General Counsel

The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) represents the College as an institution and Smith faculty, staff, and administrators acting in the scope of their professional responsibilities. However, we do not represent people in individual legal matters that arise outside of their roles as officials of the institution. While the OGC cannot provide legal advice or representation to individuals in personal matters, we may be able to help connect people with appropriate external resources.

In overseeing the College’s legal strategy, our goal is to provide timely and thoughtful advice. We are committed to advancing the mission of Smith by offering pragmatic and solutions-oriented guidance that helps the institution effectively navigate and mitigate legal and regulatory risks.

The OGC handles a broad range of legal matters on behalf of the College. This includes litigation, as well as regulatory and compliance matters. The OGC can provide advice on a range of issues including, but not limited to, labor and employment, student matters, contracts, policy development and interpretation, property and real estate issues, intellectual property, and compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

If you are unsure whether you have an issue that is appropriate to discuss with the OGC, please reach out. We are happy to answer questions about what falls within the scope of our role or direct you to another office, if appropriate.

The use of attorneys from outside the college is managed entirely by the Smith OGC. If you believe you need to work with an outside attorney, please go through our office to engage them. We will make the final determination on whether we will utilize an outside attorney for a given legal matter, as well as which attorney we will employ.

Any time you receive outreach or communication from an attorney regarding Smith business or your work at Smith, let us know immediately and direct the attorney to our office. In addition, if a student or employee tells you that they have retained an attorney, please share that information with our office as well.

Any and all legal documents that you receive as a result of your role at the college should be shared directly with the Office of the General Counsel. Please provide copies of such documents to our office as soon as possible. Do not ignore documents or attempt to respond to any legal requests on your own.

When the purpose of a communication with the OGC is to give or receive legal advice, then it will generally be protected from disclosure to third parties under the attorney-client privilege. This privilege applies to oral, written, and electronic communications and documents that are used to provide legal advice. 

However, the privilege to protect this information from disclosure belongs to Smith College. That is, the College may choose to waive the privilege and share protected information with third parties. You should take care not to share confidential legal advice and information, as doing so may jeopardize the privilege.

Concerns about discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct should be reported to the Office of Civil Rights and Community Support, at titleixcoordinator@smith.edu. You can also refer to the Sexual Misconduct and Equal Educational Opportunity Policies for further information on reporting and resources.

College-wide policies, as well as the student and employee handbooks, are available for reference on the Institutional Policies webpage.