Legal Counsel

Job Summary

This position serves as the primary legal advisor to the College, providing expert legal guidance on a broad range of issues affecting the institution. This role involves ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws, managing legal risks, and advising on policies, contracts, and litigation matters. The Legal Counsel will collaborate with senior leadership and various departments to develop strategies that protect the college’s interests, support its educational mission, and mitigate legal exposure. This position requires a strong understanding of higher education law, labor and employment law, student affairs, and public sector regulations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Provides legal advice and guidance on a variety of issues, including but not limited to contracts, policies, employment matters, student affairs, and compliance with laws and regulations. Keeps the president fully advised on legal related matters of the College. Draft, review, and negotiate contracts and agreements, including those related to vendor relationships, partnerships, grants, and employment matters, ensuring legal protections for the college. Oversee and manage all litigation involving the college, including working with external counsel, preparing case documentation, and advising on litigation strategy. Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including Title VII , Title IX, FERPA , ADA , labor laws, and other federal, state, and local requirements. Identify and address legal risks and recommend strategies to mitigate them. Formulate, develop, implement, interpret, and review College regulations, policies and procedures to include identifying the need for policy development or changes to protect and serve the College’s legal interests and to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws, as well as accreditation standards. Advise on employment law matters, including personnel issues, employee discipline, labor relations, and union negotiations. Provide general legal support for the institution, including legal research, drafting of legal documents, and attending board meetings or committee meetings as required. Act as the college’s primary liaison with government agencies and regulatory bodies, responding to subpoenas, public records requests, and other official inquiries. Collaborates with other vice presidents and administrative staff on appropriate matters. Conduct training sessions for staff, faculty, and administrators on legal issues but not limited to sexual harassment, employment law, student rights, collective agreement interpretation (including collective bargaining and compliance matters). Review, negotiate, and prepare legal documents necessary to facilitate diverse transactions involving the College. Advise departments and colleges regarding copyright and other intellectual property matters. Reviews, maintains and evaluates the budget for the finance and administration functional areas and directs appropriation of funds and expenditures relating to services and programs. Coordinates the development of program outcomes legal department functional area, monitors assessment of those outcomes, and develops plans of action for improvement based on the assessment of those outcomes. Provides assistance in coordinating and developing relationships with local, state, federal officials and agencies. Provides assistance in developing relationships with community organizations, funding entities, individuals and non-profit organizations. Attends legal seminars as necessary. Provides legal advice and opinions on all manner of labor and employment matters at the College, including workplace accommodation, occupational health and safety, employment contracts, collective agreement interpretation, discipline, and overall employee and labor relations (including collective bargaining). Issues are often complex with the potential for significant legal, financial, and/or reputational risk. Ensures College compliance with related Texas statutes and administrative rules and guidelines of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Attends governmental, community, and civic organization meetings and events to promote the College’s mission and goals. Exercises excellent judgement and discretion in dealing with highly sensitive issues. Keep up to date with new legislation and regulations as well as caselaw impacting the post-secondary sector. Attends all TSC Board and committee meetings. Leads the process for systematic review and evaluation of the functional area per the model adopted by the College. Assists with the process for systematic review and evaluation of all TSC policies, guidelines, and employee, faculty, and student handbooks. Assists with the process for systematic review and evaluation of the planning unit per the model adopted by the College, including the development and monitoring of outcomes and plans of action for improvement based on the assessment of those outcomes and plans. Attends the workplace regularly, reports to work punctually and follows a work schedule to keep up with the demands of the worksite. Completes duties and responsibilities in compliance with college standards, policies and guidelines. Uses interpersonal skills and makes sound judgments to decide how duties and responsibilities are completed between coworkers, the supervisory chain, faculty, staff, students, and customers. Completes all required training and professional development sessions sponsored by Texas Southmost College ( TSC ). Supports the values and institutional goals as defined in the College’s Strategic Plan. Working hours may include evenings, holidays or weekends depending on deadline requirements and special events. Reviews and advices but not limited to employee’s performance improvement plans and disciplinary issues. Performs other duties as assigned.

Physical Demands

The physical demands for the position are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands and fingers to handle objects; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear and taste or smell. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.