About the General Counsel
Contact
515-294-5352 (p)
515-294-1799 (f)
gencounsel@iastate.edu
Visit
3550 Beardshear Hall
515 Morrill Rd.
Ames, IA 50011-2045
Hours
Weekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Closed weekends and university holidays
Meet our attorneys and staff
The directory includes contact information and the areas of assistance each individual offers.
Services offered
The Office of General Counsel serves as legal advisor to the University and its various departments, including:
- Legal advice to university administrators and managers
- Assistance in drafting or reviewing contracts and other legal documents
- Assistance in drafting or reviewing university policies, guidelines and procedures
- Representation of university units in internal administrative proceedings
- Representation in matters pending before state and federal agencies
- Information about legal rules being considered for adoption by the Board of Regents affecting Iowa State University
- Assistance with securing of specialized legal expertise for university departments
- Coordination with, and support of, the Iowa Department of Justice or private counsel handling university matters in litigation
- Training programs related to legal issues
Things to remember
- For coordination and to conserve resources, inform your department chair or unit head that you are seeking our assistance.
- Make an appointment for complicated or serious matters.
- Consider what other persons should be involved. For example, a merit employee issue may be best resolved by involving a member of the Human Resources staff.
- Provide adequate time for review of documents well in advance of deadlines.
Personal and private legal requests
- General Counsel does not represent faculty, staff or students in private legal matters, or provide personal legal advice.
- Students can contact Student Legal Services for legal advice and support.
- Employees and members of the general public may contact the Iowa State Bar Association for personal legal assistance.
Iowa Department of Justice
The Iowa Department of Justice handles litigation in court for ISU and provides advice to the Iowa Board of Regents. The Office of General Counsel coordinates and works with the Department of Justice on university litigation.
On matters involving personal injury or property damage, members of the Iowa Department of Justice Special Litigation Division may represent the University. If you have a question regarding whether a matter is being handled by the Iowa Department of Justice, please contact the Office of General Counsel.
Private Practice Counsel
From time to time, the University will hire lawyers in private practice to advise or represent the University. Such attorneys are hired most often in specialized areas of law such as intellectual property, broadcasting, benefits and federal taxation. OGC negotiates agreements with outside counsel and oversees their work.
Hiring of outside attorneys requires consultation with the Office of General Counsel. If you believe your unit requires specialized legal advice, please consult with us. We can also answer questions whether a private attorney has been retained by the University.
Our mission
The mission of the Office of University Counsel is to serve as trusted legal advisors, advocates, counselors, and problem-solvers for Iowa State University. We help our university partners across campus to develop sound legal approaches to advance the land-grant ideas of putting science, technology, and human creativity to work to lead the global quest for solutions. We proactively and collaboratively work with administrators, faculty, staff, and students to anticipate potential legal problems and address actual ones. We provide university decision-makers with knowledge of the law so that they can make sound decisions, and we work with them to guard the university’s reputation and financial interests. We accomplish our mission with a commitment to being practical, ethical, professional, collaborative, timely, efficient, responsive, and creative in serving the university.