Search for Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel

M E M O R A N D U M

TO:      Campus Community
FROM:  Robert N. Shelton, President
RE:    SEARCH, Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel

I have formed the General Counsel Search Advisory Committee for the open position of Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel. The Chair of the committee is Dr. Leslie P. Tolbert, UA Vice President for Research, Graduate Studies and Economic Development. After much consultation regarding the composition of the committee, we now have a very diverse and representative group of distinguished individuals who have graciously agreed to devote significant time to this very important national effort. The following is a list of the search committee members:

The committee has already held its first meeting and begun its work. The members have reviewed a draft of the job announcement and drafted a time line, and soon will post the job announcement through local and national media outlets. At this time, we have decided not to hire a search firm.  

The committee invites the University community to submit nominations, both internal and external. Please tap into your networks to identify strong candidates and bring these candidates to the attention of the committee. Beyond the nomination process, the work of the committee must be strictly confidential. To ensure that all potential candidates feel comfortable and secure with our process, I ask you not to put any members of the committee in a compromising position by asking for information about the progress of the search.

I am confident that this committee will provide a great service to The University of Arizona and their colleagues by contributing significantly to attracting the most competent, diverse pool of candidates who are excited by the opportunity to compete for this respected position at our outstanding Research I land-grant University. Please join me in thanking them for taking on this demanding undertaking.

The University of Arizona
Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel

The University of Arizona (UA), a national research university with an annual research volume of over $500 million and an annual budget of more than $1.3 billion, seeks a Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel. The UA is a comprehensive land-grant university with 38,000 students, 12,000 full-time employees, and NCAA Division I athletics and is a member of the Association of American Universities.
As the chief legal officer of the UA, the General Counsel reports directly to the President, provides advice and support to the Arizona Board of Regents, the University president and the University administration, is a member of the President’s cabinet, and is responsible for a wide range of legal issues including those related to institutional governance, intellectual property and licensing, research contracts and compliance, international transactions, employment matters, charitable giving, student-related issues, real estate, taxation, government regulations, and overseeing litigation.
 
Qualifications include a J.D. or L.L.B. from an accredited U.S. law school and 10+ years of broad legal experience. The successful candidate must be admitted to practice in Arizona or be eligible for admission and be admitted within one year of employment. Experience managing a law office and advising senior officers and governing boards or regents, a history of successful complex transactions and litigation, exceptional academic and professional credentials, a collaborative and client-enabling approach to legal advising, and familiarity with a complex higher education or large nonprofit environment will make candidates especially competitive. Review of received applications will begin in mid-July. Further applications will be accepted and considered until the search has been completed. Materials should be submitted at http://www.uacareertrack.com. The job number is 43079.

The University of Arizona is an EEO/AA – M/W/D/V Employer.