The Office of General Counsel strives to be problem solvers; to defend the interests of the University; to protect and promote the integrity of the University; and to provide quality legal services, advice, and guidance to the University community in support of the University’s overarching goals, objectives, and mission.
We serve as in-house legal counsel for West Virginia University; West Virginia University Potomac State College; West Virginia University Institute of Technology; West Virginia University Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, including the Martinsburg and Charleston divisions; West Virginia University Research Corporation; West Virginia University Innovation Corporation; and WVU Extension Offices.
The Office of General Counsel represents West Virginia University as an institutional client. Because our office represents the University, its ultimate responsibility is to the University Board of Governors and President. All attorneys in the Office of General Counsel have a fiduciary obligation to the University, including the responsibility to protect and advance the interests and assets of the University and a duty to act out of loyalty, independence, impartiality, and integrity.
The Office of General Counsel provides advice and counsel to University administrators, faculty, and staff members only when they are acting within the scope of their employment with the University. The Office of General Counsel does not provide legal advice or representation to administrators, faculty, and staff members of the University community on matters of a personal nature or on matters adverse to the interests of the University. Accordingly, there are no separate attorney-client relationships established with individual administrators, faculty, and staff members.