University Counsel
University Counsel Profile
Housed in, and reporting to the Chancellor's Office, UNCG's University Counsel is responsible for providing legal advice to UNCG's Board of Trustees, administrators, faculty and staff on a broad spectrum of issues including contracts, federal and state regulations, due process matters, campus security, NCAA rules, equal employment and personnel laws, ADA/504 (handicap discrimination laws), University and UNC system policies, financial aid, OSHA compliance, open meetings laws, Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, etc.
The University Counsel also works closely with the North Carolina Attorney General's Office on litigation involving the University in federal and state courts and in administrative agencies such as the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings.
UNIVERSITY COUNSEL
Lucien "Skip" Capone III
Skip Capone is the University Counsel for UNCG and has held that position since September 1991. He provides legal advice to the Chancellor, Board of Trustees, administrators and other members of the University community.
Prior to his employment by UNCG, Skip worked for nearly 15 years in the North Carolina Attorney General's Office. He was head of the Corrections Section in that agency from 1986 to 1991 and was heavily involved in federal class action litigation (on behalf of the State) concerning the conditions of confinement within the State's prison system. Skip also served a brief tour with the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer during Desert Storm. He retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve, Judge Advocate General's Corps in 2002.
Skip graduated from N.C. State University in 1973 with a B.A. in Sociology. He attended Wake Forest University Law School and earned his J.D. in 1977. While a law student, Skip taught business law courses at, what was then called, Forsyth Technical Institute in Winston-Salem.
Skip is a commercially rated instrument pilot and a certified flight instructor.
ASSOCIATE UNIVERSITY COUNSEL
Steve Serck
Steve Serck has been Associate University Counsel since January 2008.
From 1989 until 2008 he was in private practice in Des Moines, Iowa, and his practice areas were higher education law and civil litigation. He received his B.A. degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1986 and his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1989. He is a member of the Order of the Coif. He is the author of Taylor v. Wiebold and Rules of Civil Procedure 48 and 55: Do Statutes of Limitations Still Matter? 73 Iowa Law Review 975 (1988).
He has served as an officer and member of the board of directors of the Polk County (Iowa) Bar Association (2002-2007). He is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).
ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY COUNSEL
Christine Dorrestein-Schultz
Christine Dorrestein-Schultz has been Assistant University Counsel since September 2006.
Prior to joining the University, Christine worked for the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Prior to attending law school, Christine served as a paralegal for The University of North Carolina system for seven years (1994-2001).
She received her A.B. degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989 and her J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2004. In 2001, Christine completed the Education Policy Fellowship Program, a one-year leadership development program on public policy in education sponsored by the Institute for Educational Leadership.
Christine is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association and serves on the Technology Advisory Committee. She is also a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).
ASSISTANT TO UNIVERSITY COUNSEL
Carolyn P. Coppedge
Carolyn began work in the Office of the University Counsel on October 1, 2008. Her primary responsibilities include initial review of all instructional agreements, preparation of position statements to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and response to Office of Civil Rights complaints, research, office management and administrative support, scheduling and management of the Office resources. Carolyn currently serves as a member of the Human Resources Advisory Group and recently served on the Banner HR Advisory Group to help implement the new Banner Human Resources System. She was a founding member of the UNCG Staff Council and served two terms on that Council.
Prior to her assignment in the Office of the University Counsel, Carolyn held positions in the UNCG Office of the Provost, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs, and most recently in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. She also worked in Raleigh for several years in the Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Community Colleges. Carolyn has over 30 years of State service and has worked at UNCG for over 19 of those years.