The Office of the General Counsel is responsible for handling all of the Institute's legal affairs. Besides working on general legal matters relating to the Institute, the OGC devotes much of its time to matters directly related to the Institute's scientific endeavors. These activities include working closely with the Institute's scientific management to implement the Institute's policies concerning:
- The ownership and disposition of the Institute's intellectual property resulting from research conducted by its scientists.
- The outside activities of Institute scientists.
- The transfer of scientific material to and from Institute laboratories.
- Scientific collaborations between the Institute's scientists and those of other institutions, including for-profit companies.
