1590 North High Street - Suite 500
Columbus, OH 43201-2178
Phone: (614) 292-0611
Fax: (614) 292-8699

Faculty & Staff

Assistance provided to faculty and staff members

Office of Legal Affairs attorneys provide legal advice and representation to faculty and staff in matters arising out of their university responsibilities. We cannot provide assistance to faculty and staff with respect to personal legal disputes or when their interests are adverse to those of the university. In particular, private consulting contracts are considered to be personal business activities and Legal Affairs does not advise faculty and staff regarding these transactions.

Lawsuits against faculty and staff members

Lawsuits are often filed against the university and they sometimes contain allegations that faculty and staff members acted in a negligent or otherwise wrongful manner. On occasion, faculty and staff may be named as defendants in lawsuits filed in state or federal courts. In these situations, Ohio law provides significant protections for university employees.

The Court of Claims statute requires that for a university employee to be sued individually in state court that the employee must either have: (a) acted outside the scope of their university duties, or (b) acted with malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner. If a lawsuit is filed in an Ohio court, the university will make a determination regarding its obligation to defend the employee and the cost of that defense. Typically, university employees are not parties to the litigation.
If a lawsuit is filed in Federal Court, university employees may be named as defendants. Typically, and as in the analysis above, the university will pay legal fees, and costs of any settlements or judgments, so long as neither (a) or (b), above, are applicable.

University employees desiring representation in university-related litigation must request to be represented. Faculty and staff requesting legal representation should submit a "Request for Personal Representation Letter” to the General Counsel.

For more information on this topic, see "Litigation."

Contracts

The Board of Trustees has delegated authority to sign university contracts to the Senior Vice President for Business and Finance and a small number of other administrative officials. In the absence of a specific delegation of signature authority, faculty and staff members are not authorized to sign any university contracts.

For more information on university contracting procedures, see "Contracts."

University Rules and State Laws of Interest to faculty and staff

Academic Affairs

Academic Organization and Curriculum Handbook

Conflicts of Interest

Financial Conflict of Interest Policy for Faculty

Financial Conflict of Interest Screening/Disclosure Form

Office of Responsible Research Practices

Consulting

Policy on Paid External Consulting

Faculty Paid External Consulting Approval Form

Contracts