1. Meet Eligibility Criteria
Eligible participants are licensed attorneys who either a) are currently employed as in-house counsel (no minimum experience required), or b) previously have been employed as in-house counsel (for a minimum of one year). Please note that attorneys currently employed at law firms are not eligible to participate in this program.
2. Attend Training
The certification program features approximately 25 hours of training. The in-person training is held over a four day period. The online program is a combination of self-paced online training modules and live virtual workshops.
3. Complete Final Assessment
Participants will have 90 minutes to complete an assessment at the conclusion of training. Through this multiple choice exam, participants will demonstrate their understanding of the program’s core competencies and skills.
4. Receive In-house Counsel Certified (ICC) Designation
After completing the required training and passing the final assessment, successful participants will earn the ICC designation from the ACC Credentialing Institute.
5. Remain in Good Standing
The ICC designation is valid for one year from the month that a participant passes the final assessment of the certification program. After the first year, 14 hours of continuing legal professional development (CLPD) are required annually to maintain the ICC designation. CLPD requirements will be distributed across the following areas:
- Stakeholder relationships, two hours
- Law department management, two hours
- Legal services, two hours
- Ethics, two hours
- Electives in substantive areas of law, six hours
To count towards maintenance of the ICC designation, CLPD hours must be earned through an approved training provider. In addition, there is an annual maintenance fee of $300 for non-members of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). There is no annual maintenance fee for ACC members.
The ACC Credentialing Institute reserves the right to modify program content at its discretion.