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Welcome to the Office of General Counsel Website

The Office of General Counsel is committed to service, knowledge of the law, and the success of the Oceanographic’s mission. We strive to provide, manage, and coordinate all legal services for the WHOI community and to prevent orminimize legal risks and costs efficiently, reliably, and professionally.

The General Counsel provides proactive professional advice on a broad array of strategic and legal issues to WHOI's Board of Directors, the President and Director and the offices of the Administration, and all senior managers in their WHOI roles and positions. The General Counsel also oversees enterprise risk and compliance, including Environmental Health and Safety and insurance matters.

To find out more, please contact the Office of General Counsel.

Crystal Talley

General Counsel

Christy Talley
VP Legal Affairs, General Counsel
crystal.talley@whoi.edu
205-289-2900

Diane McCarthy

Legal matters

Diane McCarthy
Executive Assistant to the Office of General Counsel
dmccarthy@whoi.edu
508-289-2502

Keren von Schmidt

Insurance matters

Keren von Schmidt
Managing Principal / Team Leader
keren.vonschmidt@epicbrokers.com
516-702-4798
EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants Website

Ron Reif

Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S)

Ron Reif
DIRECTOR OF EH&S
rreif@whoi.edu
508 289 3788
EH&S Website

Mercedes

Contracts & Agreements

Mercedes Moses
Assistant General Counsel
mercedes.moses@whoi.edu
508-289-3221

WHOI Anonymous Tip-line

(24 hour/7 days a week)

Integrated telephone and web-based anonymous hotline reporting service available to all members of the WHOI community to confidentially report concerns about their workplace environment, unethical activities or violations to Institution policies.

Legal Request

OGC's Jira Service Desk allows you to formally submit your legal question or request for review.

Our commitment to you is to respond to requests and inquiries submitted through Jira within two (2)  business days; our response may not always be “the answer” or complete as we often require more information from you in order to serve WHOI well.