About
As defined by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois (the Board) in Article VI, Section 6 of its Bylaws, the University Counsel is the chief legal officer for the University and serves as legal advisor to the President and the Board. In addition, attorneys in the Office of University Counsel provide legal advice and representation to the University, its administrators at all campuses, employees, University Related Organizations, and other agents of the University who seek such advice on behalf of the University arising out of their official University responsibilities. The Office of University Counsel also employs and coordinates the work of outside counsel and is responsible for the legal aspects of University contracts and other legal matters.
The Office of University Counsel is committed to providing quality legal service and advice to its clients. The University is a large and complex organization, with many individual decision-makers who exercise responsibilities on behalf of the University. With an average of 21 years of practice experience, attorneys in the Office of University Counsel work to ensure that the Board and the individual decision-makers achieve their objectives in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Board policies. The Office of University Counsel's ultimate duty is to represent the interests of the institution. This is achieved by intentionally building a culture upon five core values: legal knowledge/ability, integrity, responsibility, professional development, and succession planning.
If you have a legal issue or question, please contact the Office of University Counsel on your campus, and you will be appropriately referred.
The attorneys in the Office of University Counsel do not provide legal services to faculty, staff or students in their personal matters. Nor do they represent or advise employees with claims against the University. Students with personal legal issues should contact Student Legal Services at UI at Chicago or UI at Urbana-Champaign.