General Counsel & Risk Management

The division of General Counsel and Risk Management (formerly known as the Office of University Counsel) supports the university and its senior leadership in the work to advance Puget Sound’s distinctive educational mission and strategic goals by anticipating legal and governance issues, managing risk, and facilitating the university’s compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.

In performing this work, members of the division of General Counsel and Risk Management:

• Provide legal advice and referrals to other areas of university administration as needed, partner with leadership, faculty, and staff on policy advice and management, and establish, approve, and oversee relationships with outside counsel. 
• Oversee the university’s contracts process, including providing training and support for individuals with delegated authority to enter into agreements on behalf of the university. 
• Lead the development and implementation of sound, preventive risk management practices, emergency management and business continuity practices, and related university-wide compliance measures to support the university’s mission and play a key role in the management of the university’s entire portfolio of risks, while working collaboratively with campus partners with the philosophy that risk management is a shared responsibility among many campus units, departments, and programs. 
• Manage the university’s insurance programs, including workers’ compensation, general liability, healthcare liability, automobile liability, property, business interruption, educator’s legal liability, and excess liability, among others.
• Support the work of the Office of the President and the Board of Trustees on governance issues, and the Vice President and General Counsel serves as the Secretary to the Board of Trustees.