Assistant General Counsel

About the role

Westcliff University seeks an Assistant General Counsel to support the General Counsel in providing legal advice across a broad range of university matters. This is a generalist in-house counsel role for a lawyer with strong drafting skills, sound judgment, and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial higher education environment.

Responsibilities

• Reviewing, drafting, revising, and negotiating a wide variety of agreements, including vendor, services, consulting, licensing, academic partnership, and other institutional contracts
• Conducting legal research and preparing memoranda, email guidance, talking points, templates, and other practical legal work product
• Advising internal clients on legal and compliance issues affecting university operations
• Assisting with employment-related matters, including policy interpretation, workplace issues, investigations support, discipline-related questions, and coordination with Human Resources
• Assisting with student-facing legal matters, including privacy, conduct, accommodations, and related risk-management issues
• Supporting legal work relating to higher education regulation, state authorization, accreditation-sensitive matters, and institutional compliance
• Assisting with governance matters, including board and committee materials, bylaws, resolutions, and corporate records
• Supporting dispute management, claims, subpoena responses, and coordination with outside counsel
• Assisting with privacy, data governance, and emerging technology issues, including AI-related legal questions
• Participating in due diligence, transactional support, and post-closing integration work as needed
• Helping to develop, revise, and maintain policies, procedures, forms, and training materials
• Performing other related duties as assigned by the General Counsel
• Handles other projects and tasks as needed

Qualifications

• Minimum Requirements:
  • J.D. from an accredited law school
  • Active bar membership in good standing in California, or ability to satisfy applicable requirements for lawful in-house practice
  • Approximately 3–4 years of relevant legal experience
  • Excellent legal writing, editing, and verbal communication skills
  • Strong analytical ability and practical judgment
  • Experience drafting, reviewing, or negotiating contracts
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines with careful attention to detail
  • Ability to work professionally and collaboratively with executives, administrators, faculty, and staff
  • Discretion in handling sensitive and confidential matters
• Preferred Requirements:
  • Prior experience in higher education, healthcare, employment, privacy, compliance, or another regulated industry
  • Experience with one or more of the following: employment counseling, internal investigations, FERPA, Title IX, Clery, ADA/Section 504, accreditation, governance, privacy, AI governance, litigation management, and corporate transactions
  • Experience preparing policies, guidance documents, and executive-level memoranda
  • Familiarity with the operational needs of a fast-growing institution

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Ability to produce clear, concise, and business-oriented legal advice
• Ability to learn unfamiliar subject matters quickly
• Judgment to distinguish major risks from routine issues
• Strong drafting discipline and attention to detail
• Strong AI skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and client-service orientation
• Ability to work independently while collaborating closely with the General Counsel