Frequently Asked Questions

The university's General Counsel provides legal advice and representation to CBU. CBU and all of its schools and departments are one legal entity. In that capacity, the General Counsel advises the university's trustees, officers, faculty, and staff, all in their official capacities, on various issues impacting the university. To the extent different areas of the university have different viewpoints on any issue, the president, or if the situation requires, the university's board of trustees have final authority.

The General Counsel is responsible for providing a full range of legal services to the university and works in a variety of practice areas on campus. Some areas in which General Counsel can provide legal advice are: labor and employment, business matters, contract review, litigation, environmental, copyright, property acquisitions, student and faculty issues, entity tax, among others.

The General Counsel's office is located 8432 Magnolia Avenue, Yeager Building. We can be reached by phone at (951) 343-4286. You can also email us at aburton@calbaptist.edu.

Yeager Building, 8432 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside CA 92504 

No. Only the General Counsel can retain outside counsel. The General Counsel has a small group of outside counsel who have relevant expertise in the legal matters we usually face. If you believe outside counsel is needed for a university issue, you should contact the General Counsel to determine whether outside counsel is necessary and appropriate; if so, the General Counsel will retain an outside attorney.

Only the president and vice president for finance and administration are authorized to sign contracts on behalf of the university. 

No, the Office of General Counsel represents the university, and the General Counsel works only on university-related matters.

It is privileged as to third parties, but not as to other university officials. However, we will try to keep it confidential to the extent we can.

Generally, yes, as long as you are acting in good faith and in the scope of your job.

Normally, no. While a school official, including a member of the faculty, may have access to and obtain a copy of a student's education record for a legitimate educational interest, ordinarily the student's education record is confidential and cannot be viewed, accessed or released without the student's explicit permission. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law that limits the disclosure of a student's education record in order to safeguard the privacy of such information.

Please review this document for more information concerning CBU's record retention/destruction policies.