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Overview: As a member of the senior leadership team and reporting to the President, the Vice President - General Counsel oversees and directs the day-to-day legal affairs of Juilliard, the leading conservatory for music, dance, and drama, including its college, preparatory, and extension divisions. The General Counsel provides ongoing hands-on legal advice and counsel to the President, Board of Trustees, and senior leadership team on a wide array of institutional matters relating to the School’s artistic, academic, operational, administrative, and governance activities as well as strategic initiatives, including matters related to students, employees, donors, suppliers, and business partners. This individual will also partner with the CFO, the Audit Committee, and other senior officers to develop a proactive, robust system of risk management and compliance, and then assist those responsible for implementing and/or maintaining it. This individual will manage one or more Associate General Counsels as well as multiple outside counsel relationships. The School’s Title IX office reports to this role. The role is supported by an Executive Legal Admin.
Duties And Responsibilities
- Serve as legal counsel and trusted advisor to all school components, including the President, Board of Trustees, Chief Operating Officer & Corporate Secretary, Provost, Vice Presidents, Deans & Directors, and leading staff, administrators, and faculty on critical legal issues that impact the School.
- Advise and counsel on, and perform and supervise, all related legal work on legal, regulatory, and compliance matters related to Juilliard’s activities; transactional matters; dispute resolution; investigations; and policy formulation.
- Provide strategic leadership and direction for all legal matters involving the School, including student, faculty, and staff affairs; Title IX matters; general corporate matters; corporate and academic governance; entertainment and production issues; regulatory and compliance issues; intellectual property law; arts, media, and rights clearance matters; non-profit concerns; relations with grantmaking organizations and other donors; employment law; civil rights; insurance; tax; finance; investments and banking; development and charitable giving; cross-border and international transactions; immigration and other international issues; and litigation.
- Anticipate issues and risks, sharing pertinent information with the President and senior leadership team, as well as other relevant parties, including the Board of Trustees, while also developing creative solutions to address various legal risks the School may face.
- Lead and manage the legal department, including the Assistant General Counsel and outside counsel, to ensure legal services are delivered in a high caliber and cost-effective manner.
- Oversee, manage, and advise on a range of litigation matters.
- Work closely with other senior staff and departments to enhance existing processes for enterprise risk management, including assessing risk and loss control programs as well as ensuring the sufficiency of the School’s insurance portfolio.
- Initiate and follow through on independent investigator engagements as required under school policies, federal and state law.
- Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, including but not limited to faculty, guest artists, venue rentals, performing arts, employment and contractor agreements, intellectual property, leases, and event related agreements.
- Select, engage, coordinate, and manage outside counsel and legal services as needed to meet the School’s governance, operational, compliance, and inter-institutional agreements, and assess the balance between in-house and outside legal work, in light of many factors including the range of in-house expertise and the School’s budget.
- Maintain knowledge and understanding of trends and critical changes in the higher education and performing arts legal landscape and proactively address the impact of these changes on the School, particularly as it relates to educational and information technology, privacy and cybersecurity, Title IX, and disciplinary matters.
- Define and develop policies and procedures in keeping with legal requirements, principles of equity, and sound judgment
Qualifications & Skills
Education:
- JD from a highly regarded, accredited law school.
- Admitted to the bar and in good standing to practice law in-house in New York State.
Preferred Experience
- 15+ years’ experience as a practicing attorney, with specialized experience in the areas of higher education law / Title IX, contracts, negotiations, litigation, non-profit, intellectual property, licensing agreements, and human resources related matters.
- 8+ years’ experience advising on domestic and international corporate and transactional matters, including the ability to support and advice on matters relating the School’s global activities.
- 5+ years’ experience as part of a senior leadership team. Appreciation of the performing arts is a significant plus.
- Successful experience building and motivating a legal team and managing and supervising in-house and outside attorneys; demonstrated ability managing legal resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
- Demonstrated track record in managing complex legal operations, and counseling management on complex and sensitive legal issues involving personnel and students.
- Ability to address compliance with the full range of applicable laws, regulations, rules, and policies that affect the School’s activities.
- Skill, experience, and maturity to synthesize relevant information and perspectives on complex issues, balance business and legal objectives, and develop effective and pragmatic solutions.
- A demonstrated commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and a strong track record of promoting and supporting EDIB efforts within an organization.
Personal Traits And Attributes
- Outstanding executive leadership, judgment, and management skills with a proven ability to advise a first-in-class School.
- Strong technical skills, sharp intellect and demonstrated understanding of the major issues facing a complex, urban institution of performing arts education.
- Ability to work proactively, timely, collaboratively, cooperatively, and as a member of a team, while teaching, hearing, and empowering internal clients and colleagues.
- The stature, maturity, competence, and confidence to operate with credibility at the executive level and trustee level, to state an independent point of view, and to influence major decisions having legal ramifications through reasoned analysis, as well as a professional history of maintaining objectivity while driving appropriate outcomes, managing multiple stakeholder agendas, and promoting high client service standards.
- Intellectually and conceptually nimble; willing to challenge assumptions and creatively problem-solve.
- Able to analyze, interpret, present, and communicate complex ideas and concepts in a clear, concise fashion.
- Exceptional judgment and interpersonal skills with the ability to develop relationships, build consensus, and engender immediate trust. A high level of emotional intelligence.
- Outstanding written and oral communication skills. An effective communicator who knows how to adapt to many different audiences at all levels of the organization and beyond.
- Skillful management of diverse personalities and relationships, internally and externally.
- Prioritization, perspective, and focus on critical tasks that add value.
- Anticipation of, and appropriate response to, emerging legal and legislative issues.
- A “working” general counsel who can be both strategic and operational and is creative and flexible in their approach.
- Contribute to a work culture that is collaborative, transparent, responsive, and data-driven.
- A true passion and appreciation for Juilliard’s mission, culture, means, and methods of delivering arts education, and a general understanding of the artistic sensibility and the unique needs of an artistic community.
Nondiscrimination Policy
The Juilliard School is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its relations with its faculty, staff, students, and other members of the Juilliard community, and does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, national origin, alienage, ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, physical or mental disability, medical condition, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, partnership status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable local, state, or federal law. This nondiscrimination policy covers, but is not limited to, recruitment, hiring, training, benefits, rates of pay and other forms of compensation as well as student admission, access, and treatment in school programs and activities.
