NON-PROFIT CORPORATE COUNSEL OF THE YEAR
Today at Pepperdine, the role of general counsel is as much ambassador, educator, manager, executive, and strategist as it is legal advisor – and yet it is still very much the latter as well. Marc Goodman has made a career of mastering all of these job responsibilities within what is effectively a small city at Pepperdine, and enhancing the role the general counsel’s office plays in the often-complex scenarios a university faces.
University accomplishments under Goodman’s leadership, and his individual accolades speak well to this description. This summer, for example, under his leadership, the university favorably resolved a four-week state court trial and a three-week federal court trial, both with unanimous jury verdicts.
Goodman also works with the Board of Regents and navigates corporate governance issues, including having revised the university bylaws, and he collaborates with stakeholders, establishing an effective compliance environment across the university. Pepperdine has only had one NCAA Division One athletics infraction, which Goodman favorably resolved as well.
Goodman is also an integral member of the crisis management team, serving on the university’s threat assessment team and the emergency operations committee. He is instrumental in the necessary planning and response in domestic and international threats and emergencies.
Goodman is an advocate and an ambassador for Pepperdine in the most, true and complete sense of the terms. He establishes, maintains, and defends sound legal policies, propelling the university forward in its many diverse endeavors. He engages with faculty, staff, and students, creating a unique, approachable environment for stakeholders and raising the performance level of the general counsel’s office.
