Legal Affairs ‒ Presidency ‐ EPFL

The Legal Affairs office provides EPFL’s middle and upper management with expert legal support. We are involved in the School’s strategic projects, ensuring they comply with all applicable legal requirements. We also play a role in drafting agreements, anticipating changes to the law and raising awareness of legal issues, as well as in conflict and risk management.

Other services include publishing laws and directives that apply to EPFL, drawing up new directives, and overseeing the development of new applications (such as for electronic signatures and managing contracts).

The Director of Legal Affairs, who reports to the Secretary General, coordinates a Legal Network comprising all EPFL lawyers, including the Legal Affairs department of the Vice Presidency for Academic Affairs (VPA). The aim of the latter is to provide legal support to VPA units in their activities relating to education, research and technology transfer. Their mission is to provide information on the laws, directives and procedures applicable to EPFL activities, to set up appropriate legal frameworks for collaborations with external partners (public or private), to prevent legal problems and to provide objective and relevant opinions or advice, in order to help EPFL teaching staff, students and researchers to achieve their teaching, research and technology transfer objectives.

Data Protection Officer, who is administratively attached to the Legal Affairs unit, is responsible for assisting the EPFL in complying with the legal requirements relating to data protection. That person informs and raises awareness among staff of their obligations in this regard. He or she serves as the point of contact for persons wishing to exercise their data protection rights.