Associate General Counsel - Athletics

Georgia Tech prides itself on its technological resources, collaborations, high-quality student body, and its commitment to building an outstanding and diverse community of learning, discovery, and creation. We strongly encourage applicants whose values align with our institutional values, as outlined in our strategic plan. These values include academic excellence, diversity of thought and experience, inquiry and innovation, collaboration and community, and ethical behavior and stewardship. Georgia Tech has policies to promote a healthy work-life balance and is aware that attracting faculty may require meeting the needs of two careers.

Georgia Tech is a top-ranked public research university situated in the heart of Atlanta, a diverse and vibrant city with numerous economic and cultural strengths. The Institute serves more than 45,000 students through top-ranked undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs in engineering, computing, science, business, design, and liberal arts. Georgia Tech's faculty attracted more than $1.4 billion in research awards this past year in fields ranging from biomedical technology to artificial intelligence, energy, sustainability, semiconductors, neuroscience, and national security. Georgia Tech ranks among the nation's top 20 universities for research and development spending and No. 1 among institutions without a medical school.

About the Role

The Associate General Counsel is an individual contributor attorney role reporting to the Office of General Counsel, serving as the first tier into strategic legal leadership and liaison for Georgia Tech athletics on legal matters and litigation. This position focuses on leading through deep subject-matter expertise and taking ownership of high-impact legal matters, rather than through direct management of personnel. The Associate General Counsel provides sophisticated legal guidance, spearheads compliance initiatives, and shapes institutional policies.

This position will provide legal counsel and strategic guidance regarding NCAA, conference, institutional, federal, and state regulatory requirements; student-athlete matters; commercial transactions; policy development; and emerging legal issues affecting collegiate athletics. The position will work collaboratively with other members of the Office of General Counsel as needed for additional support. This position will interact on a regular basis with: Athletics staff, GTAA Board of Trustees members, Office of the President, other members of the Office of General Counsel, Institute executives, Faculty Athletics Representative, student-athletes, campus partners, athletics compliance personnel, external counsel, NCAA and conference representatives, and other internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead provision of sophisticated legal advice on high-impact, institution-wide legal, regulatory, and compliance issues for Georgia Tech Athletics, including providing legal counsel and strategic guidance to Athletics leadership, the GTAA Board of Trustees, and Institute leadership to protect the interests of the Institute by ensuring that actions comply with all applicable Institute policies, governing authority policies, and state and federal law.
• Own and drive enterprise-wide legal risk management and mitigation strategies for significant institutional matters.
• Lead negotiation and drafting of complex, high-value contracts, institutional policies, and governance documents. Specifically, review, draft, negotiate, and advise on athletics-related agreements and transactions, including employment agreements, sponsorships, commercial partnerships, naming rights, media rights, facility use agreements, vendor agreements, and other business arrangements.
• Interpret evolving laws and regulatory changes, providing strategic guidance to leadership on legal implications and institutional responses. In collaboration with the athletics compliance team, monitor and advise leadership regarding emerging legal, regulatory, legislative, and policy developments affecting collegiate athletics, including NCAA reform, NIL, athlete compensation, governance changes, and other industry developments.
• Represent the institution in complex legal proceedings, negotiations, and regulatory interactions, managing external counsel as needed. Serve as the primary liaison for external counsel relating to athletics matters and oversee athletics-related litigation, disputes, administrative proceedings, investigations, discovery responses, and other legal matters affecting Georgia Tech Athletics in consultation with other members of the Office of General Counsel where required.
• Monitor and forecast legislative, regulatory, and industry trends to inform and influence institutional strategy and policy development. Provide reports and updates to the General Counsel, Vice President for Ethics and Compliance, Faculty Athletics Representative, and other stakeholders regarding significant legal, compliance, governance, and NCAA matters.
• Lead the design and implementation of institution-wide legal education and compliance initiatives. Specifically, lead Athletics policy development efforts, including policy creation, review, implementation, governance processes, and alignment with Institute policies, legal requirements, and best practices in consultation with appropriate stakeholders. Collaborate with other members of the Office of General Counsel, including compliance, other Institute departments, and Athletics personnel to develop and provide legal education, compliance training, risk-management guidance, and other resources supporting institutional athletics legal and regulatory compliance.
• Provide thought insight on emerging legal issues, ethical standards, and best practices to shape institutional policies. Provide support to other members of the Office of General Counsel for support of the GTAA Board of Trustees, including management of bylaws, membership matters, board communications, agendas, minutes, voting activities, and governance documentation.
• Collaborate with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to resolve complex legal challenges and lead strategic initiatives. Serve as co-liaison to GTAA committees and other institutional committees regarding legal matters. Serve as Georgia Tech Athletics' Institutional Review Board (IRB) liaison and Athletics liaison for data governance, privacy, cybersecurity, records management, and information security matters.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
• Member of the State Bar of Georgia or ability to become licensed to practice law in Georgia within twelve (12) months of hire.
• 6+ years of relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Division I intercollegiate athletics, preferably within an FBS/Power Four athletics program.
• Experience with NIL, athlete compensation, and emerging collegiate athletics legal issues.
• Experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
• Experience managing litigation, investigations, and outside counsel.
• Experience in higher education, sports law, or a related legal environment.

Skills

This position requires advanced professional knowledge of the law as applied to collegiate athletics, higher education, governance, compliance, contracts, litigation, investigations, and risk management. The successful candidate must possess strong legal analysis, strategic counseling, contract negotiation, policy development, and problem-solving skills. Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities, sound judgment, diplomacy, relationship-building skills, and the ability to effectively advise senior leadership are required. The position also requires the ability to manage multiple complex matters simultaneously while working collaboratively across a large and diverse institutional environment. Proficiency in legal research, document management systems, and standard office and legal technology applications is required.

Pay

$140,211 to $170,000 commensurate with education and experience.