Scott E. Rice

Deputy University Counsel

As Deputy University Counsel, Scott assists the University Counsel with the management of all legal services for the Board of Trustees, the President, University officers, all three campuses of the University and various university related organizations. Scott joined the Office of University Counsel in 2005 and was named Campus Legal Counsel for the Urbana-Champaign university in 2011, serving in that role through 2020 and again on an interim basis in 2022. He was named Deputy University Counsel in 2019. In addition to his administrative duties, Scott maintains an active legal practice on a broad range of topics, including governance, infrastructure, athletics, employment, investigations, claims, complex transactions, First Amendment and other areas. Scott is a leader or member of numerous organizations, including the National Association of College and University Attorneys, Big Ten general counsels’ roundtable, Sports Lawyers Association and Illinois State Bar Association.

Prior to joining the University, Scott had significant experience at a national architecture and engineering corporation. He also worked in all three branches of Illinois state government, including as an aide to former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar and as a clerk to former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita B. Garman. Scott is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and earned his law degree at Southern Illinois University.