General Counsel

Welcome!  The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is the in-house legal office at WPI.  The OGC is led by WPI’s Interim General Counsel, Matthew Thaler. As WPI’s chief legal officer, he oversees all of the University’s legal affairs. The OGC has a broad mission: To educate the WPI community about the laws, policies and procedures applicable to WPI’s activities; to prevent legal problems and solve those that occur; to facilitate transactions and provide independent, timely advice and representation; and to help WPI’s faculty, administration, staff, and students fulfill their goals in teaching, research, and service.

The OGC provides a wide variety of legal services. These include advising WPI officials on regulatory compliance and other legal aspects of their duties; representing the University in litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies; advising on issues involving risk management; preparing and negotiating contracts between WPI and other entities; and representing WPI in commercial transactions. The office also supervises the activities of outside counsel who may be retained to assist with particular matters requiring specialized expertise.   

We invite you to contact us for assistance on matters relating to the Institute’s operations. If you receive any legal documents or notices relating to WPI, such as subpoenas, complaints or notices of legal proceedings or hearings, please forward them to our office immediately.