The UCSF Office of Legal Affairs provides legal advice to the Chancellor, campus, and medical centers on applicable laws and regulations, institutional policy, decision-making, and legal problem solving.
The campus counsel is a valuable resource in identifying and addressing problems where legal advice is needed. The campus counsel is a member of the UCOP General Counsel's office in Oakland and services as the principal conduit for engaging legal expertise from members of that office. The UCSF Office of Legal Affairs provides legal services that includes advice, consultation, and coordination on the full range of legal issues affecting the campus and medical centers.
Greta W. Schnetzler, Chief Campus Counsel - Associate General Counsel
Greta Schnetzler was appointed as Chief Campus Counsel at UCSF in June 2013. She was previously a partner with the law firm of Gordon & Rees where she specialized in representing colleges and universities in all aspects of employment, civil rights and education law for twenty years.
In 1992, Ms. Schnetzler worked on a special temporary assignment in-house with the Office of the General Counsel of the Regents of the University of California.
Ms. Schnetzler graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1982. She received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University in 1985. She an active and contributing member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and serves as a neutral evaluator and mediator on the Alternative Dispute Resolution panel of the Northern District Court.
She is a frequent speaker on legal issues affecting colleges and universities. Within the Office of Legal Affairs, Ms. Schnetzler assists campus clients in the area of labor and employment law, medical staff matters, academic affairs, graduate medical education, student affairs, research compliance, international programs and complex contracts.
415-476-5003 | [email protected]
Anagha Dandekar Clifford, Deputy Campus Counsel and Chief Adviser for UCSF Resiliency Strategy
Dandekar Clifford has worked in the University of California system for nearly six years as principal counsel in the UC Office of the President. While there, she has served as a strategic legal adviser to campus leaders on complex land use, real estate and business transactions, and collaborated with stakeholders both within and beyond the UCSF campus on large, often controversial projects. As deputy campus counsel, she will continue in that role for the Comprehensive Parnassus Heights Project and the New Hospital Parnassus Heights Project.
In her new role as deputy campus counsel, Dandekar Clifford will also advise the campus community across a wide range of substantive legal and policy areas, as well as undertake multiparty negotiation in complex transactions. In her role as chief adviser for Resiliency Strategy, she will lead an institution-wide committee focused on resiliency and provide strategic advice and planning to leadership on the entire range of UCSF initiatives affecting long-term institutional health and resiliency.
Dandekar Clifford earned her JD at UC Davis School of Law and is on the board of directors of two Bay Area organizations: SPUR, a nonprofit civic planning organization, and the Housing Accelerator Fund, which works with local groups to build and preserve affordable homes.
Rachel Nosowsky, Chief Health Counsel
Rachel Nosowsky, known for her fierce advocacy of clients and patients served by the University of California, has worked for more than two decades in public academic medicine. In her new role, she serves as a member of the UCSF Health executive team and steers the legal function of the health system, as well as the student health and counseling center at the UCSF campus.
As chief counsel for UCSF Health, Rachel Nosowsky participates in shaping UCSF Health strategy and policy, aligns UCSF Health business strategies with legal requirements, and works to reduce legal risk.
Raised in San Francisco, Rachel Nosowsky earned her law degree at UC Berkeley School of Law. In 2010, she joined the UC Office of the General Counsel (UC Legal), headquartered in Oakland, to provide advice on research and clinical trials at the University’s health professions schools.
She became deputy general counsel in 2012, overseeing legal services for the University’s academic health systems, health sciences faculty practice plans, health professions schools, and student health and counseling centers. She also served as chief counsel to UC Health and worked with the UC Office of the President, UC Legal and UC Health leaders systemwide to advance the University’s clinical, teaching and research missions.
Rachel Nosowsky has held leadership positions in numerous professional organizations, including the University HealthSystem Consortium (now Vizient Inc.) and the American Health Law Association. At the California Lawyers Association, she chairs the Health Law Standing Committee.
Christine Haas Georgiev, Principal Campus Counsel
Christine Haas Georgiev joined the Office of the General Counsel as Senior Counsel - Construction for the UCSF campus/medical center in April 2013. Prior to joining the office, Ms. Haas Georgiev held positions as President and CEO of Ethos Law P.C.; General Counsel, Lend Lease (US) Public Partnerships LLC; and as a partner with Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges.
Ms. Haas Georgiev's primary areas of practice will include construction law and real estate matters. She is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (B.A. 1985) and the University of San Francisco School of Law (J.D. 1990).
Kate Mente, Principal Campus Counsel
Kate Mente became Senior Campus Counsel at UC San Francisco in June 2014. Previously, she served as Senior Labor and Employee Relations (LER) Advocate for the UCSF Campus and Medical Center. In this role, she represented UCSF in administrative hearings, arbitrations and Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) proceedings. Ms. Mente previously served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco, School of Law, Employment Law Clinic and as Associate Counsel for two San Francisco law firms: McGuinn, Hillsman & Palefsky, and McCormac & Associates.
Ms. Mente received her Juris Doctorate from the University of San Francisco, School of Law and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from George Washington University.
Ben Durie, Principal Counsel for Healthcare Transactions and Strategy
Durie comes to UCSF from the San Francisco office of Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, P.C., where he was a partner specializing in health care business transactions, including work as outside counsel for UCSF Health. He has worked with health care facilities on various regulatory, operational, corporate governance, compliance and self-disclosure matters.
Durie earned his JD from the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law and is on the board of directors for the California Society for Healthcare Attorneys, where he also chairs the Publications Committee.
Alexander Peña, Senior Health Sciences Counsel