About Us
As the lawyers for the University, Legal and Immigration Services (LIS) is committed to providing the best possible legal advice to protect the integrity of the University’s activities, guided by the University’s strategic vision, “À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ At 100â€.Ìý
LIS provides practical, objective and sound legal advice to strategically identify and manage the University’s legal, immigration, and privacy needs while creating and strengthening inclusive client-focused relationships. LIS accomplishes this by supporting the entire range of legal questions, and the full suite of privacy issues arising at the University in collaboration with its many partners across campus. In addition, LIS leads the faculty and staff immigration portfolio. Â
What We Do
The University takes a centralized approach for providing legal services to manage the global legal risks on behalf of the institution and ensure the quality, consistency and cost effectiveness of legal supports.
Who We Serve
UW employees needing legal support should consult with their manager.
The University is LIS’s client and legal services are provided through Executive Council members who carry out the University’s work.
All University employees are encouraged to reach out to LIS for legal support. University employees should first engage with their managers for their input and approval before requesting legal assistance from LIS.
LIS does not provide legal services to À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ students or to members of the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ community for personal matters. Individuals who are in need of legal advice or support are urged to contact their student association, and/or the .
External Counsel
LIS provides high-quality, practical legal support across the institution. Our in-house lawyers bring in-depth expertise in areas relevant to the University’s activities. In some instances, LIS may engage external legal counsel when additional capacity or specific expertise is required. LIS works with a select group of experienced and well-regarded law firms to support the University’s legal needs in a manner consistent with our commitment to À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ’s mission and values.
To manage legal risk effectively and to ensure consistency, only LIS—under the authority of the General Counsel—may retain external legal counsel on behalf of the University. This centralized model ensures accountability, cost-effectiveness, and strategic oversight of all legal services provided to the institution.
LIS will work with you and collaborate with external counsel to define the scope of work, confirm retainer terms, and coordinate strategy. If legal counsel is not retained through this process, these services are not authorized on behalf of the University and it will not pay the associated legal fees.
Contact Us
If University stakeholders are in need of support or are unclear on whether LIS can offer support on a topic, they are encouraged to reach out early in the process and as often as needed.
General Legal Enquiries: lis@uwaterloo.ca
General Immigration Enquiries: lis-imm@uwaterloo.ca
General Privacy Enquiries: fippa@uwaterloo.ca