Leadership Profile: Hailey Mullican Vice President for Legal Affairs and Chief Legal Officer

As UT San Antonio continues its integration, the Office of Legal Affairs reflects meaningful progress under Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Hailey Mullican.

Legal Affairs was among the first areas to integrate. Guided by its mission to provide UT San Antonio with superior, accurate and timely legal counsel in support of its academic research, and clinical enterprises, that work is well underway.

“My charge was to combine these two independent legal offices,” said Mullican “and optimize the incredible existing talent to better serve the new comprehensive institution, more efficiently and consistently.”

Mullican, the university’s general counsel, leads a team of 14 accomplished attorneys and legal staff. Their integration and reorganization centers on a clear principle: form follows function. By focusing on how Legal Affairs serves the university, the team has stratified personnel, streamlined processes, strengthened communication and aligned its approach to deliver more consistent guidance. She notes that law is an art, not a science, making consistency in advising essential.

Integration has also created a rare opportunity to rethink how the work gets done — a reset that allows the team to modernize tools and workflows, improve responsiveness and build a more connected unit. The result is a clearer, more predictable experience, making it easier for the university to know where to go, what to expect and how to get support.

Looking ahead, Mullican sees an expanded role for Legal Affairs. “The historic model of Legal Affairs in higher ed has been somewhat siloed and primarily reactive – we are the people you come to when you’re in trouble,” said Mullican. “We can do that – we’re very good at that, but we can provide additional value by being a proactive partner, a thought partner, and a strategic partner.

Legal Affairs anticipates a move into a new space later this summer and will host an open house for the campus community. In the meantime, faculty and staff can connect with the team by visiting them in the Multidisciplinary Studies Building (Suite 3.03.14) on Main Campus or by contacting them by phone (210)-458-4105 or email [email protected].