For more than 25 years, ACC has represented the interests of in-house counsel in the United States and around the world. Here, we look back at our founding in 1982, and acknowledge our founders, current and past leaders and members whose contributions to ACC have made us the dynamic organization we are today.
The Founding of ACC
On December 1, 1981, Robert S. Banks, then general counsel of Xerox Corporation, hosted a luncheon that would change the legal profession. Participants included:
- Lawrence B. Kraus, then general counsel of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Philip M. Knox Jr., then general counsel of Sears, Roebuck and Co.
- Carl D. Liggio, then general counsel of Arthur Young & Company
- Stephen B. Middlebrook, then general counsel of Aetna Life & Casualty
- Donald P. Walsh, then general counsel of Sun Company
- William C. Weitzel Jr., then general counsel of Texaco
- Irving B. Yoskowitz, then general counsel of United Technologies Corporation
- Guy A. Zoghby, then managing attorney of IBM
Conversation ranged from the changing role of a general counsel to whether in-house counsel resources available from national, state and local bar associations were adequate. The group agreed that while there were considerable resources for lawyers practicing in firms and working in government, there were no such resources for in-house counsel.
In addition, in-house counsel had very few networking opportunities. Several American Bar Association (ABA) committees attempted to address some corporate practice issues; however, none targeted or were populated by in-house lawyers. The group agreed that there was a very real need for an organization that represented the specific interests of in-house counsel.
Gray Castle, a former general counsel of Xerox, Cigna and The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, as well as a past partner in major law firms, remembers, “[We needed] a national organization, especially one that would help raise the sights of in-house counsel and provide a unified voice for our profession. It was not until the 1981–1982 meetings, however, that things really got rolling.”
A second meeting in 1982 attracted more than 50 in-house counsel, who discussed the organization in further detail. Most of those present pledged to enroll their entire legal department, at least for the first few years, so that the fledgling group would have a sustainable membership base.
The American Corporate Counsel Association (ACCA) was thus born. Officers were elected, and initial membership numbered 2,400 in-house counsel. Washington, D.C., was chosen as our headquarters. Bylaws and a charter were composed, and the search began for an executive director. Most important, details about how best to serve new members’ needs were hammered out, with education, networking and effective representation of in-house counsel at the top of the list.
Those main tenets continue to anchor ACC’s mission today. As the association has grown, so have our interests, scope of work and outreach. In 2003, ACCA became ACC, the Association of Corporate Counsel, reflecting the increasingly global interests of current members and recognizing the needs of our quickly growing membership in 75 countries.
