The General Counsel provides legal advice and assistance to the President, Provost, central administration, deans, directors and faculty. The General Counsel, as a Special Assistant Attorney General, is responsible together with the Oregon Department of Justice for legal representation of the University and its officers and employees, and for reviewing University activities to determine compliance with applicable law.
Responsibilities of the General Counsel include reviewing the legal impact of changes in University policy, procedures and rules; working on contract disputes, claims, and interpretation; providing advice concerning University intellectual property; drafting and reviewing documents for real property transactions; providing legal advice on all aspects of the employment process; providing advice on student activities and student conduct matters. In providing advice, the General Counsel works closely with members of the Cabinet, others in the central administration, deans and faculty, as well as the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunities, Human Resources, the Director of Technology Transfer, and the Contracts Office.
The General Counsel also works with other University employees if legal questions arise in connection with their job duties. A faculty or staff member who receives a subpoena related to responsibilities as an OSU employee should contact the General Counsel's Office.
The General Counsel may give advice only on official University business and may not give advice to employees or students on personal legal matters. Students with personal legal problems should contact the ASOSU Office of Legal Advising.
The General Counsel reports to the President and Provost and is a member of the President's Cabinet. As a member of the President's Cabinet, the General Counsel participates in Cabinet deliberations and recommendations to the President on policy issues before the University.
Meg Reeves has served as OSU's General Counsel since December 1, 2007. She has worked in OSU's Office of the General Counsel since 2003. Before coming to OSU Meg worked as the Deputy Director of the Oregon Water Resources Department, as an Assistant Attorney General in the Natural Resources section of the Oregon Department of Justice, and as a judicial clerk for both the Oregon Supreme Court and the Oregon Court of Appeals. Meg received a B.A. from the State University of New York at Oswego and her J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law.
