Jay Wilcoxson, counsel in the MIT Office of General Counsel (OGC), does not shy away from a crisis. In fact, he enjoys navigating uncertainty to steer a conflict toward an outcome that is beneficial to the Institute. Drawing on his background in private law practice and his love for problem-solving, Wilcoxson ensures his work supports MIT's mission and principles.
After attending Boston University School of Law, Wilcoxson joined the Boston law firm Goodwin Procter LLP, specializing in commercial business litigation. While the work was interesting and challenging, there were aspects of law firm life that he didn't love, and he expected to eventually shift to a role as an in-house lawyer. He had always believed in the mission of higher education, and as universities are complex organizations with many moving parts, he was drawn to the range of issues they present. The challenge was that legal jobs in higher education are rare - people get them and don't leave.
For several years, Wilcoxson kept his eye on openings and met with general counsels at several universities, who reiterated how competitive these roles can be. One also mentioned something that stuck with him: Being a lawyer in higher education requires a high tolerance for ambiguity, which can be counterintuitive, as legal work is typically focused on applying the law to a set of facts to reach a clear outcome. In 2007, he opened Mass Lawyers Weekly and saw that MIT was looking for a lawyer with a background in litigation and other disputes at his level of seniority, so he applied. He was hired in August of that year as the first new lawyer to join the recently-created OGC. Before the office was established in January 2007, lawyers at MIT were not centralized in one office, but instead spread across several units on campus.
Since joining MIT, Wilcoxson jokes that he is a "reformed litigator" because, unlike in private practice where he was often in court and managing the day-to-day of active lawsuits, much of his work now is focused on avoiding litigation. He works to identify potential friction points and reduce the risk of conflict or legal disputes before they escalate. His work is strategic and collaborative - working with clients across campus to identify and prevent potential areas of conflict and thinking broadly about how a case should be defended and whether there are opportunities to resolve it.
Although Wilcoxson's practice is very broad, his primary focus is on student life. He works regularly with the Division of Student Life , the Office of the Chancellor , the Office of Graduate Education , and the Institute Discrimination and Harassment Response Office , among other departments, laboratories, centers, and institutes. If an issue comes to the OGC and the client isn't sure about whom to contact, Wilcoxson and his colleagues confer to ensure that it makes its way to the lawyer best suited to handle it. As he notes, it is not the community's responsibility to find the right lawyer - the OGC team makes sure each matter lands with the right person.
Wilcoxson credits the team in the OGC for building an office that people want to work with. He believes the community sees him and his colleagues as trusted thought partners and teammates. All members of the MIT community - faculty, staff, and sometimes even students - can reach out for guidance on Institute legal issues. As lawyers, Wilcoxson and his colleagues approach problems differently than engineers, scientists, or those in the humanities, offering a distinct perspective on how to navigate complex issues.
The advice Wilcoxson received before starting his job at MIT, that he would need a high tolerance for ambiguity, turned out to be the best guidance he received, and, to his surprise after 19 years at the Institute, is one of his favorite things about his job. "I really like the uncertainty," he says. "That's what makes the job interesting."
Soundbytes
Q: What about your job brings you the most joy?
A: The relationships I've developed. Part of what brought me to MIT is also what keeps me here, the development of deep relationships. There are some people I have talked to every day for almost 20 years. There's a mutual appreciation for how we help each other move MIT's agenda forward. Those relationships are important because helping resolve conflicts and disputes affects people's lives, so the pressure can be high. Having people you know and trust, who have your back, and you have theirs, is what really helps you get through when things are stressful.
Q: How would you describe the community at MIT?
A: There's no one word to describe it; I get to work with so many different types of people, all bringing different life experiences and expertise. "Quirky" comes to mind. "Brilliant" comes to mind. Ultimately, what draws me most are problem-solvers. I work with many people, but I have one client: MIT. That's easy to say, hard to explain, and really hard to put into practice. On any given day my client is whoever is acting on behalf of MIT. It could be a faculty member, it could be a dean, department head, or vice president, or maybe even a graduate student.
I love MIT and am immensely proud to be part of this amazing institution. I'm not inventing things, I'm not solving the climate crisis, I'm not creating cleaner energy, but I am helping people do that. I hope I can take things off their plates so they can focus on their work.
Q: Are you involved in any other areas of the Institute that are not directly related to your job?
A: What I really try to do is find ways to be part of the community. I go to faculty meetings and lectures, and I've brought my family to weekend events. I'm on a lot of committees with students, many of which focus on developing a policy or how to approach an issue that might be the subject of rules or policy. I also often serve on search committees for leadership roles on campus.
My favorite side hustle is being a name reader at Commencement. I've been doing it for close to 10 years. We used to have one huge ceremony, where eight of us stood on stage in Killian Court and read the name of every graduate. What's really cool is that when I read a graduate's name, they're handed their actual diploma with their actual name on it, thanks to an incredible effort by the registrar's office and a large team of volunteers. We used to read all 3,500 names live and we spent a lot of time practicing.
Although Commencement is now broken into smaller ceremonies, we still read names live at the Undergraduate Commencement in Killian Court. Each of us reads about 200 names. It's a fun group of about six of us who have been reading for years, and we all love coming back to do it year after year.
I also was recently asked to serve on the Presidential Committee on Distinguished Fellowships . This is the Institute committee that works with students who are applying for various international scholarships, such as Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships. I'm very excited to work with and mentor these talented students as they pursue these amazing opportunities.
