我们所做的
The University of the Pacific Office of the General Counsel supports the 使命及价值观 of the University through strategic, knowledgeable, just, and timely legal guidance.
目标
Be a strategic and innovative thought partner to get clients’ projects over the finish line.
Anticipate and address legal and compliance issues.
Respond promptly and clearly.
Advise on legal risk and wherever possible offer ways to get to “yes.”
Engage excellent and diverse outside counsel to support the legal mission.
Never let the law circumvent common sense or doing the right thing.
Steward the university’s financial and environmental resources in a responsible manner.
访问服务
All members of the Pacific community are encouraged to identify university-based legal issues that might benefit 从 OGC consultation. Faculty bring legal matters forward through their Dean or Provost; staff through their Vice President; and students through the Vice President for 学生生活.
Contract review begins with 采购.
Insurance questions begin with 风险管理.
(NOTE: OGC acts as legal counsel for the university and offers advice and representation on university matters only. OGC does not provide advice to community members on individual legal matters, including matters when an individual is under university investigation or has filed a grievance against the university.)
我们是谁
The Office of the General Counsel is led by Chief General Counsel 劳伦Schoenthaler, a member of the President’s Cabinet.
The Office is supported by Assistant General Counsel Jonelle贝克, and Legal Office Coordinator, 丽塔皮特森.
THE ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGE
The attorney-client privilege preserves the confidentiality of communications between lawyers and their clients when the communication is made for the purpose of seeking legal advice. Communications that Pacific faculty and staff have with OGC or Pacific-retained outside counsel, 信心, for the purpose of seeking legal advice on university matters, are protected by the attorney-client privilege 从 disclosure to opposing parties. Such communications are privileged whether they are oral or written.
A memorandum 从 one administrator to another concerning a legal matter typically is not privileged. For the privilege to exist, the communication must be to, 从, 或者找个律师, or drafted at the direction of an attorney. In addition, the communication must be for the purpose of requesting or receiving legal advice.
例子: An unhappy fan 从 an opposing team threatens to sue the University for a sprained wrist trying to catch a fly ball. An employee witness writes a memorandum to Pacific’s OGC requesting legal advice. He also sends a copy of his memorandum to the University Director of 风险管理. Both copies of the memorandum are privileged; the first as an attorney-client communication and the second because he is sharing a privileged communication with a university official with a need to know about the threatened lawsuit by virtue of her responsibility to the University. If, 然而, the witness employee writes a separate letter to the Director of 风险管理 concerning the fan’s allegations, this separate letter is not privileged and would be subject to disclosure in a lawsuit.
Communications must be kept confidential for the privilege to apply. If the substance of attorney-client communications is disclosed to persons outside the University – or even to persons within the University who are not directly involved in the matter – the privilege may be lost. Faculty and staff who are directed to keep a matter confidential as a privileged communication must do so.
All written communications (including e-mail) 从 faculty and staff to attorneys concerning legal matters should be marked “Privileged and Confidential” by the sender. While this marking is not essential to bring the communication within the attorney-client privilege, it can help to protect the communication 从 compelled disclosure in litigation.
