Though searches for several other high-level administrators continue, President Neil L. Rudenstine has started working to fill yet another high-level administrative post, that of vice president and general counsel.

Rudenstine is seeking a replacement for Daniel Steiner '54, who will step down in the June after more than 20 years as Harvard's chief legal consultant.

The search officially began last Friday, when an advertisement for the job appeared in the Harvard University Gazette. Similar advertisements have run in The New York Times and The Washington Post.

"It's like the quest for the Dalai Lama has begun, in my view," Steiner joked yesterday.

The Gazette advertisement describes the job as follows: "The General Counsel reports to the President, has responsibility for all aspects of the University's legal affairs and advises the President, Government Boards and other senior offers on a wide range of issues having legal or regulatory dimensions."

The general counsel also oversees the Harvard University Police Department and is responsible for campus security issues. And he or she must work to make sure the school is following local, state and federal laws.

Michael W. Roberts, the University's acting secretary, said that though no legal eagles have turned in applications so for, he expects broad interest in the position.

"I would expect there'd be plenty [of applicants]," Roberts said. "It's a very distinguished legal position in higher education."

The basic prerequisites for the position start with "a long-standing record of demonstrated excellence in the practice of law," according to the Gazette listing.

In addition, the advertisement notes that "it is essential that the individual possess high standards of ethics and professionalism, a strong commitment to equal opportunity, and a breadth and depth of interest and experience commensurate with the scope of the legal issues facing institutions of higher education."

It has been speculated that Roberts, a University attorney, may be a contender for the post, but Roberts said yesterday that he will not be a candidate.

Though Steiner helped develop the job description, he would not say which specific qualities he would like to see in Harvard's new Dalai Lama.

"I think we now have a very strong professional office, that we have a highly competent and ethical group of lawyers within the University, and I think all of us want to see that tradition continued," Steiner said.

The outgoing general counsel said he does not currently have any formal role in the search process.

"I will only be involved to whatever extent the president wants me to," Steiner said.