University of Montana Legal Counsel's Office
Field Placement
Academic Year/Summer
Faculty Supervisor
Supervising Attorney
Lucy France
Prerequisites
Professional Responsibility
Areas of Emphasis
UMLC represents the University of Montana and its affiliated campuses. The legal matters vary widely in such a complex institution. They involve the intersection of Higher Education Law and substantive areas of law, including diversity and equal opportunity issues, federal research, regulatory, and other areas of compliance, contracts, torts, constitutional issues, intellectual property rights, and occasional real property issues. UMLC provides proactive legal advice, defense in litigation matters, and other legal services such as contract and policy review and drafting. Legal activities include problem-solving, legal research, legal fact gathering and investigation, handling litigation and administrative agency proceedings, drafting contracts, policies and procedures, client counseling, training on legal and compliance issues, and identify/resolve ethical issues. Clinic students will participate in weekly roundtable discussions to explore student projects, pertinent cases, and pending legislation. Interested students will have the opportunity to participate in transactional intellectual property matters in collaboration with the UM Technology Transfer clinic.
Sample Projects
- Research on federal and state regulatory matters
- Evaluate likely and potential impact on UM of proposed activities
- Draft UM policies
- Draft and review contracts
- Provide legal analysis and support to University administrators and committees
- Draft motions and briefs in litigation matters
- Work on copyright registrations
- Work closely with a particular department or UM official to provide legal guidance
General Information
The University of Montana Legal Counsel’s Office (UMLC) does general legal work involving the University of Montana’s campuses in Missoula, Butte, Dillon, and Helena. This work may include assisting with legal representation of the University in litigation and administrative agency proceedings; researching topics relating to current higher education issues; developing University policies; handling grant administration, and federal and state compliance issues; patent-related matters; dealing with a variety of equal opportunity and diversity issues, employment and student issues, and working with University administrators and committees. The UMLC also provides legal support for the Montana Board of Regents and Commissioner of Higher Education.