Samuel McGinty

As Higher Education faces unprecedented challenges, from technological disruptions to shifting student demographics, a strategic framework for institutional development becomes crucial for sustainability and growth. With experience working in the legal and public sectors, Samuel McGinty is able to bring a unique perspective to higher education in his role as Director of Legal Services and General Counsel at Loughborough University.

In today’s conversation, Sam sat down with Max Webber, Co-Host of The Interview, to discuss his transition from a legal career in local government to Higher Education, the challenge faced by universities in upholding free speech in a time of political unrest, and the importance of building strong relationships within institutions. 

Sam’s Journey

Max: Let’s start with a brief introduction to yourself and your institution…

I joined Loughborough in 2017 – it was my first posting in Higher Education, and I kind of stumbled into it. I'd worked in local government before, and I thought I'd come to the end of my journey of wanting to be a lawyer, so I came here to try something a bit different as Head of Contracts. As time moved on, I moved back towards a traditional in-house legal role again. I was looking for a new set of challenges and I've certainly found that in Higher Education! Since joining Loughborough, I set up the university's first in-house legal team in 2019 and was then appointed General Counsel and Director of Legal Services in November last year. 

Max: What inspired you to pursue a career in higher education? How have you kept engaged and energised?

It was all about opportunity. A good friend of mine saw the job posting, and told me that I could do it and should apply. At the time, I happened to live about 20 minutes from Loughborough, and so I stuck my application in. When I arrived at Loughborough, I had quite a challenge ahead of me in terms of what my role required, and that challenge has morphed and shifted over time. I think, at their heart, lawyers are problem-solvers, and in Higher Education, there are lots of problems to solve. But it's really satisfying to be part of finding the solution by working with passionate colleagues. Culturally, working in a Higher Education institution is very different to what I was used to. These are really interesting places to be employed, from the opportunities for personal development to the things going on around campus. I know it's a cliche, but no two days are the same, and every day offers something fascinating to tackle.

Max: What have you been working on recently?

We’ve just hosted the Association of University Legal Practitioners' annual conference, with a strong focus on well-being, for over 200 legal practitioners in higher education. As Project Director for Project Compliance, one of the enabling projects under our strategy, I’m leading a piece of work to reshape our approach, promoting a culture of compliance and improving efficiency. We’ve just had, our first University-wide Leadership Conference, part of another enabling project, Project Expectations, aiming to drive culture change by equipping staff with the necessary skills, training and understanding to support the strategy. 

A growing area I'm involved in is national security compliance, having launched an awareness-raising campaign around safer partnerships and trusted research. We’re now moving this to a new phase, with new recruits in post, as this will be vital as our institution increases its international engagements. We've made significant strides in raising awareness in this complex area and earned external recognition for our efforts

Max: Sounds there like there are plenty of things to keep you busy! What initiatives have you been working on to help advance student outcomes?

We have a core plan for Education and Student Experience under our strategy. Where my team gets involved with students mostly, is where students are engaging with industry through placements or projects. Our role in that is to help protect both the student and University, ensuring students' rights as consumers are protected and the University isn’t being burdened with unreasonable liabilities. Intellectual Property Rights are always a bone of contention and particularly with final-year projects, we need to ensure they can use their project outcomes in their professional portfolios. Given our entrepreneurial student body, we do our best to preserve their rights to develop startups or commercially exploit the outcomes of their projects, aligning our teaching processes with our strong student enterprise support.

Max: How has your legal background prepared you for delivering programs and strategies in a complex Higher Education institution?

It's all about relationships. Universities are collections of individuals with varied motivations, working towards common goals but at different paces and in different ways. Building strong relationships ensures mutual understanding and cooperation, which is especially important for lawyers who often face negative stereotypes. By listening and empathising, we bring people from across the University together around a problem and ensure our efforts align. This becomes crucial in large organisations with tight resource constraints. Strong networks across professional services and academia are essential for driving momentum and successfully delivering projects.

Max: What advice would you give to someone starting a career in higher education?

Careers aren't linear and shouldn't be. A close friend and mentor taught me that instead of asking if an opportunity will get you to your goal, ask if it will stop you from getting there. Embrace diverse experiences, learn from them, and don't focus too much on the end prize.