Associate Campus Counsel - Contracts

The Associate or Senior Campus Counsel is a member of the State University of New York’s ( SUNY ) Office of General Counsel ( OGC ) assigned to OGC’s Buffalo regional office at the University at Buffalo (UB). Under the leadership of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, OGC provides legal services and support to the SUNY Board of Trustees, the Chancellor and senior officers at SUNY System Administration, and the presidents and administrators of SUNY’s 29 state-operated campuses.

OGC consists of more than 70 higher education attorneys, paralegals, and support staff at System Administration and in campus-based regional offices throughout the State.

The position has primary responsibility for providing legal advice and services to UB on contracts and business transactions, including complex contractual, procurement, construction, real estate, and related business matters, and for structuring, negotiating, reviewing, and advising on legal agreements that support the university’s operations, research, programs, and partnerships.

As a member of OGC’s statewide legal team, the Associate or Senior Campus Counsel exercises significant independent judgment and works collaboratively with attorneys and staff at System Administration and OGC’s other campus-based regional offices to coordinate the consistent delivery of legal services across SUNY . The attorney participates in OGC’s Contracts Practice Group and other OGC meetings, trainings, and initiatives and may provide legal support on matters outside the attorney’s primary portfolio as needed.

OGC’s practice spans public procurement, governance and ethics, health care, capital construction, public finance, labor and employment, litigation oversight, student affairs, real estate, research, regulatory compliance, and other areas affecting the University. The position also includes responsibility for legal matters involving key university-related entities, including the University at Buffalo Foundation and other affiliated or auxiliary organizations, and coordinates with OGC colleagues and appropriate State agencies when matters require specialized, system-wide, or external review.

• Provide primary legal advice and services to the university on transactional and business matters, including complex commercial contracts, procurement of goods and services, construction-related agreements, licensing, and partnership agreements.
• Draft, review, negotiate, revise, finalize, and complete a broad range of agreements, including revenue-generating contracts, affiliation agreements, real estate and land use instruments, research-related agreements, technology transfer and licensing arrangements, memoranda of understanding, construction and contractor agreements, and agreements among SUNY components and with SUNY
  -affiliated entities, other State agencies, and external entities.
• Develop and continually improve standardized contract templates and client tools, and create and implement playbooks, guidelines, best practices, risk-mitigation protocols, and legal review procedures to support efficient, consistent, and compliant contract review across the university and, as appropriate, OGC .
• Advise on legal aspects of the university’s relationships and transactions with affiliated and auxiliary organizations, including the University at Buffalo Foundation, and provide counsel regarding governance, transactions, and the appropriate coordination of institutional roles and responsibilities.
• Provide legal advice and guidance to the university’s executive leadership, procurement staff, administrative units, and faculty on complex contracts and business transactions, contract interpretation and performance, insurance,…