General Counsel

Saint Mary’s College of California seeks a General Counsel who will bring a capacity to lead and provide thoughtful guidance in a complex and changing higher education environment.  The General Counsel will report to the President and serve on the President’s cabinet. This is a unique opportunity for a motivated self-starter to re-establish an in-house legal counsel office after several years of an outsourced model. The ideal candidate will be familiar with and have an intuitive grasp of Saint Mary’s Lasallian Catholic Mission and principles. The General Counsel will understand and embrace the Catholic intellectual, spiritual, and social traditions, and will be comfortable in Catholic liturgy, ritual, and other prayer settings. 

The General Counsel will join the College at a critical moment and will be vital to the implementation of the College’s ambitious 2028 strategic plan which will ensure the institution’s financial stability, strengthen organizational effectiveness, and bolster student enrollment. The General Counsel will serve as a trusted advisor as the chief legal officer of the College, coordinating all of the College’s legal affairs, and providing advice and counsel to the President, Board of Trustees, executive officers, faculty, and staff. The General Counsel will oversee all outside use of counsel and advise on all legal matters and will be responsible for compliance with federal and local laws governing non-profit institutions of higher learning.

We are seeking a forward-thinking leader who is experienced in advancing innovation within legal frameworks. The ideal candidate for General Counsel will be a visionary leader deeply committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment. This individual will possess strong strategic thinking capabilities, with a proven ability to navigate the complexities of higher education and drive innovation within legal and compliance frameworks. They will be proactive in identifying potential legal challenges and adept at implementing preventive measures to mitigate risks. Additionally, the candidate will be recognized for their creativity and innovative thinking, consistently thinking outside the box and encouraging a culture of innovation among their team and broader College community. 

Expert knowledge on issues of academic freedom and the ability to navigate tensions between academic freedom and compliance with the College’s legal requirements. Unquestionable integrity, trustworthiness, and a commitment to upholding rigorous ethical standards and confidentiality. Professionalism, decorum, and diplomacy in all interactions, with the ability to engage others with respect and empathy, in line with the College’s mission and values is essential. A Commitment to equity and inclusion and experience working with diverse populations.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Oversee and maintain full responsibility for a wide range of in-house legal services for the College and its officials, including advice and counsel, transactions, and litigation, in areas including but not limited to governance and board bylaws, faculty matters, employment and labor relations, student affairs, athletics, contracts, development and gift agreements, grants, intellectual property, real estate, financing transactions, enrollment, academic freedom, immigration and visas, civil rights (including Title IX), and internal investigations.
• Determine a legal services strategy and operation for the College and retain and manage outside counsel with subject matter expertise.  
• Remain informed of legal developments relevant to higher education and proactively advise on emerging trends and changes to laws and regulations and their potential impacts on the College's operations.
• Inform the President and relevant members of the President’s team in a timely manner of matters regarded as highly visible, sensitive or expose the College to legal risk or liability; work collaboratively with the President’s team to manage and respond to legal issues related to their departments.
• Conduct periodic legal reviews of College policies and procedures to ensure legal compliance with appropriate laws and the principles of academic freedom. Collaborate with risk management and advise policy owners of proposed improvements.  
• Foster a culture of legal compliance and ethical conduct across the College, promoting awareness and understanding of legal requirements and best practices through training and education.
• Manage and oversee the legal services budget, including centralization of expenditures of the College’s legal services. 
• Advise on legal aspects of, and assist with, collective bargaining processes and agreements as needed. 

• Juris Doctorate from an ABA accredited law school with minimum 7 years legal experience.  
• Must be licensed to practice law in at least one United States jurisdiction, and will be required to seek admission to the California Bar and maintain good standing.
• Strong generalist knowledge and expertise on a wide range of federal, state, and local laws that relate to the mission and operation of a private, non-profit, tax-exempt higher education institution.
• Must be a self-starter with the ability, motivation, and enthusiasm to design and establish a new legal services operation for the College.
• Expert knowledge on issues of academic freedom and the ability to navigate tensions between academic freedom and compliance with the College’s legal requirements.  
• Unquestionable integrity, trustworthiness, and a commitment to upholding rigorous ethical standards and confidentiality. 
• Professionalism, decorum, and diplomacy in all interactions, with the ability to engage others with respect and empathy, in line with the College’s mission and values. 
• Commitment to equity and inclusion and experience working with diverse populations.
• Exceptional negotiation, communication, and presentation skills, capable of effectively conveying complex legal concepts to diverse audiences.
• Experience conducting or advising appropriate offices on conducting legally sufficient complex internal investigations. 
• Experience negotiating and/or interpreting collective bargaining agreements is desired, but not required.

About Saint Mary's College of California

Overview

Saint Mary’s College of California (Saint Mary’s) is a Catholic, selective, comprehensive university that engages the intellect and the spirit with exceptional academics and a tight-knit community of students, faculty, staff, and De La Salle Christian Brothers. We provide an education that changes lives and inspires the desire to find one’s calling in a world in need of transformation.

Saint Mary’s invites students to passionately embrace knowledge, the challenges of scholarship, and the capacity to make lasting changes in the world. Saint Mary’s is grounded in the liberal arts and the life and work of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the 17th-century founder of the Christian Brothers and patron saint of teachers.

For 160 years, SMC has emphasized service, pursued justice—social, economic, and racial—and developed respectful partnerships with underserved communities. The College in the 21st century celebrates the three traditions that have sustained it since its earliest years: the classical tradition of liberal arts education, the intellectual and spiritual legacy of the Catholic Church, and the vision of education enunciated by Saint John Baptist de La Salle and developed by the De La Salle Christian Brothers of the Christian Schools and their colleagues for more than 300 years.

Saint Mary’s is home to 2,765 students, approximately 450 faculty, and 370 staff. Situated on 420 acres, nestled in the rolling hills of Moraga, the campus is just 23 miles east of San Francisco. With white Mission/ Renaissance-style buildings, near-perfect year-round weather, and unmatched natural aesthetics, ours has been called the most beautiful campus west of the Mississippi.

The College is, in every sense, a community of scholars. The student-faculty ratio at Saint Mary’s College of California is 9:1 (with classes capped at 25) and 60% of its classes have fewer than 20 students.

Accolades

Saint Mary’s consistently rates high in awards of distinction by prestigious publications, including the U.S. News and World Report, Princeton Review, Money Magazine, Washington Monthly, Payscale, and others. Recently, the College was awarded a Gold Star Sustainability Rating by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Saint Mary’s College of California earns a special place in the prestigious guidebook Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. The publication is widely recognized as essential reading for college-bound students—and valued by discerning parents—for the way it identifies colleges that offer life-transforming educational experiences. Saint Mary’s is the only Catholic college and the only California college in the history of the 40-school list. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 85%.

Mission

Grounded in its Lasallian, Catholic, and liberal arts heritage, Saint Mary’s College is a student-centered learning community committed to transformative, equitable, and inclusive teaching, the passionate pursuit of knowledge, and expansive access to a practical education that empowers students to make lasting change in the world.

Vision   

Saint Mary’s College will become a leading innovative, national Catholic university that inspires minds, touches hearts, and transforms lives.

Academics

Saint Mary’s offers one of the most rigorous, multifaceted, and rewarding programs of academic study in the world. Our undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs span many disciplines and areas of academic interest, from astronomy to philosophy to global business, and we serve a wide range of students, from traditional undergraduates to international students to working professionals. What unites all our programs is the belief at the core of our mission: that education is a vehicle for personal discovery, transformative leadership, and social justice. A Saint Mary’s education will give students the tools to change the world.

Grounded in its Lasallian, Catholic, and liberal arts heritage, Saint Mary’s College is a student-centered learning community committed to transformative, equitable, and inclusive teaching, the passionate pursuit of knowledge, and expansive access to a practical education that empowers students to make lasting change in the world. Our vision is to become a leading innovative, national Catholic university that inspires minds, touches hearts, and transforms lives.

*Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in this profile.