The UCLA Health Office of Legal Affairs routinely provides legal advice, as requested by other UCLA offices, regarding the following types of agreements:
Legal advice typically includes the following: whether an agreement is legally binding; whether its terms and conditions are consistent with each other as well as with University policies; whether the language clearly describes the intentions of the parties and their respective rights and obligations; and where applicable, whether the contract is consistent with the fraud and abuse laws and regulations.
Authority to Negotiate and Sign Contracts.
Please keep in mind that only certain representatives of UCLA Health have a specific delegation of authority to make contractual commitments on behalf of UCLA Health. Accordingly, a contract should first be reviewed by the appropriate department or office before being submitted to the UCLA Health Office of Legal Affairs for legal review.
The Department or appropriate business person is responsible for ensuring that the business terms of the agreement are accurate and reflect the terms agreed to by the parties, such as the compensation, term of the agreement, scope of services, or other relevant business terms. The Department is also responsible for: (1) negotiating the business terms of the agreement with the other party; (2) revising the agreement as agreed to by the parties; (3) sending the approved agreement to the Office of Legal Affairs for final review; (4) incorporating changes recommended by the Office of Legal Affairs into the agreement; and (5) finalizing the agreement so that it is in a form ready for signature. Further information about the signature process is found below.
Signature Process for Contracts
After the agreement has been approved as to legal form and is ready for signature, the Department sends the agreement for signature by following the process below: