About Us
Georgia Tech prides itself on its technological resources, collaborations, high-quality student body, and its commitment to building an outstanding and diverse community of learning, discovery, and creation. We strongly encourage applicants whose values align with our institutional values, as outlined in our strategic plan. These values include academic excellence, diversity of thought and experience, inquiry and innovation, collaboration and community, and ethical behavior and stewardship. Georgia Tech has policies to promote a healthy work-life balance and is aware that attracting faculty may require meeting the needs of two careers.
About Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech is a top-ranked public research university situated in the heart of Atlanta, a diverse and vibrant city with numerous economic and cultural strengths. The Institute serves more than 45,000 students through top-ranked undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs in engineering, computing, science, business, design, and liberal arts. Georgia Tech's faculty attracted more than $1.4 billion in research awards this past year in fields ranging from biomedical technology to artificial intelligence, energy, sustainability, semiconductors, neuroscience, and national security. Georgia Tech ranks among the nation's top 20 universities for research and development spending and No. 1 among institutions without a medical school.
Georgia Tech's Mission and Values
Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do:
1. Students are our top priority.
2. We strive for excellence.
3. We thrive on diversity.
4. We celebrate collaboration.
5. We champion innovation.
6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.
8. We act ethically.
9. We are responsible stewards.
Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.
Job Summary
The Associate General Counsel is an individual contributor attorney role reporting to the Office of General Counsel serving as the first tier into strategic legal leadership and liaison for Georgia Tech athletics on legal matters and litigation. This position focuses on leading through deep subject-matter expertise and taking ownership of high-impact legal matters, rather than through direct management of personnel. The Associate General Counsel provides sophisticated legal guidance, spearheads compliance initiatives, and shapes institutional policies. This position will provide legal counsel and strategic guidance regarding NCAA, conference, institutional, federal, and state regulatory requirements; student-athlete matters; commercial transactions; policy development; and emerging legal issues affecting collegiate athletics. The position will work collaboratively with other members of the Office of General Counsel as needed for additional support.
This position will interact on a regular basis with: Athletics staff, GTAA Board of Trustees members, Office of the President, other members of the Office of General Counsel, Institute executives, Faculty Athletics Representative, student-athletes, campus partners, athletics compliance personnel, external counsel, NCAA and conference representatives, and other internal and external stakeholders.
This position typically will advise and counsel: Office of the President, Office of General Counsel, Athletics leadership and staff, GTAA Board of Trustees.
Responsibilities
Job Duty 1 -
Lead provision of sophisticated legal advice on high-impact, institution-wide legal, regulatory, and compliance issues for Georgia Tech Athletics including providing legal counsel and strategic guidance to Athletics leadership, the GTAA Board of Trustees, and Institute leadership to protect the interests of the Institute by ensuring that actions comply with all applicable Institute policies, any governing authority policies, and state and federal law.
Job Duty 2 -
Own and drive enterprise-wide legal risk management and mitigation strategies for significant institutional matters.
Job Duty 3 -
Lead negotiation and drafting of complex, high-value contracts, institutional policies, and governance documents. Specifically, review, draft, negotiate, and advise on athletics-related agreements and transactions, including employment agreements, sponsorships, commercial partnerships, naming rights, media rights, facility use agreements, vendor agreements, and other business arrangements.
Job Duty 4 -
Interpret evolving laws and regulatory changes, providing strategic guidance to leadership on legal implications and institutional responses. In collaboration with the athletics compliance team, monitor and advise leadership regarding emerging legal, regulatory, legislative, and policy developments affecting collegiate athletics, including NCAA reform, NIL, athlete compensation, governance changes, and other industry developments.
Job Duty 5 -
Represent the institution in complex legal proceedings, negotiations, and regulatory interactions, managing external counsel as needed. Serve as the primary liaison for external counsel relating to athletics matters and oversee athletics-related litigation, disputes, administrative proceedings, investigations, discovery responses, and other legal matters affecting Georgia Tech Athletics in consultation with other members of the Office of General Counsel where required.
Job Duty 6 -
Monitor and forecast legislative, regulatory, and industry trends to inform and influence institutional strategy and policy development. Provide reports and updates to the General Counsel, Vice President for Ethics and Compliance, Faculty Athletics Representative, and other stakeholders regarding significant legal, compliance, governance, and NCAA matters.
Job Duty 7 -
Lead the design and implementation of institution-wide legal education and compliance initiatives. Specifically, lead Athletics policy development efforts, including policy creation, review, implementation, governance processes, and alignment with Institute policies, legal requirements, and best practices in consultation with appropriate stakeholders. Also collaborates with other members of the Office of General Counsel, including compliance, other Institute departments and Athletics personnel to develop and provide legal education, compliance training, risk-management guidance, and other resources supporting institutional athletics legal and regulatory compliance.
Job Duty 8 -
Provide thought insight on emerging legal issues, ethical standards, and best practices to shape institutional policies. Provide support to other members of the Office of General Counsel for support of the GTAA Board of Trustees, including management of bylaws, membership matters, board communications, agendas, minutes, voting activities, and governance documentation.
Job Duty 9 -
Collaborate with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to resolve complex legal challenges and lead strategic initiatives. Serve as co-liaison to GTAA committees and other institutional committees regarding legal matters. Serve as Georgia Tech Athletics' Institutional Review Board (IRB) liaison and Athletics liaison for data governance, privacy, cybersecurity, records management, and information security matters.
Job Duty 10 -
Perform other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications
Education : Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
Other Required Qualifications: Member of the State Bar of Georgia or ability to become licensed to practice law in Georgia within twelve (12) months of hire.
Required Experience: 6+ years of relevant experience
Preferred Qualifications
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in Division I intercollegiate athletics, preferably within an FBS/Power Four athletics program.
Experience with NIL, athlete compensation, and emerging collegiate athletics legal issues.
Experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
Experience managing litigation, investigations, and outside counsel.
Experience in higher education, sports law, or a related legal environment
Proposed Salary
Proposed Salary: $140,211 to $170,000 commensurate with education and experience.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
Specialized Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: This position requires advanced professional knowledge of the law as applied to collegiate athletics, higher education, governance, compliance, contracts, litigation, investigations, and risk management. The successful candidate must possess strong legal analysis, strategic counseling, contract negotiation, policy development, and problem-solving skills. Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities, sound judgment, diplomacy, relationship-building skills, and the ability to effectively advise senior leadership are required. The position also requires the ability to manage multiple complex matters simultaneously while working collaboratively across a large and diverse institutional environment. Proficiency in legal research, document management systems, and standard office and legal technology applications is required.
USG Core Values
The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 25 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct .
Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653 .
Equal Employment Opportunity
The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The Institute is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for all. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and Institute policy, Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services. Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities.
Equal opportunity and decisions based on merit are fundamental values of the University System of Georgia ("USG") and Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of an individual's race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions. Further, Georgia Tech prohibits citizenship status, immigration status, and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, and recruitment, except where such restrictions are required in order to comply with law, regulation, executive order, or Attorney General directive, or where they are required by Federal, State, or local government contract.
Other Information
This is not a supervisory position.
This position has financial responsibilities.
This position will not be required to drive.
This role is considered a position of trust.
This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).
This position may travel 1% - 24% of the time
This position does not require security clearance.
Background Check
A successful candidate must be able to pass a background check. Please visit: https://usg.policystat.com/policy/19298143/latest
