Resource Library

This is a sample consulting agreement where the company is a GSA contractor.

This article discusses top issues related to flexible workplace arrangements and their legal compliance solutions.

This program will explore the best practices for companies that manage vendors and cybersecurity concerns. Some of the significant questions to be addressed include: What are some best practices for vendor due diligence? How can vendor cybersecurity risks be addressed and mitigated, both contractually and otherwise? What role, if any, should in-house counsel have in vendor management?

This program will keep you from being court sanctioned. It will discuss how and when to implement legal holds, what to include in a legal hold to prevent court sanctions, how to make responding to legal hold requests more efficient, and when to hand the ball off to outside counsel. Ever wonder about the structure of a legal hold (what to include, what to leave out), how to initially respond to a legal hold request from an external party in order to retain the ability to negotiate scope and costs in the future, or how to seamlessly hand the claim off to outside litigation counsel? You will find out all of this and also receive examples of good and bad legal holds.

This panel will examine the application of process reengineering to legal functions and the interrelationship of in-house legal, law firms, and legal process outsourcing providers. Attendees will learn from experienced practitioners who have transformed in-house legal departments by optimizing the mix and use of technology (including recent developments in data analytics supporting the integration of e-discovery and information governance), applying best practices and analyzing which aspects of work performed by lawyers, paralegals, and support staff really add value and which are likely candidates to be eliminated, automated, or delivered by alternative resources.

Do you find yourself with both an ethical and business dilemma when forced to negotiate with your customers’ buyers, supply chain managers, procurement analysts, or other non-lawyers? Are you frustrated because people in such roles have limited authority to make changes but refuse to put you in touch with their law department? Do you have a product that is unique, yet the customer — who is always right! — rejects your carefully tailored terms and insists on using its own standard template that requires a major overhaul for your particular product or services? You are not alone! This session will be facilitated by both big- and small-company lawyers who share their tips and best practices for situations like these. Learn how to navigate your customers’ supply chain roadblocks ethically and effectively while using your sales and business team to facilitate the effort.

Negotiation skills and techniques are essential tools for any in-house counsel professional. Whether discussing vendor contracts or settling lawsuits, knowing the intricacies of the craft of negotiation is vital. Yet our intentions and focus in negotiation are often interrupted by subconscious, psychological or cognitive biases. These normal, yet irrational, reactions to negotiation counterparts and their narratives can significantly disrupt both parties’ objectives. This session will use a panel of negotiation, psychology, and academic experts who will identify typical, predictable cognitive biases, present how these biases affect negotiations, and provide suggestions on how to manage their effect. From the “Lake Wobegon effect,” to attribution error, to diagnosis bias, fun videos and real-life examples will be used as we engage in the Brain Game.

Collaborative and joint development arrangements can provide valuable economic and strategic opportunities to both parties. With careful intellectual property planning, collaborative development activities can be used to gain access to IP at a lower cost than developing or purchasing these assets while providing an opportunity to generate income from and open new markets for existing IP assets. The panel will review different types of collaborative agreements and discuss the related business and legal issues. Faculty will discuss strategies and best practices for developing and implementing a program and practical guidance for drafting and negotiating agreements to maximize IP value and achieve win-win outcomes.

What every financial services industry in house counsel needs to know about effective handling of regulatory matters and regulatory expectations. Provide an overview of trends in consumer finance regulation, including the CFPB, and other major federal and state banking regulators. Discuss recent rules, enforcement actions, and regulatory priorities of consumer finance regulators and their applicability to the financial services industry. Compare the consumer finance regulatory regime with other financial industry regulation.

Discuss recent developments in the global regulatory landscape that impact cybersecurity compliance in the financial industry, and the sources of authority or reference for defining legal standards in this domain. Review regulatory guidance that both identifies and raises questions on what is enough to satisfy an organization’s responsibilities to customers, employees, business partners and other stakeholders with respect to cybersecurity. Identify best practices for effective implementation of cybersecurity measures. Explore how a multinational financial institution can structure its cybersecurity program at the enterprise level without running afoul of foreign jurisdictions’ regulators. Review the state of play in civil litigation over data breaches, including plaintiff strategies for overcoming motions to dismiss based on inadequate pleadings or standing. Discuss recent settlements of major data breach class actions and their impact on future cases.