ACC chapter CLO network initiatives help promote closer professional relationships and leadership discussions among CLOs in their local areas. Highlights of these initiatives appear below.

Southern California

Large Law CLO Club

ACCA's Southern California Chapter is piloting a CLO club in 2011 to bring together chief legal officers of area companies who lead departments of five or more lawyers. The group is primarily focused on building relationship between the local CLOs but also plans to hold facilitated discussions on substantive topics to encourage the exchange of ideas and insight. Membership is by invitation only and attendance is limited to invited CLOs. There is no charge for participation. For details and information on becoming a member, contact ACCA-SoCal's chapter administrator Betty St. Marie.

GC Connections

ACCA's SoCal Chapter is piloting a GC connections group to bring together General Counsel from area companies regardless of size. Breakfast and lunch meetings will focus on networking and building relationships between GCs of area companies. For details and information, contact ACCA-SoCal's chapter administrator Betty St. Marie.

Visit the ACCA-Socal Chapter Site

Central Ohio

CLO Forum

ACC's Central Ohio chapter facilitates a quarterly CLO Forum, usually held over breakfast; forum members take turns hosting. While some meetings have themes, the Forum exists primarily to provide CLOs with opportunities to discuss openly the issues most important to them. The event is open to member and non-member CLOs.

GC Brown Bag Lunch

The Central Ohio Chapter also holds GC Brown Bag Lunches that permit one area GC to meet and talk intimately swith a small group of invited Central Ohio ACC members.

Visit the Central Ohio Chapter Site

Charlotte

General Counsel/Chief Legal Officer Roundtable Dinners

The Charlotte Chapter's Annual General Counsel/Chief Legal Officer Roundtable features after-dinner roundtable discussions on such topics as combining compliance and risk management in the legal department and recruiting and retaining in-house counsel.

Visit the Charlotte Chapter Site

dallas/fort worth

Dallas/Fort Worth CLO Forum

The Dallas/Fort Worth CLO Forum meets quarterly to discuss topics of interest for CLOs. Topics have included outside counsel relationships, alternative fee structures and contract review process, to name a few. Guest speakers have presented on various subjects including crisis management and a criminal law primer. To be involved with the DFW CLO Forum, email the Executive Director, Kathleen Yarborough.

Visit the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter Site

delaware and greater philadelphia

GC/CLO Lunch Club

DELVACCA's GC/CLO Lunch Club luncheons are informal get-togethers designed to bring together general counsel in a casual and friendly setting to share insights on important issues and to develop valuable relationships with peers. The meeting location rotates among regions within the chapter area.

Corporate Counsel Excellence Awards

In 2010, DELVACCA started its chapter Corporate Counsel Excellence Awards, which include Outstanding CLO of the Year, given to the top legal officer of a legal department in the chapter region.

Visit the DELVACCA Chapter Site

Greater New York

CLO Practice Group

The CLO practice group for the Greater New York chapter is composed exclusively of chief legal officers and general counsel in various industries and organizations. The group meets quarterly, usually for an informal breakfast in one of the members' offices. Because of the "serial specialist" duties expected of the CLO at any organization, each meeting's discussion covers many different topics. The conversation is lively and inclusive as well as informative for all participants. Periodically, the group invites a guest speaker to join in the discussion.

Visit the Greater New York Chapter Site

utah, idaho, montana, & wyoming

The Mountain West Chapter's Annual General Counsel Roundtable is intended to provide a forum for discussion and sharing of best practices for Chief Legal Officers. The program begins with a continental breakfast and is followed by three or four CLE sessions. As the attendees rotate among the sessions, the makeup of their group changes to allow maximum networking in a short period of time. The event concludes with a guest speaker and luncheon.

Visit the Mountain West Chapter Site

San Diego

CLO Quarterly Meetings

ACC's San Diego Chapter hosts a Large Law Department CLO Club (5+ attorneys in the legal department) and a Small Law Department CLO Club. Meetings rotate among CLOs' corporate offices and are typically luncheon meetings. The agenda varies: Some meetings are designed to focus on a substantive topic while others are primarily to facilitate networking.

Visit the San Diego Chapter Site

WESTCHESTER AND SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT

CLO Quarterly Dinners

WESFACCA's Small Law Department CLOs meet quarterly for dinner and a topic discussion. WESFACCA's Board and the CLOs collaborate on possible discussion topics. All GC are welcome to attend the dinners as well.

CLO/Sponsor Annual Workshop

CLOs and representatives from WESFACCA's sponsors participate in an annual workshop focusing on strategy and effective communication skills to enable law firms and in-house counsel to work best together.

Annual GC Dinner

As a counterpart to the CLO/Sponsor Workshop, WESFACCA's sponsors and GC hold an annual dinner. The dinner provides further opportunity for GC and the sponsors to interact and form stronger working relationships.

Visit the WESFACCA Chaper Site

Washington, DC metro area

General Counsel Breakfast Club

The WMACCA General Counsel Breakfast Club provides our CLO members with an opportunity to meet informally with their peers for a free-flowing discussion centered around a pre-announced topic of practical interest. Breakfast Club sessions are a "PowerPoint-free zones," and our discussions are confidential, with no marketing or other agenda - other than to share experiences and best practices. We rotate sessions among the jurisdictions that WMACCA serves to ensure that all CLO members will have a convenient opportunity to participate several times a year. Members are welcome and encouraged to attend as many sessions as their schedules permit.

General Counsel Listserv

WMACCA has a General Counsel Listserv to allow our CLO members to discuss and share their ideas, concerns and best practices with their peers. For more information on how to sign up for this service, please go to the WMACCA web page at http://www.acc.com/chapters/wmacca/Online-Resources.cfm

General Counsel Forum Luncheon

ACC's WMACCA Chapter holds a General Counsel Forum Luncheon every June that features a panel discussion among five top local GCs from different types and sizes of organizations; it attracts at least 150 attendees each year. The panels reflect the diversity of the WMACCA membership in every way.

Outstanding CLO Award

As part of WMACCA's Corporate Counsel Awards, WMACCA gives an annual award for Outstanding CLO, which honors the top legal officer of an in-house corporate department in the chapter's region.

In addition to these scheduled events and awards, WMACCA caters to the General Counsel in its regular programming, holding CLE programs such as "What's Keeping the General Counsel Awake at Night?" and "Tone from the Top."

Visit the WMACCA Chapter site