General Counsel

The Del Mar College Office of General Counsel provides legal advice and guidance to the College’s leadership, including the Board of Regents.

The General Counsel’s services are essential in light of the extensive array of federal and state regulations and legal issues that face thriving, modern community colleges today. The office addresses existing and potential legal matters in order to help the College continue to be the premier institution of higher education in the Coastal Bend.

Primary duties of the General Counsel include:

• Preparing and reviewing legal documents
• Ensuring College policies and procedures conform to law
• Providing counsel on legal matters relating to regulatory requirements
• Responding by legal opinion to inquiries from the Board of Regents and College administration
• Representing the College before local, state and federal administrative agencies and in litigation

In 2015, Del Mar College named Augustin Rivera, Jr., J.D., as General Counsel. A member of the Executive Team, Rivera reports to President Mark Escamilla. As a member of a prestigious local law firm, Rivera assisted the College and Board of Regents with legal issues for 11 years on a contract basis.

A graduate of Stanford Law School and Yale University, Rivera was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1988. His credentials include the ability to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and several U.S. District Courts.

Rivera’s experience with higher education law spans topics ranging from civil rights, constitutional and privacy law and public information to contract and business, real estate, construction and insurance issues.