Contracts, Subpoenas and other Legal Matters

The handling of legal matters related to operations of the University is the responsibility of the Office of General Counsel.

• University employees should not speak to an outside attorney on behalf of the University without consent of the Office of General Counsel.
• No one other than University officers are authorized to sign contracts, leases, or other agreements, or to reply to communications received from attorneys concerning University business. Consult the Office of General Counsel to determine signatory rights.
• Any requests for information from attorneys or courts should be directed to the Office of General Counsel.

Acceptance of Legal Papers

Under no circumstances should anyone who is not an officer of the University accept service of legal papers such as subpoenas, citations, court summonses, or violation notices.

• Anyone wishing to serve such papers should be referred to the Office of General Counsel, which will accept them officially on behalf of the University.
• Contact the Office of General Counsel if any individual attempting to serve papers refuses direction to the Office of General Counsel.

If under any circumstances a process server leaves papers with an employee, the following steps should be taken:

1. date and time stamp the papers or write the date and time on the papers
2. make a note of the name of the person serving the document on the back of the document
3. call the Office of General Counsel immediately for specific instructions
4. transmit the original papers immediately to the Office of General Counsel

Service of Legal Papers to an Employee in Your Department

In the event a process server comes to the University with legal papers directed to an individual who works in the office.

• It is not necessary or appropriate to allow the process server to serve the individual on University premises during working hours.
• All process servers should be directed to the Office of General Counsel.
• In the event the individual being served is a University employee, the Office of General Counsel will route the papers to him/her.