About Us
One of the important functions of the Office of the General Counsel is to provide counsel, assistance, and information to University employees about the policies and procedures of the University, the Board of Regents, the State of Kansas, and the federal government. The General Counsel is generally available to provide such information relative to legal matters that arise out of an employee's conduct of his/her duties.
Because the General Counsel is appointed by the Chancellor, however, the Counsel's ultimate responsibility is to represent the Chancellor, as the Chief Executive Officer of the University, and those individuals to whom the Chancellor has delegated responsibility. The General Counsel will provide advice and counsel to University employees so long as the issues do not involve conflicts with those higher in the administrative or executive hierarchy of the University.
An additional responsibility of the Office of the General Counsel at the KU Medical Center is to provide an internal risk management program to promote loss prevention and maintain a safe environment for patients, employees, and visitors to the Medical Center. The Risk Manager serves as liaison for the University and physicians with outside attorneys, insurance companies, the Kansas Insurance Department, and other third parties. The office provides training to staff and monitors compliance with federal, state, JCAHO, and other regulatory requirements, and processes any claims of a professional or general liability nature.