).

It will be physically located at one of the SUNY campuses in Western New York. Travel will be required to the other "WestCam" campuses and from time to time to Albany, NY and/or other OGC regional offices.  Limited telecommuting may be available.

For more information on each campus please click on the links below:

Alfred State
Brockport
Buffalo State
Fredonia
Geneseo

Required Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor degree (or foreign equivalent);  
• Candidates should have a minimum of ten years of significant and progressively responsible legal experience;
• Admitted to New York State Bar in good standing or eligibility for admission to the NYS Bar within six (6) months of employment;
• Strong litigation and/or significant complex administrative hearing experience as well as independent complex case management experience;
• Legal experience working in-house and/or in higher education and/or government law;
• Significant experience advising clients on complex transactional and litigation matters; and
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Superior written and oral communication;
• Strong analytical and legal research skills;
• Ability to translate complex problems into practical solutions;
• High ethical standards and mature judgment;
• Ability to function effectively in a fast-paced environment with multiple and changing priorities and objectives;
• Demonstrated ability to make and communicate hard decisions; demonstrated credibility to win support for those decisions;
• Judgment, tact, and diplomacy to partner with senior teams to help them achieve their strategic objectives;
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate clearly, logically, and persuasively during interactions and utilize active listening skills;
• Proven ability to maintain confidentiality with regard to sensitive issues and information and exercise discretion in dealing with sensitive or potentially sensitive topics;
• Outstanding interpersonal skills to interact effectively and develop and maintain productive working relationships with an array of diverse interests, individuals, and constituencies;
• Demonstrated ability to act as a team player in all circumstances, as defined by contributing to the successful outcome of initiatives, accountabilities, and operations of others; especially in unionized environments, is a plus;
• Knowledge of communications/marketing law, including social media, copyright, and branding;
• Knowledge of or familiarity with statutory and constitutional framework and federal and administrative regulations applicable to a public university, and process of governance in academic settings;
• Proven record of ability to undertake complex legal issues, and capacity to serve as a creative thinker and problem-solver able to negotiate creative solutions to complex problems;
• Knowledge of academic freedom and experience working with unions; and
• Candidate should have an appreciation of operational implications of legal advice.

Offers of employment may be contingent upon successful completion of a pre-employment background check and verification of degree(s) and credentials.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.