University General Counsel

The University of Louisville invites applications and nominations for the position of Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel.

The University of Louisville is a state-supported research university located in Kentucky's largest metropolitan area. It was a municipally supported public institution for many decades prior to joining the university system in 1970. The University has three campuses. The 287-acre Belknap Campus is three miles from downtown Louisville and houses eight of the university's 12 colleges and schools. The Health Sciences Center is situated in downtown Louisville's medical complex and houses the university's health-related programs and the University of Louisville Hospital. The 243-acre Shelby Campus is located in eastern Jefferson County.

President Neeli Bendapudi’s new Strategic Plan signals the beginning of a new, exciting chapter in the story of the university. It lays out bold initiatives and creative efforts to ensure UofL’s standing as a great place to learn, a great place to work and a great place in which to invest by celebrating diversity, fostering equity and striving for inclusion. The strategic plan is designed to be a roadmap and a guide to the university’s growth for the next three years. The university follows a set of guiding principles that shape its community and its actions. Every member of the University of Louisville family is expected to follow these Cardinal Principles.

The University of Louisville seeks a Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel (“GC”) to serve as the chief legal officer and general counsel for the University’s administrators, faculty, and staff when acting within the course of the scope of their employment. The GC is responsible for providing legal counsel and guidance to the officers of the institution and other upper management on all legal matters relevant to a public, metropolitan, Research I university with a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, programs and degree offerings, as well as a comprehensive Health Sciences Campus, including, but not limited to laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures pertaining to labor and real estate transaction, contracts and grants, tax, liability and insurance, public monies and purchases, and a wide range of other areas affecting student, faculty and staff well-being, from affirmative action to Title IX and beyond. The GC reports directly to the President and serves as a member of the President’s senior leadership team. The GC coordinates and manages the provision of all legal services to the university to ensure maximum protection of its legal rights and to maintain its operations within the limits prescribed by local, state, and federal laws while supporting and advancing the overall mission and Cardinal Principles of the University. The GC provides strategic guidance, legal advice, ethical perspectives, consultation, and support to the senior leaders and upper management at the university.

The ideal candidate will have proven experience managing a large corporate or centralized institutional legal office. They will be an effective leader and an exceptional communicator, as well as a champion for diversity, fostering equity and achieving inclusion. The successful candidate will have earned a JD from an ABA accredited school of law and admission to the Kentucky Bar or eligibility to practice law in the Commonwealth of Kentucky through a reciprocal arrangement in another state.

Applications, nominations and expressions of interest will be received until a list of candidates is put forward for final consideration. Review of candidates will begin immediately. Applications should include a curriculum vitae and detailed cover letter and are encouraged to be submitted by August 31st to ensure fullest consideration.