The posting
This position serves as a generalist within the Office of General Counsel and provides legal advice and representation to university leadership, administrators, and other campus partners across a broad range of legal matters and related issues.
Salary & Benefits:
Minimum starting salary of $120,000, commensurate with experience.
Comprehensive benefits package including medical, vision, dental, life insurance, generous employer retirement contributions, wellness resources and tuition waiver effective on date of hire.
This role requires a confident, client-facing attorney with demonstrated experience providing practical legal advice, exercising sound judgment, and communicating clearly with non-lawyer audiences. This position requires comfort handling varied and evolving issues, identifying legal risks, and recommending solutions aligned with the university’s mission and legal and compliance requirements.
PRIMARY DUTIES MAY INCLUDE:
1. Provide timely, practical legal advice to university clients on a wide range of legal issues and support implementation of such guidance, as appropriate.
2. Manage and resolve legal questions from both university departments and generated by the Office of the General Counsel, including by identifying issues, asking questions, researching applicable law, assessing risk, delivering appropriate guidance, and drafting and reviewing written materials and communications.
3. Draft, edit, and review legal correspondence, responses to government agencies, opinions, contracts, agreements, background documents, litigation-related materials, and other legal or related documents as needed.
4. Represent or oversee the representation of the university in litigation, investigations, and administrative hearings, as needed, including preparing university employees for such processes and coordinating with outside counsel, and support or conduct internal investigations.
5. Provide direction and training to university departments on compliance, legal risk management, and institutional decision-making, including through conducting internal legal audits, developing and implementing systems and processes, and providing recommendations as necessary to ensure compliance with applicable requirements.
6 Define, support, and take actions needed to comply with the law and advise on a range of issues with high legal sensitivity/risk
7. Monitor and prepare comments, analysis, or proposed revisions on proposed, new, or existing federal and state legislation and regulation, as needed.
8. Recommend changes to university policies and practices to comply with new or updated legal requirements, manage risk, or achieve university goals.
9. Provide interpretations and analysis of existing university policies, and draft and coordinate potential policy revisions or new policies across different groups of university stakeholders to ensure legal compliance, consistency, and operational alignment.
10. Represent the Office of General Counsel in internal and external meetings, including on university initiatives and committees, and in meetings with external stakeholders.
11. Collaborate with other attorneys in the Office of General Counsel, ensuring consistent and legally sound guidance in alignment with university policy and mission and efficient delivery of legal services.
12. Perform other duties as required/assigned by leadership.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
- Juris Doctor from an accredited law school.
- Active license and good standing with the State Bar of Michigan or member in good standing of another Bar Association and willingness to seek admission to Michigan Bar Association.
- Minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible legal experience, with substantial experience in the active practice of law.
- Demonstrated experience confidently providing legal advice directly to clients.
- Strong legal research, analytical, writing, risk evaluation, and oral presentation skills.
- Ability to communicate complex legal concepts clearly and concisely to non-lawyers.
- Demonstrated professional judgment, discretion, and ability to manage sensitive matters and protect confidential information.
- Strong interpersonal skills, including an ability to develop and maintain professional and collegial relationships with students, colleagues, administrators, vendors, government officials, outside counsel, etc.
- Commitment to respectful engagement and professional integrity in a public university environment.
PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
- Experience advising public sector, higher education, or similarly complex organizations.
- Exposure to a broad range of practice areas consistent with a generalist role, such as: employment and labor matters; civil rights or discrimination issues; student affairs and conduct matters; contracts and transactional review; litigation management; regulatory compliance, policy development and compliance; investigations and risk management; First Amendment or expressive activity; records and privacy matters; real estate law; immigration; and intellectual property.
- Experience balancing competing stakeholder interests in a mission-driven environment.
- Experience in managing legal operations and creating processes to efficiently deliver legal services.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and build productive relationships across diverse constituencies.
- Strong issue-spotting ability across varied legal topics.
- Ability to think critically and ask clarifying questions when facts are incomplete.
- Organized and able to manage multiple priorities effectively.
- Professional presence and interpersonal effectiveness in client-facing settings.
How to Apply:
Attach your cover letter and resume, these documents are required. Applications missing required documents will not be considered. The system will allow you to attach these documents electronically. If you have questions about the position or the posting, please contact Sara Pokorski ([email protected]). If you need technical assistance, please contact Human Resources at [email protected].
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and must not require sponsorship now or in the future.
Application Deadline:
Application review begins October 19, 2026 and this posting may be closed at any time at the discretion of the University.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Must have the physical stamina to work long hours and/or more than 5 days per week. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as amended by the ADA Amendment Act (2008), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other applicable federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. GVSU will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. See www.gvsu.edu/equalopportunity/. TDD Callers: Call Michigan Relay Center at 711 (in State) or 1-800-833-7833 (out of State).
Grand Valley State University is an Antidiscrimination/Equal Opportunity Employer, which includes providing equal opportunity for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. University policy extends protections to additional identities.
