Frequently Asked Questions 

The Office of University Counsel (OUC) provides legal advice and representation to the university, including its trustees, officers, and employees acting within their official University capacities and authority. We handle matters including contracts, employment law, student affairs, intellectual property, compliance, litigation, University governance and regulatory issues.

We represent the University as an institution, providing advice to the executive team and administrative leadership across campus. Faculty and staff may seek advice on matters related to their official University duties in consultation with school and college leadership.  Our office does not and cannot provide personal legal advice to individuals for non-University matters or for individual disputes or issues related to their employment by the University.

You can reach us by phone at 315.443.9732 or by email at univcoun@syr.edu. For urgent matters, please call directly and indicate the urgency of your request. In-person visits by appointment only.

Communications with our office for legal advice are generally protected by confidentiality privilege. However, the privilege to assert confidential protections is subject to requirements such as expectations of privacy and only belongs to the University, not individuals. To maintain confidentiality and the opportunity to assert privilege, keep communications confidential and limit distribution to those with a need to know.

Document the situation and notify our office immediately. Do not discuss the matter further without legal guidance. Treat the person professionally and fairly.

Under federal and state law, the University has a duty to identify and preserve records that relate to pending or reasonably anticipated litigation or other legal or administrative proceedings involving the University.  A litigation hold, also known as a legal hold or document preservation, is a notification from the Office of University Counsel to University employees, agents, or representatives likely to have pertinent records that instructs them not to delete electronically stored information or discard hard copy documents that may be relevant, and requires them to turn off any auto-delete settings electronic devices. If you receive a legal hold notice it means you may have relevant information that the law requires you to preserve as a records custodian.  It does not necessarily mean that you are directly involved in the legal action.

Inform the individual that you will not accept service because you do not have authority to accept service of process. Only the Office of University Counsel is authorized to accept service of process on behalf of the University.  If you mistakenly accepted legal documents from a process server, contact the Office of University Counsel as soon as possible at 315.443.9732.  Please be aware that these documents are time sensitive, and any delay could have serious legal consequences for the University. See the Subpoena Policy for more information.

Forward all records requests to the Office of University Counsel immediately. Do not respond directly or delete any potentially relevant records. We will coordinate the response with appropriate University offices.

While the Office of University Counsel cannot represent you, there are resources available, depending on your eligibility. 

• Student Legal Services can aid undergraduate students in a variety of matters.
• The College of Law offers legal clinics for non-SU-affiliated members of the greater Syracuse community.
• The Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York offers a variety of legal services at low-to-no cost for eligible applicants.
• The Onondaga Bar Association offers lawyer referral services to connect people with the right attorneys for their specific legal needs. 

Please refer to the contract review process.

Only authorized representatives of the University with the appropriate signing authority can sign contracts. Please refer to the signature authority policy. 

• For matters concerning copyright, please contact the Office of University Counsel.
• For trademark matters, such as the use and license of University marks, please contact the Office of Trademark Licensing.
• For inventions, discoveries or patent-related matters, please contact the Office of Technology Transfer.

The Office of Community Standards handles most discipline matters. Our office becomes involved on behalf of the University in complex cases, appeals, or matters with significant legal implications.

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that governs the rights of eligible students to inspect their education records, the right to have those records amended and the right to some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from their education records. Before releasing any student information, consult our FERPA guidelines or contact our office. Violations can result in loss of federal funding.

Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in education programs. All employees have reporting obligations when they learn of potential sexual harassment or misconduct. Contact the Title IX Coordinator for guidance.

The University has adopted policies regarding fraud and misconduct including, without limitation, a Fiscal Misconduct Policy. Any suspected fraud or other fiscal misconduct should be reported promptly through the Ethics Point confidential reporting hotline. The University prohibits retaliation against good-faith reporters.

Review sponsor terms carefully, especially regarding intellectual property rights, publication restrictions, and compliance requirements. Some terms may not be acceptable to the University. Submit sponsored agreements for review early in the process to the Office of Sponsored Programs.