November Chapter Meeting

The room was full once more for the monthly chapter meeting on November 12 which featured an update on recent Texas Supreme Court developments.  The speaker,   an obvious expert in this area, was The Honorable Scott Brister who is currently the head of the appellate section at Andrews & Kurth LLP and was previously a Justice of the Texas Supreme Court for six years.  Judge Brister is a most entertaining and informative speaker, and we thank him not only  for his presentation and for his willingness to give a repeat performance  at a special meeting for our ACC members in the Woodlands area.  Thanks also to Andrews and Kurth its sponsorship of this meeting and its support throughout the year of ACC.  If you missed both of these meetings, click here to view the program materials.

October Chapter Meeting

Another standing room only crowd of over 90 memebers attended the chapter meeting on October 14 at Maggiano's.  The topic was Enterprise Risk Management and the speakers were Mark Jones, a corporate partner of Jackson Walker L.L.P. and Susan Ponce, Senior Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer of Halliburton and  a member of the board of directors of Houston ACC. Click here to view the program materials for the presentation by Mark and Susan.  Also at this meeting, our new chapter president, Russ Miller, recognized the accomplishments of immediate past president, Kelli Powell.  Kelli in turn presented Russ with the President's plaque for him to hold during his term of office. Honored guests at the meeting included the 2009/2010 Houston ACC Diversity Scholarship winners from the area's three law schools.  Click here for  the names of the scholarship recipients.  Congratulations and best wishes to each of them.  And finally, a very big  thank you to Mark and Susan for their presentation and  to Jackson Walker for its sponsorship of the October chapter meeting and for its long standing support of Houston ACC as our title sponsor. 

Susan Ponce and Mark Jones.

Monthly Happy Hours and In Transition Lunches

The Houston ACC Social Networking Committee has begun two new monthly events.  The first is an unsponsored  monthly Happy Hour from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on the second Thursday of each month at The The Tasting Room in the Uptown Shopping Mall.  The first two of these Happy Hours were held on August 13 and September 10.  Attendance was low as would be expected for a new event of this type, but the participants all enjoyed themselves and wanted this event to continue with the expectation that attendance will increases over time. 

The second new event by the Social Networking Committee is a monthly lunch for ACC members in transition.  This is also an unsponsored event held on the third Monday of each month from 11:30 to 1:00 at Cafe 121 which is at 5757 Westheimer at Chimney Rock (southwest corner of intersection).  The first in transition lunch was held on September 21.  Those attending exchanged views on the various aspects and strategies of being in transition and explored things that that each of them could do to assist each other. 

Latin America Practice Group

The Latin America Practice Group had two events in September.  On September 3, about 20 persons from 10 different energy companies attended a meeting at the Daily Grill.  The topic was the new Pemex framework and exploration contracts.   On September 30, about  25 persons gathered at the St. Regis Hotel for a presentation on International Agency and Distribution with a focus on Latin America.  Specific considerations covered included the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, dealer contracts, and dealer relations and terminations.

IP Practice Group

The IP practice group of AAC Houston held a lunch seminar at the Offices of Vinson & Elkins on September 29.  Approximately 20 persons attended.  The speaker was Gordon Arnold, managing partner of Arnold & Knobloch in Houston.  Mr. Arnold discussed the status of  Patent Reform Legislation pending in Congress.  Also participating in the program by telephone was Paul Loomis from Austin who is involved in patent licensing programs for Open Text Corporation in Austin. The presentations were well received by the ACC members in attendance.  Thank you to Gordon Arnold and to Vinson & Elkins for its sponsorship of this lunch and its continuing support of ACC.

Small Law Department Practice Group

The Lillter law firm and the Houston ACC Small Law Department Practice Group  hosted a breakfast briefing on September 22 at Littler's Houston office.  Approximately 15 persons braved severe weather that morning to attend.  The topic was Information Management and the speakers included Kerry Notestine of Littler, and ACC members Mark Wolf of FMC Technologies and Michelle Cash of ABM Industries.  Specific areas addressed by the speakers included matter management systems, form contracts, and leveraging knowledge within law firms and corporate legal departments.  The Small Law Department Practice Group appreciates Littler sponsorship of this meeting and its general support of ACC.  Also, thank you to Kerry Notestine for his participation in this successful event.

September Chapter Meeting

The topic for the September chapter meeting held  at Maggiano's (the usual place), was a 2009 Texas Legislative Wrap Up; Washington May be a Bigger Circus, But don't Forget They still Rodeo in Austin.  The speaker was Mark Vane of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP.  Mark, who is a partner in Gardere's Austin office, specializes in government affairs.  At the meeting, he observed that the activity level of the recent Texas legislative session was lower than normal, and he discussed several of the reasons for this.  Mark also provided his views on some of the dynamics in play for the 2010 elections in Texas.  Finally Mark empathized that  for those companies that have issues of importance that may be before the next session of the legislature, the time to contact  representatives to address concerns  is now.  This was a most informative chapter meeting.  Many thanks to Mark for his time to Gardere for its continued and long standing support of ACC.

Compensation Survey Breakfast

There was a  breakfast meeting at Maggiano's on September 1 which featured a presentation on the results of the 6th Annual In-House Compensation Survey.  The survey was co-sponsored by ACC Houston, KMPG, and Prescott Legal Search. Over 35 ACC members attended and each of the received a copy of the survey results.  A very big thank you to KMPG and Prescott Legal Search for sponsoring this survey and sharing the results with the ACC members at this meeting.

August Chapter Meeting.

Another Chapter meeting.  Another excellent program. Another full house.  Over 90 person attended the monthly Chapter meeting on August 11.  Robert Theriot and Michael Rubenstein of Liskow and Lewis spoke on "Privilege under Fire as it pertains to in house lawyers.  Obviously, this is a topic of interest to all members regardless of our areas of practice.  One case discussed by our speakers with a recommendation that all in house lawyers read was In re Vioxx Products liability Litigation, 501 F. Supp.2d789 (E.D. LA. 2007).  For those who were unable to attend this meeting, please click here to view the program materials which provide an excellent outline of the presentation.  Many thanks to Robert and Michael for their time, effort  and thought in preparing this presentation, and to Liskow and Lewis for sponsoring this meeting and for their support of ACC in general.

July Chapter Meeting

 Major League Baseball  held its All Star Game on Tuesday July 14 in St. Louis.  The American League won 4-3.  It did not much matter however, because earlier in the day there had already been an overflow standing room only crowd  of 110 persons attending the Houston ACC July chapter meeting.  The topic was "On the Hot Seat: In House Counsel Discuss What You Really Need to Know about About Litigation Management."   A question and answer format was used for the entire session.  There was no shortage of questions, and many members stayed for up to 30 minutes after the meeting to continue asking questions.  The panelists were Jim Ferguson, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Haliburton, Bob Vote, Assistant General Counsel at EOG Resources, and Pat Tagtow, Vice President -Litigation at BMC Software. Russ Miller of Anadarko Petroleum was the moderator. Each of these panelists  had different answers and perspectives to most of the various questions, One key  area of agreement was on the need to analyze litigation, comunicate effectively with management and avoid suprises to management or the board. Click here for list of some the questions and other program materials.  Many thanks to the panelists and to Russ for their time.  Also thank you very much to US Law Network, Inc. for sponsoring the July chapter meeting.

Small Law Department Management Practice Group

The Small Law Department Management Practice Group held another successful event on Wednesday June 17 at the AON Tower.  The lunch program, sponsored by the Abbott  Simses law firm featured a panel discussion on Asset and Risk Management initiatives.  The speakers included Rick Simses (Managing Partner of the Houston office of Abbott Simses), Marcheta Leighton-Beasely (Senior Counsel-Wood Group Management Services, Inc.), Ken Moursund (Counsel-El Paso Corporation), and Mark Wolf (Assistant General Counsel-FMC Technologies, Inc.).  The topics discussed included contract guidelines, decision trees to value matters and set financial reserves, effective early dispute resolutions, the importance of an after action process to recognize lessons learned, and criteria used in deciding to retain outside counsel or retain work in house.  Click here to view the program materials. Thank-you to Abbot Simses for its sponsorship of this event and its support of ACC in general all of which is greatly appreciated.

The Small Law Department Management Practice Group is a new 2009 program of the Houston AC Chapter. The goal of the group is to share best practices among those working in or managing small company law departments. If you are interested in joining this practice group, please contact Mark Wolf at mark.wolf@fmcti.com.

June Chapter Meeting

The June Chapter meeting was held on Tuesday June 9 at Maggianos.  The Canadian law firm of Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP sponsored the meeting which featured an overview of Canadian Insolvency Law.  The speakers were David Mann and David LeGeyt from the firm's Calgary office.  Alex MacWillaim of the same office introduced the speakers.  JoAnne Wakeford, the firm's business development manager for energy also attended.  If you missed the meeting, click here to view the program materials. A special thanks to Fraser Milner for their sponsorship of this meeting and support of ACC in general, and to the firm representatives who volunteered to leave the comfort of Calgary for a warm day in Houston.

Value Challenge Event
With a goal of exploring methods to improve the value of legal services from law firms to corporate clients, the Houston Chapter of ACC presented the Value Challenge Main Event Panel discussion on Thursday May 28 at South Texas College of Law.  The panelists were Jeffrey Carr of FMC Technologies, James Lank of Tesco Corporation, Jeff Dodd of Andrews Kurth, Michele Hedges of Chem Oil Products, John Luman of Bracewell Giluliani, Tom Adolph of Jackson Walker, Bobby Tindell, Chief Technology Officer of Andrews Kurth, and Prof. David East of South Texas College of Law. The moderator was Susan Hackett who is the General Counsel at ACC's global headquarters in Washington. There was also substantial audience participation in the discussion.

In preparation for the Main Event panel discussion, each panelist in the previous week had led a breakout session on various topics. The Main Event and each of the breakout sessions were recorded.  Click here for links to the audio of the Main Event panel discussion, to the audio of each breakout session and to the moderator's program materials.

Many thanks to each of the panelists for their contributions to this project and to Susan Hackett for her visit to Houston to be the moderator.  And a special thank you to ACC board member and past president  Irene Kosturakis who planned and organized this entire Value Challenge Program for ACC Houston.

Latin American Practice Group
The Latin American Practice Group held another successful event on Wednesday May 27 at the Houstonian.  The half day program  featured a presentation by Squire Sanders on Labor Law in Latin America.  Lawyers from  Squire Sanders offices in seven different counties discussed reductions  in work force, labor costs and benefits and other cost saving measures, termination  or relocation of expatriates, outsourcing, recent trends and practical considerations in the countries of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Click here to view the program materials.

The Latin Practice Group expresses it thanks to Squire Sanders for its sponsorship of this event and their support of ACC. 

The Latin American Practice  Group is new and growing.  Almost 30 persons attended this May 27 seminar.  If you are interested in joining this practice group, please contact juan.luna@hp.com.

Professional Networking Seminar
Over 30 ACC members attended a professional networking seminar  sponsored by LexisNexis on Tuesday May 21 at the Sambuca Jazz Cafe on May 21.  John Lipsey, Vice President of Corporate Counsel Services at LexisNexis discussed various features of several Internet networking sites including those of the new "Martindale Connected" network website for attorneys.   Before  and after the seminar, there  was the opportunity to network in real time and enjoy wine and hors-d-ouvres.  Thanks to LexisNexis for hosting this fun and informative event.

Global Energy Conference
On Tuesday May 19 over 150 persons attended the 2009 Global Energy Conference which was co-sponsored by Mayer Brown LLP and the Houston ACC Chapter through its Energy Practice Group.  The half day event focused on current trends in the global energy market, as well as challenges to, and strategies for, success in today's challenging energy market.  Each particpant had the opportunity to attend any three of seventeen break-out sessions that were offered.  After the break out sessions, there was a CLE luncheon which featured a presentation on the ethical obligations of an attorney when using technology.  Click here for the full agenda.  Also, a complete set of program materials will be available shortly on the Mayer Brown website. 

This conference was a unique educational and networking event for ACC members.  The conference was also  a major undertaking by Mayer Brown.  The various sessions were hosted by lawyers from  Mayer Brown offices in Houston, Chicago, Washington, London, Hong Kong and Ho Chi Mingh City.  Additonally, Tom Fox, Chairperson of the ACC Energy Practice Group, was a co-presenter on FCPA issues.  

A big thank you to Mayer Brown for organizing and presetnting the 2009 Global Energy Conference  and for their continued support of ACC.
 

May Chapter Meeting
The May chapter meeting was held at Maggiano's Little Italy on Tuesday May 12 and featured a lively panel discussion on Navigating the Storm--Career Planning for In-House Counsel in Uncertain Times. The panelists were Elaine Makris Williams of MS Legal Search, Steve Mims of Prescott Legal Search, Debra Bruce of Lawyer-Coach LLC, and Norman York of York Career Development. The panelists shared their insights on various topics including the impact of the recession on the market for in house lawyers, projections for the future, and strategies to deal with the uncertainties and challenges faced by many in house lawyers today. Many thanks to each panelist for the time time spent with us and the knowledge imparted.

For lawyers in transition, please click here to view openings posted with ACC. Also note that ACC conducts In Transition Conference Calls on the third Monday of each month at 2:00 Central time. The telephone number and pass code can be obtained at www.acc.com/committees/teleconferences.cfm. One of our panelists (Elaine Makris Williams) spoke on the Do's and Don'ts of Attorney Resumes on the May 18 conference call.

Make That Spare or Bowling for Dollars
About 20 persons attended a bowling social at Palace Lanes on Thursday May 7. The evening was organized by the Social/ Networking Committee and sponsored by ACT Litigation. It was a fun event with bowling, pizza and drinks with no discussion allowed on anything legal or work related. But as an aside, our Chapter's Membership Committee needs to recruit some accomplished keglers if we are going to compete for the ACC National Bowling Championship. Thanks to ACT Litigation for its sponsorship of the bowling social and its support of ACC.

Pro Bono Clinic
Ten ACC members participated in an afternoon drive time clinic at the downtown office of the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program (HVLP) on Tuesday May 5. The ACC group conducted approximately 30 intake interviews of persons needing assistance mostly in the areas of family law, wills, or probate matters. These clinics are a fun, easy and personally rewarding opportunity for ACC lawyers who have little or no pro bono experience. The next ACC clinics with HVLP are scheduled for Saturday morning September 12 and Tuesday afternoon October 6. Click here for details on those two events and other pro bono information. Members desiring to participate in other HVLP intake clinics or to accept a case for which the intake has been completed may contact HVLP directly. Volunteers are always needed.

Diversity Reception
The Houston ACC chapter held its annual Diversity Reception on Thursday evening April 16 at the Hotel ZaZa. This event honors our annual diversity scholarship recipients at the three area law schools. This year, $60,000 was awarded to 15 students. Susan Ponce, an ACC board member and Senior Vice President Commercial for Halliburton, and Jennifer Vogel, General Counsel of Continental Airlines, hosted the reception. Speakers included ACC president Kelli Powell who opened the formal program, Jennifer Vogel who commented on the need for companies to move from diversity to inclusion, scholarship recipient Natalie Alfaro who discussed the importance and meaning of her scholarship and the corresponding obligations with it, and special guest Eugene Floyd of Herman Park Golf Course and the Lone Star Golf Association. Mr. Floyd, a life time local citizen and passionate golfer, talked about the struggle of local black golfers to play at Hermann Park and other golf courses and the importance of lawyers in that process. Both before and after the program, there was time set aside for networking. And finally, a special thank you to the Huron Consulting Group and David Carrie for their sponsorship of this important evening and their active participation at the reception.

April Chapter Meeting

The highlight of the April Chapter meeting was another presentation on a topic relevant to the the current challenging economic climate. Robert ("Bob") Gray, Jr. of Mayer Brown LLP spoke on Current Developments in Acquisitions. Among other things, Bob provided insight into problems arising when there are financing issues in a pending transaction. Mark Folladori, also of of Mayer Brown, then shared his thoughts on corporate responses to the current downturn and financial crisis. Included in Mark's comments were the latest developments in executive compensation, shareholder initiatives for the current proxy season, shareholder proxy access, and raising capital in 2009. If you were unable to attend this meeting, please click here to view the program materials. Many thanks to Bob Gray and Mark Falladori for their time and to Mayer Brown L.L.P. for its continued sponsorship and support of ACC.

Energy Practice Group Seminar

The Energy Practice Group held a luncheon seminar on Thursday March 26 at the Petroleum Club. Over 25 persons attended and heard an informative presentation from Matt Flynn and Michael McCachen of the Calgary office of Blakes, Cassells & Graydon LLP on "Its Getting Hot in Here! Alberta's Greenhouse Gas Emission Regime" and on "How to Get Paid (Canadian Style)." The second topic concerned creditors rights with an emphasis on operators liens. Click here to view the program materials. Many thanks to Matt and Michael for their travel from Canada and to their law firm for being an ACC sponsor. We greatly appreciate their support and contributions to our chapter. If your are interested in joining the Energy Practice Group or obtaining further information on it, please contact Scott McCay at mccayrs@chevron.com. Practice groups are designed for those members with an interest in a specialized area. Click here for a list and brief description of each practice group.

March