The Office of General Counsel provides guidance on a variety of legal issues affecting Iowa State University. Please look through the links at the bottom of the page for guidance on a specific topic. If you are not able to find the answer you are looking for, contact the general counsel office directly.

Ethics: Code of Business and Fiduciary Conduct

Attorney-Client Privilege

Communications to and from attorneys in an attorney-client consultation are generally protected from disclosure by law and by ethical standards, known as attorney-client privilege. The purpose of the privilege is to encourage honest exchange between an attorney and client so that accurate and objective advice may be given.

Clients of the Office of General Counsel, like all users of attorneys, should be aware that there are limitations on the attorney-client privilege. Key points to remember:

  • The protection is not absolute and does not apply to every communication with an attorney. The communication must be within the attorney-client relationship, and intended to be confidential. The privilege was not created for the purpose of hiding facts or documents; consequently, merely copying an attorney with correspondence or sending documents to us does not mean the matters conveyed will be privileged.
  • The protection may be waived by consent of the client or by disclosure of the communication. Our clients should take care before forwarding our advice to another party, because such action may waive the privilege. Generally, conveying attorney advice to persons who are directly involved with a decision on behalf of the University will not void the privilege. Disclosure of significant legal advice to persons without such a need to know should be made only after consultation with appropriate university administrators.
  • Since our services are dedicated to the University as a whole, and then to those acting in an official capacity, communications by individual employees to us may be disclosed to other administrators or attorneys representing or advising the University as necessary to serve the interests of ISU. Persons whose personal interests may conflict with the University may wish to secure, at their cost, advice of a private attorney.

This is a very generalized discussion of the privilege. If you have questions about attorney-client privilege in your work with ISU, please talk with one of the attorneys on our staff.

Dispute Resolution

The Office of General Counsel encourages employees to use informal channels to resolve problems. However, formal grievance procedures are available. Please look through the links below for more information. Should you have a legal issue with a grievance, contact the Office of General Counsel.

Teaching and Learning Resources

Teaching and learning are generally governed by institutional policy rather than the law. We have listed regulations and policy relevant to teaching and learning, but also some areas that the law does affect the relationship of the institution to students.