ACC Europe, the "must join" european in-house counsel association to support your needs
by Iohann Le Frapper
Dear fellow ACC Europe members,
After 18 years of experience in the legal arena, I am proud to have been elected last September as president of ACC Europe to serve the interests and needs of our community.
I am also pleased to announce our newly elected Officers and Board Members who have started assuming new leadership opportunities on October 1, 2011 for the 2012 fiscal year.
Why has the number of ACC Europe members increased every year since 1994?
ACC Europe is a truly pan-European in-house counsel association that brings a unique perspective to in-house counsel: whether they belong to small, medium or large law departments, they have the opportunity to network and exchange ideas with their peers across European countries representing companies from same or other industries.
At ACC Europe board level, a variety of 10 nationalities and languages are represented: diversity is no longer a concept but an enriching reality as each Board member has the invaluable opportunity to contribute country-specific views and perspectives, which become pan-European to address the needs of the broader membership.
ACC Europe reflects a great combination of a group of senior European-based in- house counsel (Board members and Country Representatives) who are volunteers , and the powerhouse of ACC with a dedicated staff of professionals to support the provision of on-line educational materials to ACC members on a global scale.
Together we are poised to provide access to a wide range of legal resources and Best Practices in countries where our in-house members may be called to operate. With more than 80% of laws enacted in EU countries stemming from regulations adopted by EU bodies, the resources and the networking opportunities provided by ACC Europe are an invaluable tool for benchmarking and for exchanging thoughts among peers.
ACC Europe recognizes the escalating importance of the European/EMEA legal jobs market and one of the goals for the coming year is to facilitate the meeting of job offers and demands, particularly during these difficult economic times.
ACC Europe is thus a “must-join association” for all European in-house counsel. Being cross-border, ACC Europe does not compete with national associations and provides a valuable complement to the members. In fact, it can open the door to possible cooperation for advocacy partnerships on key topics like the status of in-house counsels and the legal privilege. A collective voice can only be beneficial to the legal profession as the European status of in-house counsel needs to become a reality tomorrow.
Why should you attend the ACC Europe Annual Conference that will take place this year in Amsterdam on May 13/15th 2012?
As we live in a fast-pace environment, deal with an increased regulatory framework and troubled financial times, in-house counsels are expected to provide more legal services and faster but with stable or less resources (“more with less”).
The ACC Europe Annual Conferences continue to address the key topics of interest to the in-house legal profession and offer invaluable networking and development opportunities with European peers.
Be sure to mark your diaries for the Amsterdam conference: it’s a great opportunity to learn from great speakers from a broad range of industries who are keen to share their expertise and experience.
ACC Europe and Social Media
In order to facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge management on topics per country and/or subject of expertise among in-house counsels, irrespective of their country, all ACC Europe members are invited to join the on-line group set up on LinkedIn.
As a member of ACC Europe, you enjoy free of charge access to practical on-line tools as well as webinars enabling you to grow the skills of your choice and to enhance the quality & efficiency of legal support. No other in-house association in Europe can match the depth and breadth of materials made available to its members.
Why do we need more volunteers at country level to become the ACC Europe ambassadors?
ACC Europe has members in the following countries :
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom.
They are represented by Country Representatives who act as “ambassadors” for ACC Europe by organizing local events, networking with members in each country and showcasing the benefits of belonging to ACC Europe.
The Country Representatives are also invited to participate in Board meetings where they can exchange their countries’ perspective and activities in an open forum discussion with the Board of Directors.
ACC Europe recognizes the importance of the Country Representatives and encourages everyone who might be interested to join this active group to reach out to their country peers and highlight the benefits of joining ACC Europe, especially in countries where new members only joined ACC Europe quite recently, like for example in Eastern Europe.
I look forward to this new year with you and hope ACC Europe will help you in your professional development.
Iohann Le Frapper, President ACC Europe
