James A. Merklinger
Vice President and General Counsel
Association of Corporate Counsel
James A. Merklinger is the Vice President and General Counsel for Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) in Washington, D.C. ACC is the largest bar association that serves in-house lawyers in the world, with more than 29,000 members working in more than 10,000 companies and nonprofits in more than 75 countries. In this position, he represents the organization on all legal issues and advises the association on meeting the needs of the in-house counsel profession.
Having served ACC for over 15 years in a variety of key roles, Merklinger was named to the position of Vice President and General Counsel of the association in July 2011. Merklinger joined ACC in 1995 as the Director of Legal Resources and was instrumental in making the association's membership materials available online.
In 2005, Merklinger was named ACC's Director of Large Law Programs, where he was the liaison with ACC’s largest legal departments at companies across the country, in Canada and Europe. While in the position, Merklinger helped grow ACC's large law membership by more than 85 percent.
Most recently, Merklinger served as ACC Deputy General Counsel and Vice President - Legal Resources, overseeing the development of ACC’s array of legal resources to help in-house counsel do their jobs. He is the lead executive working with 16 volunteer leadership committees organized by practice areas including Employment, IP, Litigation, IT and other key areas of law who contribute to the strategic development of the association's resources and education programs. Merklinger spearheads ACC's regular benchmarking studies to provide members and the legal industry at large with key trends related to the in-house counsel practice and outside counsel management.
Merklinger has served as faculty for CLE programs throughout the United States and Canada on a variety of in-house topics. He also provides pro bono immigration representation for clients in Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia. As a volunteer, Merklinger serves on the board of directors of the Tourette Syndrome Association of Greater Washington, D.C.
Prior to joining ACC, he served as in-house counsel for DIAD, Inc. in Reston, Virginia. While at DIAD, he provided counsel in a variety of substantive areas, including commercial law, software licensing, disability law and issues affecting entrepreneurial development.
Merklinger is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law and Wofford College. He continues to practice law in the District of Columbia. Merklinger and his wife, Tiffany, recently welcomed a new addition to the family, son, Max James Merklinger, on May 27, 2011.
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The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is the world’s largest organization serving the professional and business interests of attorneys who practice in the legal departments of corporations, associations and other private-sector organizations around the globe. ACC promotes the common interests of its members, provides resources to help save time, money and effort, contributes to their continuing education and provides a voice on issues of global importance. With more than 29,000 members in over 75 countries, employed by over 10,000 organizations, ACC connects its members to the people and resources necessary for both personal and professional growth. By in-house counsel, for in-house counsel.® For more information, visit www.acc.com.
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