General Counsel
General Counsel represents Skidmore on all legal matters and provides strategic legal advice to leaders and representatives of the College.
Sarah Delaney Vero, Esq.
Sarah Delaney Vero, Esq. serves as Skidmore College’s chief legal officer and vice president for human resources and is responsible for representing the College in all legal matters. She provides legal advice and services to the Board of Trustees, the president, the Cabinet, divisions, and other duly authorized representatives of the College acting in their official capacities. The General Counsel has sole authority to retain outside counsel and oversees all such engagements with the objective of managing legal risk and controlling institutional costs.
Contact the General Counsel:
svero@skidmore.edu
518-580-5809
Disclaimer
The General Counsel only handles the College’s legal matters, represents only the College, and cannot provide legal advice to individuals on personal matters. If you need an attorney for personal matters, the New York State Bar Association’s free referral service may be of assistance.
The information and materials on this website are offered for informational purposes and are not legal advice. The office is available to assist the College community with College-related legal issues.
Notary services
The Office of the General Counsel provides notary services in connection with official Skidmore College business. Please note that, in compliance with New York law, you are required to produce to the notary public evidence of identity in the form of a current document issued by the federal or a state government. This document must contain both your photo and signature. A Skidmore College ID by itself is not sufficient.
College policies
The following is a partial list of College policies and procedures. More College policies can be found in the College’s handbooks or with the Office of Human Resources. Contact the General Counsel for more information.
Additional policies:
- Acceptable Use Policy
- Conflict of Interest (see note in content document)
- Drug Free Campus
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
- HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
- Name Policy
- Protection of Minors Policy
- Higher Education Opportunity Act
- Pre-Employment Physical Capabilities/Drug Screening Policy and Procedure
- Policy on Political Activity
- Policy Against Workplace Violence
- Standards of Business Conduct Policy
- Whistleblower Policy
Frequently asked questions
The College’s Whistleblower Policy is intended to encourage employees and others to report concerns internally before seeking resolution outside the institution.
Skidmore expects employees to carry out their duties and responsibilities in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures. The Whistleblower Policy outlines procedures designed to assist and encourage individuals to come forward. Retaliation for good-faith reports is prohibited, and reports may be made anonymously. All reports must be made in good faith and be based on a reasonable belief that misconduct has occurred.
If an individual feels it is necessary to report a concern of wrongdoing outside of the traditional reporting mechanism, you may file a report by visiting www.skidmore.ethicspoint.com or by phone at 888‐828‐7002.
When an employee consults with the General Counsel in an official capacity, information relating to that representation is treated as confidential and shared only with College officials and personnel who have a need to know.
Communications — whether written or oral — made for the purpose of seeking or receiving legal advice may, in some circumstances, be protected by the attorney-client privilege. Privileged communications generally are not subject to compelled disclosure in litigation or other legal proceedings. Whether a particular communication is privileged depends on the specific facts and circumstances and must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Outside counsel is engaged at the discretion of the General Counsel and may only be retained by the General Counsel. Work performed by outside counsel is delegated by and performed under the supervision of the General Counsel.
College policies may originate through several parts of Skidmore’s system of shared governance, including the Board of Trustees, senior administration, and the faculty. The General Counsel oversees the legal review, issuance, and archiving of College policies. If you are beginning a policy development or revision process, you should consult the General Counsel at the outset for advice and guidance.
Only individuals with delegated authority may sign a contract on behalf of Skidmore College and legally bind the institution. Contracts in excess of $10,000 must be signed by the chief financial officer. Contracts of $10,000 or less must be signed by the appropriate vice president or that officer’s designee. In all cases, contracts should be reviewed by the General Counsel before the College is committed to any obligation.