The Office of General Counsel (formerly University Counsel) at Kent State University is asking faculty and staff to complete a brief survey about the role and function of the office. The survey is part of an assessment of the legal department that is being conducted by external consultants.

Willis Walker, general counsel, says the purpose of the assessment is to analyze the effectiveness of the legal services, professional advice and assistance that the attorneys and support staff provide to employees. This includes things like processing public records requests, reviewing contracts, assistance with hiring international employees and ensuring legal compliance in all aspects of university business.

"Our office interacts with a wide group of faculty and staff throughout the Kent State campuses, and often on a wide range of topics," Walker says. "We feel an important part of any assessment is to find out if the services we provide are meeting the needs of our customers."

Faculty and staff who have previously used the services of the Office of the General Counsel or attended one of its legal seminars are asked to take the online survey. There are 25 questions and an opportunity to provide additional comments. The survey should take 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

The survey is available Nov. 8-24 in FlashLine. Once you have logged in, follow these steps to access the survey:

• Go to the My HR tab;
• In the Employment Details channel, click on General Counsel Survey;
• Read the instructions and then click on Office of General Counsel Survey to begin.

If you have questions, contact Carla Wyckoff, General Counsel communications manager, at 330-672-5857 or cwyckof1@kent.edu.