At the core of ACC’s role is its mission to assist its members in advocating for the resources they need to excel as in-house practitioners. Too often such resources are lost to growing budget concerns. To that end, this resource is designed to provide in-house counsel with some talking points to use to justify the cost of ACC membership while practicing in-house.

Given the hard economic times, CFOs (and others in the C-Suite) are increasingly pressuring the legal department to cut its budget. They may recommend, among other things, that non-essential memberships in professional organizations be slashed. This resource can help you prove why ACC membership is actually cost-effective and essential to your department. The following are the Top Ten arguments for how ACC membership adds value to your organization.

Here is what you should tell your CFO:

1. Be Penny Wise, Not Pound Foolish.

Talk in numbers; it’s the language that CFOs understand. ACC’s annual membership fee is only $295 for an individual membership. That’s far less than you would pay for one hour of a law firm associate’s time, and ACC provides numerous free services and products that go far beyond what that hourly rate makes available.

2. We’re Right in Your Neighborhood.

ACC supports 52 chapters throughout the United States and internationally; one is probably right in your neighborhood. Chapters offer a unique opportunity for members to connect with in-house counsel in their local areas, sharpen their skills with CLE programs, and hone their leadership abilities. And, your CFO will appreciate that local programs have low costs, little if any travel costs, help you to network and benchmark with local industries, and keep you close to the office where your services are readily available.

3. The Neck You Save, Just May be the CFOs.

Let’s face it, stuff happens. And, it often happens very fast and it is necessary to respond equally quickly. Whether the CFO knows that there are changes in the case law, statutes, law, regulations, or standards that affect her day-to-day work may very well be a function of whether you know it and can advise her.

Enter ACC Newsstand. Transmitted to you electronically each day, ACC Newsstand provides up-to-date information about changes in key business and legal arenas, which can be tailored for 43practice areas and 193 jurisdictions. On the go? You can read it on your BlackBerrySM or iPhoneTM. One member described it as “one of the best e-resources that I have encountered in 21 years of practicing employment [law].” The cost? Just that membership fee!

4. We’re Mad as Hell and Not Taking it Anymore: Connecting the Value and Costs of Outside Counsel.

Unfortunately, while you are reading your ACC Newsstand, your CFO is reading article after article about the seemingly unstoppable rise in outside counsel costs. She looks to you to get value for the corporation’s hard-earned dollar and you should let her know that ACC stands by you in this important effort. That’s why we launched the ACC Value Challenge, designed to reconnect value and costs for legal services. It’s concrete: we have developed methodologies and metrics that corporate counsel can use to assess the strengths and weaknesses of law firm vendors, and tools that in-house counsel and firms can share to drive change in the performance of value-based legal services. From this effort you will be able to create real change to the bottom line; a result any CFO readily understands.

5. Not Just a Pretty Face.

Behind those great-looking glossy covers of the award-winning ACC Docket is a lot of substance. It covers a multitude of subjects and is chock full of practical advice provided by in-house counsel for in-house counsel®. In our readership surveys, our members have consistently confirmed its relevancy to their practice. Moreover, survey respondents reported the credibility of the ACC Docket as being higher than most other industry publications, and that the ACC Docket spoke more directly to their needs as in-house counsel.

Survey respondents also reported that they frequently send copies of ACC Docket articles to their clients. Perhaps your CFO (or others in the C-Suite) would like to see recent articles on how to avoid criminal sanctions for regulatory violations (Sept. 2011)or how to comply with new Dodd-Frank regulations (June 2011)? Non-members readily pay $295 a year for this great publication. The cost to members? Free!

6. You Need it? We have it!

If the CFO needs a contract—and she needs it now—we can get you started. Need a sample? We have them. Soon, we’ll also be rolling out the ACC Contract Advisor, which will compile sample clause and best practices from thousands of contracts submitted by our members. Or how about a checklist? Got your back there too. Forms? We got ‘em galore. Go to our Legal Resources Webpage and you can search by term and type of document sought. Another tactic you can employ is putting out a request to other members on one of ACC’s many eGroups, which will usually do the trick. These ACC-created connections to your in-house colleagues, as the advertisement goes, are priceless.

In short, why reinvent the wheel and use your valuable time or pay outside counsel thousands to do the first draft? Preserve your most-limited resource (you!) and your company’s money by using ACC’s legal resources. The cost? Also free with your membership.

7. Expertise Is As Close As Your Computer.

Picture this: your CFO turns to you and informs you of one of the following crises: (1) you just got a notice that your industry regulator will be conducting an on-site investigation of your company; (2) the company is facing unexpected, large-scale litigation with high-profile media coverage; or (3) the company faces Equal Employment Opportunity Agency charges of discrimination.

This is one of those cases where you need to become the expert and you need to become that expert now! Our in-depth resources, such as ACC InfoPAKs℠ on government investigations, crisis management in litigation, or responding to charges of discrimination will save the day. The best way to gain expertise in new legal areas is to frequently consult with ACC’s experts, via its wealth of resources, to make sure all issues and avenues of concern are fully explored.

8. We Provide Affordable Access to Continuing Education.

ACC provides a variety of free or reduced-cost educational opportunities to its members. For example, ACC presents Webcasts for its members that can be viewed for free or can be used to earn CLE/CPD for a reduced fee ($35), at prices much lower than those charged by PLI and the ABA. A wide variety of legal topics are covered from wage and hour compliance (your CFO may want to know that the financial liability for not complying is significant!) to patent case law updates (defending that company patent impacts your balance sheet!). Webcasts are presented by knowledgeable in-house counsel, outside lawyers, and other experts and archived taped Webcasts are also available for your use. Your CFO will also love that there are no associated travel costs.

ACC also offers CLE/CPD credit through events like our ACC Annual Meeting, which offers a year’s worth of continuing education credit and a chance to network with fellow in-house counsel from around the world. In addition, ACC members can sign up for a wide range of educational classes through programs like ACC’s Corporate Counsel University, which offers training and practical tips for attorneys who are new to in-house practice, and ACC Business Education programs, which are taught in conjunction with Boston University School of Management.

9. We Help You Pinch Pennies.

Let your CFO know that ACC has formed partnerships with leading legal and business service providers to offer high-quality products and services specifically designed for in-house practitioners. ACC members enjoy special rates and exclusive offerings when using ACC Alliance Partners’ products and services. And, we practice what we preach. We use these discounted services ourselves.

10. ACC is Your Advocate.

When you join ACC you secure the services of a strong, enthusiastic, and accomplished advocate. ACC is the voice of the in-house bar, fighting for both our members’ professional rights and their clients’ representational needs before courts, media, government agencies, legislatures,and bar groups.

For example, this past year, ACC has taken the lead in challenging the SEC’s recent ruling on Dodd-Frank whistleblower provisions that allows employees to bypass internal compliance systems. In addition, ACC regularly files amicus briefs arguing for the protection of the attorney-client and work product privileges in corporate and business settings. For instance, ACC recently filed an amicus brief with the Illinois Supreme Court arguing that a recent Illinois appellate court decision would undermine the attorney-client privilege after that court found that the sharing of legal advice on certain aspects of a business transaction waives privilege for all related confidential information and legal advice.

Do you think your CFO (or everyone else in the C-Suite for that matter) might have some interest in the continued protection of the privileged legal advice you provide or in avoiding unnecessary SEC whistleblowing penalties? We do, too!

11. One Bonus Tip Just for In-House Counsel

This bonus tip is just for you,not for your CFO. ACC appreciates the loyalty of its members. If worst comes to worst (heaven forbid!), and the negative effects of this economy come to rest on you personally, ACC will continue an existing membership—for free—for a year while you are in transition. And while you are looking for a new job, you will find significant assistance in ACC’s In-house Jobline℠. This resource can help you to find the opportunity that's right for you through its access to almost 1,000 job postings for in-house positions around the world. And, you can post your resume at no charge.

We hope this helps to explain the valuable benefits of ACC membership. Let us know what else we can do at legalresources@acc.com. We’d love to hear from you!