About the Office of Legal Affairs
Mission and Purpose
The mission and purpose of the Office of Legal Affairs is to provide high quality legal services and counsel to our clients, Liberty University and its affiliates. Legal services are provided by request of the President, the Board of Trustees, and other administrators generally at the Vice Presidential or Director level. Additionally, the General Counsel undertakes various legal initiatives. The office consists of eight attorneys, support staff, and legal interns. The General Counsel also retains and supervises outside counsel on certain matters.
The General Counsel’s function is to provide, manage and coordinate legal services for Liberty University. This is a wide and varied practice because the University’s work touches so many areas of the law, including:
- administrative
- athletics
- aviation
- broadcasting
- construction
- commercial contracts
- corporate
- education
- employment
- entertainment
- estate planning
- intellectual property
- law enforcement
- litigation
- lobbying
- non-profit
- real estate
- tort law
Legal work undertaken includes providing:
- advice and counsel
- risk assessment
- contract drafting
- review of certain contracts
- policy analysis
- representation in judicial and governmental proceedings
- oversight on legal compliance issues
- education of the University’s staff about legal requirements and risks
- providing legal opinions on substantive issues of law relating to the University’s operations
General contract review services are provided by the Procurement and Contract Administration Department, which involves the Office of Legal Affairs, as necessary.
All staff members in the Office of Legal Affairs endeavor to maintain the highest standards of professional ethics, discrete confidentiality, and exemplary integrity, and diligently work toward those ends. They take pride in all they do and strive to produce an excellent work product.
There are four words that exemplify the qualities of the Office of Legal Affairs: mission, commitment, service, and professionalism. The staff is committed to the unique mission of the University and is committed to providing the service to others which is required for the mission to succeed, while maintaining the high standards of a Christian legal professional.