Office of General Counsel

Who We Are

The Office of General Counsel ("OGC") manages the legal affairs of the university. In that role, its major activities include: management of all external litigation and government agency complaints; advice to the university from the Board of Trustees, President and senior officers of CUA to supervisors and individual faculty and staff regarding all legal questions arising in day-to-day operations of the university; and preventive law initiatives. The OGC also has responsibility for the university's compliance program as well as oversight of the university policy development and enforcement process, through chairing the CUA Policy Coordinating Committee. The OGC also chairs the university's Information Assurance Advisory Council, which coordinates confidentiality of paper and electronic records at CUA. 

Finally, OGC maintains this Campus Legal Information Clearinghouse website. The university won the 2009 Innovation Award from the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) for its compliance program as promulgated through the websites http://counsel.cua.edu, http://policies.cua.edu and http://compliance.cua.edu. 

Communications regarding legal matters with the OGC attorneys on behalf of CUA are ordinarily protected by attorney-client privilege (as legal rules permit) and are confidential. The OGC is not allowed to provide personal legal advice to employees or students but can provide referrals if needed. Please remember that communications to our office through e-mail are not necessarily secure and hence their confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.
Legal Staff 

Marquette University, B.A. and J.D.; M.S. in national strategy from the National Defense University, an LL.M. from the Judge Advocate General’s School. Morris has more than 29 years experience as a U.S. Army and civilian attorney. Morris provided legal, ethics, and policy advice; litigated more than 100 cases; and reviewed legal investigations in the U.S. and overseas.

Morris  was general counsel of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. and professor and chairman of the Criminal Law Department of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Va., which provides accredited graduate legal education to military and civilian attorneys of the armed services.

Major areas of practice: Counsels the CUA President and Vice Presidents; Development; Faculty Affairs, Human Resources, Administration, Litigation Management; EEOC investigations and mediation; sexual harassment and sexual assault claims; employment matters. The General Counsel oversees community relations (Brookland) at CUA.

Associate General Counsel for Policy and Compliance
Margaret L. O'Donnell

University of Virginia, 1975; J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, 1980. Her prior work experience includes working as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for Dane County, Wisconsin as well as in a small law firm in Madison, Wisconsin. Peg also worked as a legislative aide in Madison, Wisconsin; as a lobbyist for gun control in Boston, Massachusetts and as an independent contractor for the Dept. of Education on privacy issues and for NACUA on training issues.  She authored an article on FERPA for the Journal of College and University Law.

Major areas of practice: Student Record Privacy, Copyright, Disability Law, First Amendment and Religion, and all questions related to federal regulations and compliance. Author of the CUA Office of General Counsel Web Page. Peg O'Donnell has worked for CUA since January of 1996. Peg co-chairs the Policy Steering Committee and supervises student interns and law clerks on projects in the office.

Administrative Assistant
Katrina Peck

Bachelor of Arts, Denison University, Cum Laude May 2008; Katrina worked in the Peace Corps from August 2008-July 2010. She was posted to Romania with her husband. Katrina started to work for OGC in October 2010.

Selected OGC Intern/Law Student Clerk projects

Regina Crisafulli: Fall 1998
ADA ComplianceWatchdog program, EEO ministerial duties 

Maura Tierney: Spring 1998
Sexual Harassment brochure; DC Law webpages 

Michael Boyd: Spring-Summer `99
Bond transaction; Compliance schedules 

Adria Nobles: Summer `99
Mediation Handbook for Human Resources office 

Travis Nelson: Spring 2000
FERPA PowerPoint training program 

John Hasman: Spring 2000
Employment law materials 

Karen Hauda: Spring 2000
Technology Transfer website 

David Heaton: Spring-Summer 2000
Campus Alcohol Reduction Effort (CARE)

Susanna Segulja: June 2000 - May 2001
DC law web pages 

Carrie O'Neill: Spring 2001 through Fall 2001
Immigration training packet for H-1B; study abroad programs;

memo on voluntary compliance models for higher ed. regulations 

Dan Lewis: Spring 2001
EEOC Of Counsel newsletter;
Draft of "manager training program" 

John DiGregorio: Summer 2001
Tax information/web page revisions 

Simone Davis: Summer 2001
CARE Project; Driver Safety Training
Adjunct Faculty Draft Web Page;
New model Affilliation agreements

Peter Kelly: Summer 2001 through Fall 2001
ADA Audits - Architecture, Admissions, and Music

Memo on Background Checks for Children's Education Center employees  

Dan Perlman: 2001-2002
Plagiarism project 

Emyrtle Bennett: Spring 2002
model nursing school affiliation agreement 

Patricia Black: 2002-03
Nursing graduate student developing CARE materials,

Parents CARE initiative 

Kathryn Benner: Summer 2002 through Spring 2004
student life and CEC compliance; Title IX analysis

Confidentiality for campus ministry staff; assist with SCHEV and MHEC filings,

Affirmative Action: Brief Law School Dean; Power Point Presentation to Deans;

EEO audit, Legal Compliance Guide for Instructional Staff;
review conflict of interest policy with NIH recommendations

Xavier Baker: Summer 2002
Revision of sexual harassment brochure; NAGPRA

Peter Trentacoste: Spring 2003 

Katrina Wawer: Summer 2003
GLB training brochure ; off-campus programs;
re-drafted portions of Legal Compliance Guide for faculty.

Bryan Knowles: Summer 2003
Wrote memo and assisted with training on debt collection practices. 

Lauren Dunlap: Fall 2003
Developed materials for symposium with acadademic deans
on legal issue for professional schools:
("fitness for practice" as part of professional licensing) 

Michele Bisaccia: Spring 2004
Memo on employee background checks
back-ground research and memo on employee drug testing.

Melissa Bedwell: Spring 2004
CUA teacher education program;
IDEA grant record keeping requirements;
"Law and the classroom" powerpoint for Education students 

Nicole DeCostello: Summer 2004
Memo on Human Subject Research regulations compliance;
worked on new web page, "CLIC-IT"

Megan Reidy: Summer 2004
Updated all federal, D.C., Maryland and Virginia drug and alcohol
laws for CUA student handbook and CUA annual security report;

developed training colloquium for faculty department chairs,

Katie Creely: Summer 2004 and Summer 2005
Memo on application of Bayh-Dole Act requirements;
Patent program; researched CUA's draft "Intellectual Property 

Jamie Larson: Fall 2004 through summer 2006

Records Clerk in 2004, Assisted as Policy Page webmaster fall 2005 through Summer 2006;
This included assisting in conforming print and paper versions of policies, staffing policy meetings,
and making a major contribution to the effort to revamp the CUA Policy Page.

Robin Tarabochia: Spring 2005 through spring 2006
Criminal background check memo;

Credit checks under FACTA & FCRA;
Copyright and movies memo;
Memo on off campus activities:

Choreographer Pie Day 2005

Robert Koerpel: Summer 2005
Updated the OGC digital filing system

Geraldine M. Muir: Summer 2006
Comprehensive review of Club Sports and Study Abroad
legal compliance and memo for reducing liability;
FERPA training video

Jake Yakubisin: Summer 2006

Create and edit with CPIT/OGC a series of training videos on preventive law for CUA staff

Caroline Jacobson: Spring 2007
Caroline worked on off-campus travel issues, a defense and indemnification policy, a memo updating the law and required actions on financial aid and affirmative action; made updates to the DC Law web pages. 

Joseph Hansen: Spring 2007
Joe created a litigation hold checklist and procedures in response to the new Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Relating to Discovery and Electronically Stored Information. He also wrote a memo on the copyright implications of podcasting Catholic Mass over the internet. Joe researched and wrote a memo on the issue of nuisance and off-campus housing. 

Rashmee Tadvalkar: Spring 2007
Rashmee wrote a series of memos on a variety of tax issues affecting the university.

John Schlageter (CUA Columbus School of Law Class of 2006) October 2006 through June 2007
Jack worked on community relations, bankruptcy, trademark, the 2007 bond deal and a variety of other projects.

Chip Moldenhauer: Spring 2007
memo on CUA conflict of interest policies; SOX, university whistleblower, CUA fraud Hotline, D.C. non-profit regulation; corporate status, D.C. non-profit oversight improvement act of 2007

Avanti Kulkarni: Summer 2007

worked on FPCO letters project; tracked DC legislation; updates to counsel.cua.edu; worked on contract forms. 

Pallavi Kakade: Summer 2007 and Summer 2008
Pallavi worked on a number projects for OGC, including gathering of affirmative action data for OGC.

Nancy Conneely: Fall 2007 through Spring 2008 Nancy worked on an audit of ADA compliance in Athletics at the outdoor football stadium and baseball field; updating the Department of Environmental Health & Safety website regarding regulations; a review of new District of Columbia legislation on paid safe and sick leave; web pages for faculty regarding Off-campus travel; and a memo addressing the new Maryland non-discrimination statute Title 49B. 

Pauline Khamo: Summer 2008 Pauline worked with the Development Office and OGC to determine donor bequests that might meet the criteria under the Uniform Prudent Management of Insitutitonal Funds Act. Pauline also worked with OGC, Public Safety and Student Life to evaluate and make suggested changes to the university's sexual assault prevention program. Pauline also worked on a number of miscellaneous projects.

Robert Law: summer 2008, Rob produced memoranda covering: the university contract review process and signature authority; liability for certain activities at the athletic center; background history of the university's retirement plans; he reviewed and revised the CUA drug and alcohol penalties chart; advised on certain professional responsibilities under D.C. Bar Rules; and researched requirements and standards for campuses to maintain student emergency evacuation plans under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Cristina Caraballo: Spring 2010. Cristina worked on an information security audit of the Law School. She also worked on the Farone Foundation Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. Cristina also assisted with filing for renewal of some CUA trademarks.

Tom O'Leary,  CUA honors student, worked for the OGC Summer 2010 to Summer 2010.  Tom helped keep all of the web pages current, among other projects.

Scott Goldschmidt: May 2011 till present:  Scott worked on program integrity rules, licensing of the University in Virginia, and researched a number of constitutional issues, including background research on the "same sex dorms" case, ERISA questions, Sponsored Program research issues and more.

******************************************************************

Craig Parker, former CUA General Counsel and lifetime consulting attorney in times of need!

B.S., Journalism, University of Kansas, 1971; J.D., Columbus School of Law, The Catholic University of America, 1978; Certified Law Librarian, 1980. Licensed to practice in Maryland. Craig became General Counsel of The University System of the District of Columbia in December 2009.

Craig Parker served as General Counsel to The Catholic University of America from 1987 to 2009. He was Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Dean of the Law School from 1980-1987. He attended law school at CUA, and was a law librarian during and after law school from 1976-1980. Before law school, Mr. Parker worked as a VISTA Volunteer with the Delaware Division of Consumer Affairs and a newspaper reporter. He is a former member of the Legal Services Review Panel of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; serves on the NCAA General Counsel's Advisory Board; is active in the National Association of College and University Attorneys; and is Treasurer and on the Board of Directors of The Arc of Prince George's County, a non-profit serving people with disabilities in Prince George's County, Maryland. Craig also was a co-founder, with Peg O'Donnell, of the Campus Legal Information Clearinghouse.

Peggy Truesdale Haney
Truesdale@cua.edu

B.A., General Studies, The Catholic University of America, 2006.

Peggy Truesdale Haney was with the Office of General Counsel from  April 2000 to June 2010 with primary responsibility for records management and administrative support. She was also the coordinator of all social festivities, including Pie Day. She left in summer 2010 to work for President Garvey.

Sarah Phelps, former General Counsel

Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, B.A. Cum Laude in Political Science, 1985. Cambridge University, Pembroke College, Cambridge, England, M. Phil., 1988. Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York, New York, J.D., 1990. Intern law clerk for the Hon. Leonard Sand, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1989. Neighborhood legal services attorney 1991-94; private litigation practice 1994-96; Associate General Counsel The George Washington University, 1996-2004; Founder of Great and Small, Inc., a non-profit providing horseback lessons to persons with disabilities. In 2007, Phelps was honored by WJLA-TV Channel 7 from among over 200 nominees for extraordinary community service.  Sarah worked with the Office of General Counsel from 2008, and served as  General Counsel from March 1, 2010 until May 2011. She is now the General Counsel at Trinity University.