General Counsel
The General Counsel (GC) is a member of the College's Senior Staff and serves as the chief legal officer for Curry College providing legal guidance and strategic advice to the institution's leadership, staff, faculty, and board members. The GC ensures that the institution complies with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations, while minimizing legal risk. The GC also supports the College's mission, values, and objectives, working closely with senior leadership and departments across the institution.
Essential Functions:
1. Legal Advice and Counsel:
- Provide expert legal advice to the President, Board of Trustees, senior administrators, and departments on a wide range of legal matters, including but not limited to governance, employment law, student affairs, contracts, intellectual property, real estate, regulatory compliance, and litigation;
- Serve as the primary legal advisor on the institution's policies, procedures, and decision-making processes.
2. Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations:
- Participate in the negotiation and administration of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) with faculty and staff unions, ensuring that the college's interests and legal obligations are met while fostering a cooperative labor-management relationship;
- Advise senior leadership on labor law, contract interpretation, and dispute resolution related to unionized employees;
- Represent the institution in labor relations matters, including negotiations, grievance procedures, arbitration, and handling unfair labor practice charges;
- Provide legal support for governance activities, including Board of Trustees matters, charter amendments, and institutional structure;
- Draft and review meeting minutes, resolutions, and bylaws to ensure adherence to proper legal procedures.
3. Compliance and Risk Management:
- Ensure that the College complies with all applicable laws and regulations, including those related to Title IX, ADA, FERPA, Clery Act, and other federal, state, and local requirements;
- Lead the institution's efforts in risk assessment and mitigation, and manage institutional insurance needs, including litigation and liability issues;
- Oversee internal compliance programs and reporting procedures to reduce exposure to legal and reputational risks.
4. Litigation and Dispute Resolution:
- Manage external legal counsel, as needed, in connection with litigation and other legal disputes;
- Represent the college in administrative hearings and court proceedings, when appropriate;
- Facilitate alternative dispute resolution processes, such as mediation or settlement negotiations.
5. Policy Development and Implementation:
- Advise on the development, review, and implementation of institutional policies and procedures, ensuring legal compliance;
- Stay current on legal trends and higher education law to anticipate the impact of changes in legislation and regulations on the college.
6. Contracts and Agreements:
- Review, draft, and negotiate contracts, including faculty and staff employment agreements, vendor contracts, licensing agreements, and other legal documents;
- Ensure that contractual obligations and provisions are in compliance with college policies and legal standards.
7. Confidentiality and Ethics:
- Maintain strict confidentiality on sensitive legal matters and ensure that the institution adheres to ethical guidelines and standards;
- The GC is a fiduciary for the College and must act in the College's best interests;
- Act as the principal advisor on ethics-related issues, including conflicts of interest, whistleblower complaints, and misconduct investigations.
8. Governance:
- Serve as an adviser to the Board of Trustees and the President on governance related matters to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and the College's governing documents;
- Stay current on governance best practices and advise the Board of Trustees and the President regarding such practices.
Essential Characteristics:
- Strong knowledge of higher education law, including federal and state regulations, Title IX, ADA, FERPA, labor and employment law, and nonprofit governance.
- Demonstrated experience and expertise in negotiating and administering Collective Bargaining Agreements, particularly within higher education or similarly complex environments.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact with individuals at all levels of the institution, including senior leadership, faculty, staff, and the Board of Trustees.
- Strong leadership and management abilities, with experience in supervising legal staff and external counsel.
- Ability to think strategically, manage multiple priorities, and make sound legal judgments.
- High degree of integrity and professionalism.
- Strong problem-solving skills.
- Ability to navigate complex legal and ethical issues with sensitivity and discretion.
- Commitment to the mission and values of higher education.
- Collaborative and team-oriented.
Job Requirements:
Minimum Qualifications:
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
- Licensed to practice law in Massachusetts.
- Minimum of 7-10 years of legal experience, with at least 5 years in higher education law, public sector law, or related fields.
- Prior experience negotiating Collective Bargaining Agreements, managing labor relations, and resolving labor disputes in an academic or nonprofit setting is required.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with labor relations and collective bargaining in higher education.
- Familiarity with nonprofit corporate governance and compliance.
- Experience with intellectual property and research law.
Salary Range:
$200,000 to $240,000 annually
Additional Information:
Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, Curry College will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.
At the College's discretion, the education and experience prerequisites may be excepted where the candidate can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the College, an equivalent combination of education and experience specifically preparing the candidate for success in the position.
Employment in this position is contingent upon the successful completion of all required pre-employment background checks.
Title IX Notice of Nondiscrimination
Curry College (the "College") does not discriminate on the basis of sex and prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that we administer, as required by Title IX and its federal regulations, including in admission and employment.
The Non-Discrimination Policy can be found at
https://www.curry.edu/assets/Documents/About-Us/Curry-College-Nondiscrimination-Policy.pdf
The Sexual Misconduct Policy can be found at
https://www.curry.edu/assets/Documents/About-Us/Curry-College-Sexual-Misconduct-Policy.pdf
Individuals who wish to make a complaint of discrimination or sex discrimination under Title IX, or those with information about conduct that may constitute discrimination or sex discrimination under Title IX may contact the Director of Title IX and Equity Compliance, the Office for Civil Rights, or both.
Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its federal regulations to the College may be referred to either or both offices listed below:
Ann Coyne, Director of Title IX and Equity Compliance: Office 122, King Academic Administrative Building, 55 Atherton Street Milton, MA 02186. (617) 333-2212, ann.coyne@curry.edu.
Office of Civil Rights ("OCR"): Boston Office, Office for Civil Rights, US Department of Education, 9th Floor, 5 Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02109-3921, Telephone: 617-289-0111, FAX: 617-289-0150; TDD: 800-877-8339, Email: OCR.Boston@ed.gov.
To apply, visit http://curry.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=187061
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Curry College
Apr 30, 2025 