The current Indiana University vice president and general counsel, Anthony Prather, will retire on July 1, according to an April 2 announcement.
IU has named a nine-member committee for the search for a new vice president and general counsel. The committee is led by IU Chief Operating Officer Todd Richardson, who serves as chair.
The vice president and general counsel is IU’s chief legal officer and directs legal representation of the university. The position serves as legal adviser to the university president, Board of Trustees and senior administrators. It also supervises the Office of Civil Rights Compliance, University Compliance and Internal Audit and directs outside counsel employed by IU.
Prather joined as vice president and general counsel in 2022, having previously worked at business law firm Barnes and Thornburg LLP. He had also served twice as a member of the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission, a board of citizens appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court to review complaints against Indiana attorneys and enforce the Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers.
During Prather’s tenure, a federal judge dismissed a class action lawsuit alleging the university mishandled complaints of sexual misconduct by the basketball team’s physician. IU also faced multiple lawsuits alleging the university violated the First Amendment, including an ongoing suit over the firing of Director of Student Media Jim Rodenbush and a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in which a federal judge ruled that a 2024 policy restricting speech on campus was unconstitutional.
The search committee for his replacement includes members of the IU Foundation, IU Internal Audit, Maurer School of Law, IU Public Safety, Office of Civil Rights Compliance and the Office of the President, as well as the provost and executive vice chancellor at IU Indianapolis and a senior associate general counsel in the IU Office of the Vice President and General Counsel.
Candidates can apply or be nominated by email through IU's Human Resources website. Review of applications starts immediately, according to the job description.
The position’s responsibilities also include coordinating litigation involving external agencies and complainants, discussing institutional strategy and policy as a member of the President’s Cabinet and giving advice regarding compliance with state and federal law.
The job description states candidates are preferred to have senior level experience with a large governmental, educational nonprofit or for-profit organization, or an equivalent role as outside counsel.
Candidates should also have extensive background in legal practice and have reached a senior position in an organization such as a university, firm, corporation or government agency. They should have experience supervising other lawyers and in legal matters related to higher education, according to the job description.
The candidate selected for the role is expected to start July 1.
