Attorneys and Admin
Elizabeth Bullock
Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel
Elizabeth Bullock is Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel at the University of Denver. In this role, she serves as the University’s chief legal officer and leads the Office of General Counsel and its team of attorneys. She provides strategic legal guidance, consultation and support to the chancellor, trustees, and senior administrators, on topics including employment law, faculty and student affairs, institutional policies, Title IX, institutional governance, nonprofit laws, and other laws and regulations.
Elizabeth previously served as general counsel at the University of Tulsa and associate attorney at Harvard University. She has also practiced as associate attorney at the Jenner & Block LLP in Washington, D.C. and served as a law clerk for the Honorable Stephanie K. Seymour of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Elizabeth received her J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
Email: Elizabeth.Bullock@du.edu
Phone: 303-871-4646
Beth Robischon
Senior Associate General Counsel
Beth supports the Division of Student Affairs & Inclusive Excellence, the Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX, the Office of the Provost, and the Division of Human Resources & Inclusive Community in addressing various matters involving the application of University policies to students, employees, and third parties. She also serves as a strategic partner with academic leaders and campus administrators on a range of issues.
Beth joined the Office of General Counsel in 2017 after serving in various roles within the Office of University Counsel at the University of Illinois on the Urbana-Champaign campus from 2001 through 2016. Beth’s prior legal experience includes serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, working as an associate at Shea & Gardner in Washington, D.C., and serving as an in-house counsel at Sun Microsystems in McLean, Virginia. Beth graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College with an A.B. in Government and received a J.D. with distinction from Stanford Law School.
Email: Beth.Robischon@du.edu
Phone: 303-871-4643
Melissa Polk
Associate General Counsel
Melissa leads the office’s transactional team, where she drafts, reviews, revises, and negotiates University contracts. Melissa also serves as a trusted strategic partner to University business units on a wide variety of issues. Melissa joined DU in 2021. Melissa’s previous legal experience includes several years as a legal and policy advisor in the Colorado Secretary of State’s office, focusing on election and campaign finance law. Melissa also previously served in an in-house counsel role at National Jewish Health and as an associate attorney in private legal practice in Springfield, Illinois. Melissa earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her J.D. from Southern Illinois University School of Law.
Email: Melissa.Polk@du.edu
Phone: 303-871-4203
Matthew (Matt) Worthington
Assistant General Counsel II
Matt Worthington is an Assistant General Counsel at the University of Denver. He provides legal and strategic guidance on a broad range of issues, with a focus on employment, faculty and student affairs, and athletics. Matt also represents the university in litigation matters and in administrative actions before the Colorado Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.
Matt previously represented Colorado’s public universities and colleges as an Assistant Attorney General in the Colorado Attorney General’s Higher Education Unit. He also previously practiced as an attorney at WilmerHale in Denver and Washington, D.C. Matt received his J.D. from Georgetown University and his B.A. from Colorado State University.
Email: matthew.worthington@du.edu
Phone: 303-871-6255
Clair Sumerfield
Assistant General Counsel I
Clair is Assistant General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at the University of Denver. Originally from Illinois, Clair has called Colorado home for the past eight years. She joined the Office of General Counsel in 2022 as the Transactional Legal Fellow and now focuses primarily on transactional matters and contract review.
Clair holds a bachelor’s degree from Augustana College (IL) and earned her JD from the University of Denver. She is interested in the intersection of law and culture and also holds a master’s degree in art history & museum studies from the University of Denver. With a diverse educational background and a commitment to legal excellence, Clair brings a unique perspective to her role, contributing valuable insights to University legal matters.
Email: Clair.Sumerfield@du.edu
Phone: 303-871-4693
Sofia Abeyta
Legal Services and Operations Manager
Sofia manages the daily and legal operations of the office, supervises personnel, oversees office finances and budget, and both recommends and implements policies and procedures. Sofia earned a BA in Political Science and a second in Sociology from CU Denver. She earned her MA in Legal Administration from DU's Sturm College of Law. She is a Denver native with a background as a litigation paralegal and in law firm management and administration roles here in her beloved hometown.
Email: Sofia.Abeyta@du.edu
Phone: 303-871-4672
Sara Beeson
Administrative Assistant II
Sara supports OGC by providing administrative, departmental, and clerical support to the OGC attorneys, the Senior Vice Chancellor, and the Legal Services and Operations Manager. Sara earned her B.A. in Politics, Policy, Law, and Ethics from Willamette University in Salem, OR and has returned to her hometown of Denver to work for the university.
Email: Sara.Beeson@du.edu
Phone: 303-871-4646