Office of General Counsel Adds New Deputy General Counsel to Staff

Senior Vice President and General Counsel Daniel French has announced the appointment of Heather Gaines as deputy general counsel. She joined the staff on Jan. 30.

In her new position, Gaines will lead the business and transactional group within the Office of University Counsel and serve as part of the leadership team under the direction of French. In addition, Gaines will advise business and academic units within the University on contract, real estate, research, intellectual property, international and other transactional matters. She will also develop policies and processes to streamline the office’s support to the units they advise.

Gaines comes to Syracuse from the University of Arizona where she led the team that advised on real estate, procurement, data privacy and security, development and philanthropy, health care transactions and a broad range of intellectual property matters. Her work also included counseling leadership on affiliated entities, complex strategic acquisitions and projects, real estate development, land use and zoning, procurement, contracting, construction and global initiatives.

Gaines earned her J.D. from the University of Arizon College of Law and B.A. from the University of Arizona. She is admitted to the bar in Arizona and is currently working towards being admitted to the bar in New York.

Gaines says she, her husband and one of her two daughters are looking forward to exploring Central New York. She hopes for her eldest daughter, a first-year student at Northern Arizona University, to visit often and join their explorations.