Matthew Lahey

  • Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Offices

Education

  • BBA, University of Notre Dame
  • JD, University of Virginia School of Law

Biography

Matt Lahey currently serves as the vice president, general counsel and secretary of Oberlin College and is the chief legal officer of the college and the liaison to the Oberlin College Board of Trustees and its committees. As the college’s chief legal officer, Matt is responsible for managing the college’s legal affairs and overseeing legal services to the college. In addition, the vice president, general counsel and secretary reviews and provides advice on a wide array of legal questions, including the impact of existing and proposed laws and regulations on college operations or policies. Matt’s office oversees the organization of board meetings, administers elections and appointments of faculty members to faculty committees and board committees, and maintains the minutes of board committees and key college committees.

Prior to coming to Oberlin, Matt held the position of associate general counsel at the University of Notre Dame for over eight years. In that role, he advised senior leadership on strategic initiatives and issues related to academic affairs, litigation, university policy and procedure, and institutional risk, among others. Matt brings significant experience in employment law, Title IX, and institutional compliance, and he was the Office of General Counsel’s employment team leader. Matt has also held a faculty appointment at the Notre Dame Law School for the last several years, where he taught employment discrimination law and labor & employment law.

Prior to his work at Notre Dame, Matt was a partner in the labor and employment group at the AmLaw 100 firm Schiff Hardin LLP in Chicago, where he worked for 13 years counseling and litigating on behalf of employers of all sizes on a wide range of employment and labor matters. While at Schiff, Matt published frequently and gave regular presentations on labor and employment laws and trends.

Matt has also been on the board of directors for the Family Justice Center of St. Joseph County since 2018. The FJC is a federally funded non-profit organization committed to providing legal and other critical support services to victims of domestic violence.

Matt earned a BBA in finance at the University of Notre Dame and a JD at the University of Virginia School of Law.