Welcome! The Office of General Counsel exists to help fulfill the university's legal and ethical obligations. We serve and support university employees by providing efficient and effective legal advice and services for matters that involve or affect South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã State University, consistent with the oversight of the South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Board of Regents and its General Counsel.
Our Mission
The South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã State University Office of General Counsel coordinates and provides efficient and effective legal and other related services to university employees on matters that involve or affect the university, while upholding the university's core values.
Our Vision
The South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã State University Office of General Counsel provides professional and reliable legal advice and support, serving as a resource for informed decision-making and creative problem-solving to further the university's vision of a premier land-grant university recognized for high value, innovation and bold impact.
How We Help You
Our main objective is to coordinate and provide reliable legal advice, guidance and support for the university. We offer a wide variety of legal services, including the following:
- We prepare legal documents, as well as review, revise and recommend approval of agreements that are executed by authorized university officials.
- We offer educational programs concerning legal compliance and policy issues.
- We provide counsel, assistance and information to university employees about the policies and procedures of the university, the South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Board of Regents, the State of South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã and the federal government.
- We represent the university as legal counsel in judicial and governmental proceedings by advocating and defending its interests.
- We serve as the point of contact for all interactions with outside legal counsel, some of whom may be retained by the Office of General Counsel.
Our office is generally available to provide these services for legal matters that arise out of a university employee's conduct of their duties. We cannot provide legal advice to and do not represent individuals or students, except in their roles as employees of the university.
Because SDSU General Counsel is appointed by the university president, subject to Board of Regents approval, SDSU General Counsel's ultimate responsibility is to represent the university in conformity with Board of Regents governance. Therefore, in any legal representation, deference must be given to conflicts within the organizational hierarchy of South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã State University and the South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Board of Regents. This includes exploring whether there are any conflicts in providing legal services in our initial consultations.