Legal Affairs and University General Counsel

The Legal Affairs and University General Counsel Office provides legal assistance to the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents, administrators, faculty and staff on university-related issues and activities.

The Legal Affairs and University General Counsel Office does not provide personal legal advice.

Submit a Request for Legal Assistance

To submit a request for legal assistance, please use the online Legal Services Request (LSR) (Faculty/Staff Login Required). The LSR should be routed through the appropriate chancellor, vice chancellor, or vice president for approval.

Before submitting an LSR, please consider the following:

For matters related to contracts and agreements, please review Executive Policy 8.200, Policy on Contracts and Signing Authority. Note that OGC review is not required if a University Template Agreement is used and no substantive deviations or changes are made to the form template.

For matters related to real property transactions such as the use of real property owned or controlled by the University, or the use of non-University real property by the University, please review Board of Regents Policies Chapter 10 Land and Physical Facilities and Executive Policies Chapter 10 Land and Physical Facilities.

Exceptions to this procedure are

1. Urgent requests requiring immediate attention, or
2. If you have been served with a lawsuit.

In these cases, please contact the Office of the University General Counsel directly at (808) 956-2211.

Responding to Subpoenas or other Requests for Information

Federal and state laws, as well as Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules and University Policies protect student and employee information. When the University receives requests for records or information concerning students and/or employees, there are various concerns which must be resolved before responding.

For assistance in handling public records requests pursuant to HRS § 92F, please contact your campus UIPA coordinator.

For assistance in handling all other records requests, including subpoenas, please contact our office by phone or email.

For general information on how to respond when federal or state officials seek information regarding students or employees, please see this general guidance.