The Office of the General Counsel provides legal services to Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» and its affiliates.
We have created this page to educate the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» community about our office and its functions and operations, as well as to inform faculty, students and staff of legal developments and issues of importance impacting them and the University.
Please take a moment to become familiar with:
We are available to facilitate and assist with the business needs of the University within the confines of the law and to ensure that the University is in compliance with its legal responsibilities and obligations.
Please contact us for assistance with legal matters affecting the University. We do not provide personal legal services to employees, students or members of the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» community.
The Office of the General Counsel supports Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» and its affiliates by providing legal counsel and representation to support all areas of operation, instruction, research and administration.
The vice president of legal affairs, secretary and general counsel is responsible for all legal matters pertaining to the University and its affiliates.
Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» and its affiliates are the clients of the Office of the General Counsel, whose function is to provide, manage and coordinate quality legal services including:
As part of these services, the Office of the General Counsel provides counsel to the Board of Trustees, the President, the President's Cabinet, deans and directors, faculty, supervisors and other employees acting on behalf of the University.
We provide advice on the legal implications of policy and other decisions under applicable law, regulations and policies, in addition to representing the University in litigation matters, administrative and regulatory hearings and significant business transactions. We also oversee outside counsel retained to provide legal services and representation for the University.
Our goal is to provide counsel and advice to minimize legal risks and costs, reduce litigation exposure, ensure legal compliance and to do so reliably and professionally.
We strive to provide quality legal services, prompt and courteous attention and exceptional representation in connection with legal matters pertaining to the University.
Andrew (Avi) J. Lauer, Esq.
Vice President for Legal Affairs, Secretary and General Counsel
646.592.4410 andrewlauer@yu.edu
Debbie Freeman, JD
Associate General Counsel
debbie.freeman@yu.edu
646.592.4408
Esther K. Sasson, JD
Associate General Counsel
eksasson@yu.edu
646.592.4407
Ziva M. Rubinstein, JD
Assistant General Counsel
ziva.rubinstein@yu.edu
646.592.4405
Jon Greenfield
Assistant Vice President, Government Relations
Jon.Greenfield@yu.edu
646.592.4414
Julia Lestch
Executive Assistant to the General Counsel
lestch@yu.edu
646.592.4400
The following links provide a list of general legal resources:
In April 2008, the General Counsel formed the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» General Counsel's Council, which comprises attorneys from outside law firms and corporate legal departments who believe in the mission of the University and would like to assist through the provisions of pro bono services.
If you are interested in volunteering your time, skills and resources and offering pro bono services to the University, please contact the Office of the General Counsel at 646.592.4400 or GC@yu.edu.
The Office of the General Counsel would like to thank the following law firms and/or attorneys for agreeing to participate as members of the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» General Counsel's Council:
Jon Greenfield is Assistant Vice President for Government Relations at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³».
Jon brings to Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» over a decade of experience in political strategy, communications, and non-profit governance. In managing government relations for the university, Jon serves as the principal liaison between the university and local government officials at the city, state, and federal levels. Among his responsibilities are the procurement and supervision of programmatic and capital funding from the university’s public partners, advising senior leadership on policy trends, and helping facilitate Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»â€™s broader community engagement efforts. He regularly serves as faculty advisor to undergraduate student groups and has taught as an adjunct professor at the university’s Wurzweiler Graduate School of Social Work.
Jon currently serves as Vice President of the board of the Chamber of Commerce of Washington Heights and Inwood and is a member of the board of control for the Art Students League of New York. A long-time media strategist, Jon provides English and-Spanish language political commentary to major print and broadcast outlets, including regular appearances on the Dominican Republic-based TV Quisqueya.
Prior to joining Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³», Jon was managing director of communications for a major political consulting firm, acting as chief spokesperson and advisor to dozens of political campaigns in the New York metropolitan region. Jon has also served as a community liaison and
Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Government Relations
Office of the General Counsel
2495 Amsterdam Avenue, Belfer Hall 1001
New York, NY 10033
Telephone: 646.592.4414
E-mail: Jon.Greenfield@yu.edu
The Office of the General Counsel provides legal advice and representation to Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» and its affiliates. In that capacity, Office of the General Counsel attorneys advise the trustees, officers, faculty and staff, all in their official capacities, on various issues impacting the University.
The Office of the General Counsel is responsible for providing a full range of legal services to the University. Areas in which Office of the General Counsel attorneys provide legal advice include, but are not limited to: labor and employment, benefits, business matters, contract review, litigation, government investigation, environmental, copyright, patents, immigration, construction, property acquisition, student and faculty issues and clinical research and regulatory compliance.
The main office of the Office of the General Counsel is located on the Wilf Campus in Belfer Hall, Suite 1001. Our telephone number is 646.592.4400, our facsimile number is 212.960.5346 and our general e-mail address is GC@Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³».edu.
Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»
Office of the General Counsel
2495 Amsterdam Avenue
Belfer Hall, Suite BH 1001
New York, NY 10033
Only authorized members of the Office of the General Counsel may accept service on behalf of the University.
No. Only the Office of the General Counsel can retain outside counsel on behalf of the University and its affiliates. If you believe legal counsel and/or representation is needed for a University matter, you should contact an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel who will determine whether outside counsel is necessary and appropriate; if so, the Office of the General Counsel attorney will retain an appropriate outside attorney for the matter.
The President, vice presidents and certain other senior administrators of the University are authorized to sign contracts and other documents on behalf of the University. Generally, this authority is limited to a specific area of responsibility. Please check with the Office of the General Counsel to determine who has the authority to sign a particular document on behalf of the University.
No. The Office of the General Counsel represents the University and its affiliates in connection with University-related matters. In a matter related to the University, the Office of the General Counsel may represent a University employee as well.
Communications with the Office of the General Counsel are generally privileged as to third parties, but may not be as to other University officials. Nevertheless, we will generally strive to keep matters confidential to the extent practicable.
Normally, no. While a school official, including a member of the faculty, may have access to and obtain a copy of a student's education record for a legitimate educational interest, ordinarily the student's education record is confidential and cannot be viewed, accessed or released without the student's explicit permission.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, also known as the FERPA or Buckley Amendment, is a federal law that limits the disclosure of a student's education record in order to safeguard the privacy of such information.
Please consult with an Office of the General Counsel attorney before sending any confidential document to any outside party.
Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»
Office of the General Counsel
2495 Amsterdam Avenue, Belfer Hall 1001
New York, NY 10033
Telephone: 646.592.4400
Fax: 212.960.5346
E-mail: GC@yu.edu
If you have a question that has not been answered, please send an e-mail to GC@Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³».edu, and we will make every effort to respond in a timely manner.