About Us
The BYU Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides a wide range of legal services to the four accredited institutions of higher education affiliated with the Church Educational System (CES) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church):
- BYU, a nationally recognized undergraduate and graduate university located in Provo, Utah.
- BYU–Hawaii, an undergraduate university located on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, primarily serving students of Oceania and the Asian Rim.
- BYU–Idaho, a large undergraduate university located in Rexburg, Idaho, with extensive in-person and online program offerings.
- Ensign College, a business college located in Salt Lake City, Utah, focused on delivering skills-based certificate and degree programs to both on-campus and online students.
The OGC's services include contract review, litigation, government relations, and other legal advice and counsel.
Mission
To preserve by rule of law the mission of BYU
Vision
To be trusted and effective higher education legal counselors
Values
Competency
We provide timely and quality legal service and are committed to lifelong learning in our field of expertise. We endeavor to be critical thinkers, effective communicators, and skilled writers, speakers, and researchers who are actively engaged in skills development. We also strive to be good listeners, to employ up-to-date technological tools, and to provide our clients with sound legal advice.
Respect for Sacred Resources
We give our clients appropriate commitments of time, talent, and energy consistent with living a balanced life. We establish work priorities to provide the highest value for our service, and, as needed, effectively retain and manage outside legal counsel.
Integrity
We seek fair and equitable solutions to legal challenges. We are candid and truthful. Our legal practice accords with the highest ethical standards.
Teamwork
We enjoy our time together and foster a collegial workplace environment, respecting all members of our team as valued colleagues.
Evaluating and Satisfying Customer Expectations
We strive to provide high-quality legal services in a timely manner. Given competing demands and limited resources, we prioritize requests for legal services according to level of university importance, and we inform our individual clients of the realistic time frame for providing these services.
Respect for All Individuals
Although the practice of law is often adversarial, we zealously seek to represent the interests of our clients while treating others with civility and respect.
Innovation
We continually seek to improve our legal service by using technological advances, improving our internal processes, and considering creative or innovative legal solutions.
Accountability
We organize our office to set clear expectations, define areas of responsibility and authority, monitor progress, and report results.
The attorney-client privilege protects confidential communications between attorneys and their clients that are made for the purpose of giving or receiving legal advice. The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) represents BYU and the other accredited institutions of higher education of the Church Educational System (CES); therefore, communication between the OGC attorneys and employees may be confidential and subject to the attorney-client privilege.
To prevent waiver of the privilege, individuals must refrain from discussing or sharing with third parties the content of their communications with OGC attorneys. If you have questions, contact the OGC attorney assigned to your campus unit.