Office of Legal Affairs

The Office of Legal Affairs provides legal counsel and representation on a broad range of legal matters affecting the College and the Board of Trustees.  Our team consists of the Vice Chancellor of Legal Affairs who serves as chief legal officer and General Counsel for the College, the Assistant General Counsel, and the Paralegal/FOIA Coordinator.

Request for Legal Advice - For legal advice concerning matters pertaining to College business, please telephone or email our office.  When emailing, include "REQUEST FOR LEGAL ADVICE" in the subject line.  Please note the office does not provide personal legal advice to OCC employees or students.

Attorney/Client Privilege - The attorney-client privilege encourages openness and honesty between College attorneys and employees seeking legal advice concerning College legal matters.  The privilege protects the confidentiality of communications for the purposes of requesting or receiving legal advice.

Communications must be kept confidential for the attorney-client privilege to apply. Communications with College attorneys should never be discussed with anyone outside the College, including family members or friends; within the College, they should be discussed only with persons who have responsibility or a business need to know.

Subpoenas- Subpoenas for information/documents/records including, without limitation, requests for information about College employees or students, should be forwarded immediately to this office for handling.  If you receive a subpoena for an appearance in court regarding a College matter, please contact our office.

Service of a Legal Action Involving the College -  Any employee who is served with a lawsuit involving the College should contact our office immediately. 

Contact by Outside Counsel - Any employee who is contacted directly by an outside law firm representative or outside attorney regarding a College matter should contact our office immediately. Employees are not obligated to speak with such individuals and should refer the individual to our office. 

Contact by Government Agency -  Any employee who is contacted by a purported government agent seeking information about the College should contact our office immediately for verification of the person’s identity before releasing any information. 

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests – Any requests for College information/documents/records from outside entities or individuals should be forwarded to the FOIA Coordinator immediately.

Contract/Agreement Review - Any contracts or agreements requiring legal review should first be submitted to the Purchasing Department using the Contract Routing Form.  

Use of Outside Counsel - Only the General Counsel may hire or retain an attorney for any College purpose.  Departments or offices that wish to hire an attorney must contact the General Counsel prior to any work being performed. 

DISCLAIMER: The material presented here is for informational purposes only and is not to be considered legal advice.