Ian Oakley was hired as Assistant General Counsel to Lehigh University in 2023. He, along with the other members of the office, provide legal counsel to the University on a variety of matters that affect the day to day operations of the University, including business transactions, litigation and dispute resolution, internal investigations, compliance, student life, athletics, and university governance.
Before joining the Office of General Counsel, Mr. Oakley served as General Counsel to the Pennsylvania SPCA where he worked with organizational leadership to support its efforts to end animal cruelty. Mr. Oakley was deputized a special prosecutor in a number of counties across the Commonwealth to prosecute cases of animal abuse. Prior to that, Mr. Oakley was a commercial litigator with a regional firm in Princeton, New Jersey. He began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia where he worked primarily in the Family Violence and Sexual Assault unit, prosecuting some of the most dangerous sex offenders in the city.
Mr. Oakley is a native of Easton, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Philadelphia. He received his Juris Doctor from Drexel University in 2016, and Bachelor of Arts from King's College in 2013. He is a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, the National Association of College and University Attorneys, and the Association of Corporate Counsel. He is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.