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MISSION/ORGANIZATION
The Office of Counsel at The University of Alabama in Huntsville operates in the context established by the Bylaws of The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama. The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama is a public educational and constitutional instrumentality of the State of Alabama that is incorporated by statute, and Article III, Section 4 of its Bylaws provides as follows with respect to the General Counsel:
The General Counsel shall be appointed by the Chancellor with the approval of the Board. The General Counsel shall represent the University in all legal matters and shall be responsible for the delivery of all legal services, including the conduct and resolution of litigation, the prosecution and settlement of all claims and for the legal review of all significant transactions. To fulfill these responsibilities, the General Counsel shall staff, organize, and administer the Office of Counsel of the University of Alabama System. The General Counsel shall retain and manage all outside counsel performing legal services for the University. All counsel employed by the University shall always represent its corporate interests.
Pursuant to this Bylaw, campus legal offices exist at each of the three constituent universities that comprise The University of Alabama System. These campus legal offices, together with that of the General Counsel, make up the Office of Counsel of The University of Alabama System. The attorneys in the UAH Office of Counsel are employed by The University of Alabama System, and they and their administrative support staff report to and function under the oversight of the General Counsel.
The role of the UAH Office of Counsel is to deliver to the University, in both its general corporate and specific campus setting, high quality legal services in a timely and economical way. These services involve the application of traditional legal skills, such as drafting, advising, defending, etc., in the distinctive legal environment of a public university. As part of the administrative team, the UAH attorneys are committed to helping the institution, as the "client," achieve its lawful ends, while at the same time maintaining the standards of independent judgment and professionalism that are fundamental to the practice of law in any setting.
The UAH attorneys are available for consultation or to provide other legal services to executive and administrative officials, other employees, faculty, and students. Only those issues that are institutional, as opposed to personal, in nature, however, are within the scope of the legal representation/assistance activities that are authorized for the attorneys. In addition, the Office of Counsel cannot become involved in any matter on behalf of an employee where the employee's interests may become adversarial to that of the University.
The Office of Counsel is committed to being a helpful and service-oriented resource for the UAH community with respect to its need for legal services.