Frequently Asked Questions

The Office of General Counsel provides legal representation to Wake Forest University and its affiliated entities. As such, the Office of General Counsel provides legal and risk management advice on a wide variety of matters to the WFU Board of Trustees, the President, the Cabinet, and other University administrators and faculty and staff who are acting on behalf of the University.     

The Office of General Counsel does not and cannot represent employees or students in personal legal matters.  Personal legal advice should be sought from a private attorney.  

As part of its employee-benefits package, the University offers a supplemental pre-paid legal plan.  Additional information about this employee benefit is available from the Benefits Office.  

In addition, the North Carolina State Bar and the North Carolina Bar Association offer many resources, including a Lawyer Referral Service. Eligible individuals may qualify for free legal services with Legal Aid of NC.

No.  Only the Office of General Counsel is authorized to retain the services of outside counsel to represent the University in legal matters.

The Office of General Counsel has a notary who can notarize documents. Call 336.758.6100 to schedule an appointment with the notary.  There is no charge for this service.

• Notify the Office of General Counsel as soon as possible by reaching out to Rachel King, Director of Claims & Litigation at 336.758.3508 before responding and provide us with a copy of any documentation.
• Please be aware that these documents are time sensitive and any delay could have serious consequences for the University.
• Do not attempt to respond to, contact, or discuss the matter with the issuing or serving party until you have received guidance from our office.  In most cases, the Office of General Counsel is the appropriate office to handle a response to the issuing person.  
• Note:  our office cannot provide advice regarding legal documents if they are unrelated to University business.  For any subpoenas, court orders or search warrants seeking information outside scope of their employment, University employees should seek private legal counsel.

In general, the University provides a defense (legal representation) and indemnity (payment of a legal judgment) for the acts or omissions of University employees within the course and scope of their employment.

If you have questions about University insurance coverage, please contact the University’s Risk Services staff.

When the University receives notice of actual or potential litigation, the Office of General Counsel will send a Litigation Hold Notice to employees who may be in possession or control of potentially relevant information.  The Litigation Hold Notice informs employees to preserve all documents related to the claims.  Individuals responsible for IT management may also be included in the notice and should preserve any potentially relevant information.  You may also be asked to complete and return a questionnaire that enables the Office of General Counsel to identify and preserve relevant documents.  It is extremely important that you follow the instructions in the Litigation Hold Notice.  Questions about the notice should be directed to the Office of General Counsel representatives identified in the notice.     

Refer the attorney to the Office of General Counsel and contact us immediately at 336.758.6100.  Do not discuss the matter with the attorney.

Forward the request to the Office of General Counsel.  Wake Forest University is a private institution and as such is not an agency of the North Carolina government or its subdivisions subject to the NC Public Records Law, nor is it an agency of the federal government subject to the federal Freedom of Information Act.  The Office of General Counsel will respond to the request on behalf of the University.

To report illegal and fraudulent activity, please call the Wake Forest University Police Department non-emergency number at 336-758-5591.

If you prefer, you may anonymously use the Hotline to report suspected violations of laws, regulations, rules, policies, procedures, ethics, or any other information you feel uncomfortable reporting to your supervisor or faculty administrator at 877-880-7888 or wfu.ethicspoint.com.

No, there is no expectation of privacy while on the WFU network or computer systems.  The University maintains a Policy on Responsible and Ethical Use of Computing Resources that describes the circumstances in which regular monitoring of WFU’s computer resources may occur as required for business purposes or by law. Please refer to that policy for further information. 

The University maintains the WFU General Record Retention Schedule available here.  In addition, the University requires that certain records are maintained as a permanent archival record consistent with the University’s Retention of Permanent University Records policy.   

Generally, confidential personnel information should not be shared with others absent a legitimate business “need to know.” Employees may access their own personnel file information by contacting Human Resources.  Faculty and staff who receive requests from outside the University for work related information concerning current or former employees should refer the requester to Human Resources (AskHR@wfu.edu) or 336.758.4700. Please refer to the Personnel Records Policy for more information.  

Yes, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) allows students to review, access, and amend their education records.  FERPA also prohibits the disclosure of education records without a student’s prior written consent unless the disclosure meets certain exceptions defined in the regulations.  However, the University may disclose the following “directory information” about a student without prior consent including: 

(1) name, (2) address, (3) telephone number, (4) electronic mail addresses, (5) date and place of birth, (6) major field of study, (7) enrollment status (undergraduate or graduate, full or part-time), (8) class level, (9) participation in officially recognized activities and sports, (10) weight and height of members of athletic teams, (11) dates of attendance, (12) degrees and awards received, (13) the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student, and (14) other similar information such as a photograph.

Additional information about FERPA is available on the University Registrar’s website available here. 

The University may disclose information about a student to the parent without the student’s consent if the student is a dependent for purposes of section 152 of the IRS Code; or the disclosure relates to the student’s violation of a federal, state, local law or rule or policy governing the use of alcohol or controlled substance and the student is under the age of 21 at the time of the disclosure to the parent. Unless another exception applies to authorize disclosure, the University must obtain the student’s consent prior to disclosure to the parent.

The Office of General Counsel does not represent students in personal legal matters

If you are a University undergraduate student or student organization, please see the WFU Undergraduate Alcohol and Other Drug Policy.  Employees should refer to the Substance Abuse Prevention Policy.  All students (undergraduate or graduate)  interested in serving alcohol at a University function on campus should also follow the Event Management Procedures for Campus Social Events with Alcohol. 

No. A “raffle” is a game of chance in which purchasers exchange money for tickets that are then entered into a drawing for a prize. Because NC law restricts the number of raffles that may be held by a single non-profit entity during one calendar year, the University cannot allow individual units or departments to conduct raffles.  However, other forms of drawings or charitable gift-giving may be allowed.  Student organizations may contact the Student Organization Finance Office for additional assistance.  Employees can contact University Advancement for additional assistance.     

You should strive to avoid all conflicts of interest.  Acceptance of a gift, or anything of financial interest, that may compromise, or have the appearance of compromising your professional judgment or influencing your job may violate the University’s Conflict of Interest Policy.  Please refer to the policy for more information. 

• Wake Forest University fully supports the rights of its students, faculty, and staff to engage in the civic and political process in their capacity as private citizens. And, as a non-profit, private institution of higher education, the University’s activities are regulated in part by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which states that the University may not “participate in, or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” The policy can be found here.

If you plan on participating in University-sponsored international travel, please contact Global Wake Forest.

A contract is any document that legally binds the University to another party.  Contracts may take many forms, including but not limited to a memorandum of understanding (MOU), order form, affiliation agreement, or letter of agreement.

You will need a contract if you are planning to legally bind the University to an agreement with another party.  If you are unsure whether you need a contract, please contact the Office of General Counsel for advice.  

Yes.  The Office of General Counsel has approved contract templates for use by University staff and faculty for some of the more commonly requested University contracts.  These contract templates should be used as the first option when contracting with an outside party.  Please contact the Contracts Administrator in Procurement at contracts@wfu.edu or the Office of General Counsel at legalcontracts@gg.wfu.edu to obtain the appropriate template.

Unless it meets an exception under the Contracts Management Administrative Procedure, all contracts must be submitted to the Contracts Administrator in Procurement for review prior to being signed.  The Contracts Administrator will assist with determining what other University offices may need to review the contract prior to signature.  

Please refer to the Contract Routing Process Flowchart for step-by-step instructions on submitting a contract for review. The most efficient way to submit a contract for review is to submit it through the Contract Intake Form, available here.

Only those who have been delegated authority by the President or the President’s authorized designees may sign contracts on behalf of the University. Exhibit A to the Contract Management Administrative Procedure provides a list of individuals who have authority to sign contracts, as well as the scope and monetary limit for that authority.  

For contracts that involve expenditure of funds by the University, please also consult the Spend Authority Administrative Procedure, which lists those with authority to make requests of the University’s Accounts Payable office in connection with the purchase of goods or services.  An individual who is authorized under the Spend Authority Administrative Procedure to make such an intra-University request for payment will not necessarily be the same individual who is authorized to sign a contract under Exhibit A to the Contract Management Administrative Procedure.

If you are unsure who should sign a contract, please contact the Office of General Counsel at legalcontracts@gg.wfu.edu.

University departments are permitted to use logos or trademarks for official University business purposes without prior approval.  Commercial use of the University’s name, logos, or other trademarks require advance approval from the Wake Forest Athletics Strategic Communications office.  Please contact them at licensing@wfu.edu for permission and guidelines on the use of a University logo.

Here are some links you may find helpful:

• Wake Forest Athletic Department Brand Standards
• Wake Forest University Identity Standards

If you have questions about permissible use of music for University activities, please contact the Office of General Counsel at legal@wfu.edu.