Mission and Operating Principles
The overall mission of the Office of Administrative Legal Services (ALS) is to provide high quality legal advice, guidance, and representation to advance and protect the university's mission and vision.
To fulfill this mission, ALS will be guided by the following operating principles:
Mission-Centered
Legal representation and services provided by ALS are to be consistent
with the university's mission and with ALS's mission. In providing services
to individual university employees, the larger needs of the university
should remain paramount.
Knowledge-Based
It is important to stay current in the relevant areas of law and to conduct
sufficient research to be able to make informed judgments in advising
clients. The creation, integration, transfer, and application of knowledge,
both within and without ALS, is crucial to providing quality legal advice
and representation.
Prevention
We should view the prevention of legal problems as a primary goal. Avoiding
problems and litigation in the first place is preferred over the adjudication
of legal problems. We should encourage clients to seek our advice concerning
how to develop policies and procedures that reduce the risk of legal problems.
We should take the opportunity, when legal problems arise, to educate
our clients concerning the prevention of future legal problems.
Integrity
We should conduct ourselves in a manner that earns the trust and respect
of our clients while exercising our independent professional judgment,
avoiding conflicts of interest, maintaining the highest standard of professional
conduct, and being accountable for the advice we give.
Efficiency
We should be responsive to the time constraints of our clients and strive
to complete time- sensitive tasks within deadlines, without sacrificing
quality and integrity. Within the office, we should be conscious of resource
constraints and strive to work "smarter" by, for example, assigning
appropriate tasks to law clerks, utilizing already-existing policies,
not duplicating research, coordinating activities, and consulting with
co-workers.
Consistency
As we provide effective, mission-centered service to our clients, inevitably
there will be persons displeased with the results of our representation
or counsel. While we cannot please everyone, we can be consistent in our
responses to like situations and treat all persons with equal consideration
and respect. Persons will be less displeased with an unfavorable outcome
if they know the process was fair.
Consensus-Building
We should mediate and assist in building consensus on issues among the
diverse interests that comprise the university.
Balanced Excellence
In order to best serve our clients, it is crucial to strike a balance
between the quantity and the quality of the work product we provide, recognizing
the need for productivity, while never losing sight of our professional
obligation to deliver high quality services.
Teamwork
Within the office, we must foster an atmosphere of mutual support, communication,
and encouragement.
Courtesy
We must treat our clients and co-workers with courtesy and respect. We
must make it clear to our clients and co-workers that we expect to be
treated with courtesy and respect in return.
Growth
Personal and professional growth is vital to the quality of the services
we provide as well as the happiness of the staff. This is true for the
staff as individuals, as well as for the office as a whole.