The Office of General Counsel (OGC) provides legal services to New York University, including all of NYU's schools and administrative offices, and other NYU affiliates, NYU's portal campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai, and all of NYU's global academic sites. The purpose of this website is to provide members of the NYU community with an understanding of what the OGC is, the services it provides, and other resources that may be of use to faculty, staff or students, such as important University policies and procedures.

Please note that only the OGC is authorized to retain Outside Counsel on behalf of the University. For more information with respect to the use of outside counsel, please refer to the Using Outside Counsel page.

The Office of General Counsel at NYU Langone Health provides legal services to NYU Langone Health, including NYU Langone Health Hospitals, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and NYU Long Island School of Medicine. The office is led by Annette Johnson, Executive Vice President and Vice Dean, General Counsel. 

Mission Statement

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) serves as a strategic partner to its University clients, providing timely and expert legal advice and guidance to the University in support of NYU's educational goals and objectives. Led by Aisha Oliver-Staley, the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and University Secretary, the office consists of attorneys, other legal professionals, and administrative staff. If warranted by the circumstances, the OGC also has the sole discretion to interview and retain outside legal counsel for NYU and its affiliates.

The OGC's objective is to provide professional and reliable legal advice, guidance and support, including:

  • serving as a resource for informed decision-making and creative problem-solving to facilitate the University's pursuit of its mission of teaching, research, and service;
  • advising and supporting University personnel to ensure excellence in fulfilling NYU's legal and ethical obligations;
  • facilitating all aspects of transactions at the University as necessary or appropriate;
  • representing the University as legal counsel in judicial and governmental proceedings by advocating and defending its interests; facilitating communications, where appropriate, among various University departments and schools in the context of legal matters;
  • and serving as the point of contact for all interaction with outside counsel, who may be retained by the OGC in its sole discretion from time to time as circumstances warrant.