Discuss the various roles in-house counsel tend to play, and how they are affected by attorney-client privilege rules; Discuss challenges that can arise when in-house counsel and their clients work in different countries that have diverging views of attorney-client privilege; Discuss in depth the Professional Conduct Model Rules 1.6, 1.13, and others as appropriate; Walk away with practical guidance on how to handle common privilege challenges; and Discuss the potential challenge of making sure in-house counsel have authorization to practice in all of the countries where they need to advise clients.
Discuss the role of the in-house attorney as a privacy professional; Learn the valuable role the information security officer plays in developing and maintaining data privacy, and the importance of creating a cooperative relationship; Understand the legal and regulatory landscape of data privacy, specifically how it relates to the transfer of data across borders; Understand the interplay of cybersecurity and data privacy; discuss which components of the data protection umbrella are in the domain of the info security (tech) team, and which are the domain of the data privacy team (legal); and Learn to assess the risks of your current data privacy and information security protocols, and to address these risks using internal and external tools (e.g., ongoing internal controls, external audit and insurance).
Gain a better understanding of how practicing in-house differs from practicing in a law firm or government agency; Discuss the challenge and importance of developing relationships with your corporate stakeholders and building their ability to trust and listen to you; Discuss ways to highlight the value-add you and your legal department create for the organization; and Hear key tips on how to improve your time management, prioritize work and effectively communicate about your time investment and priorities.
Briefly cover the main employment issues and regulations you need to keep in mind; Discuss the basics of addressing employment issues such as ADA and accommodation, overtime pay, FLSA classification compliance and leave, and training staff on key employment issues; and Cover emerging issues such as social media, diversity programs, genetic information discrimination, class action waivers and more.
Discuss key steps your peers take when faced with a new lawsuit; Discuss why, when and how your peers establish and manage a litigation hold; Learn the importance of your focus as in-house counsel – it’s not just on getting those pleadings filed, but also implementing litigation holds, managing outside counsel, conducting investigations, analyzing your position, determining strategy and much more; Understand how your peers assess the financial impact a particular piece of litigation may have on your organization, and how they provide management with the tools and knowledge that management needs to make decisions about risk; Learn to take steps and create programs to prevent litigation and, when disputes occur, how to resolve them as early as appropriate for your business; discuss cost benefit analysis and risk assessment to determine whether to get in, stay in or get out; and Discuss how to conduct a thorough post mortem of each case in order to develop a list of “lessons learned” that will direct you in the future.
Further advance your ability to practically apply financial decision-making practices to your everyday work; and Utilize the analytical tools that indicate whether a new project will create value, such as: Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Payback Period and Economic Value Added (EVA).
Examine the external and internal factors that affect the longer-term profitability of the organization; Understand the balance sheet, income statement and statement of cash flow; and Discuss how to identify red flags that signal financial difficulties or accounting problems.
Learn tips for selecting, evaluating, comparing and retaining the outside counsel that best suit the organizational needs of your company; Discuss the benefits and pitfalls of legal process outsourcing (LPO) and learn how to recognize when it’s time to bring in an expert; Discuss value-based fees and how they can align internal and external incentives; consider which types of value fees are best for different types of work; Discuss how to work with outside counsel to scope the work, set budgets that stick, monitor progress and conduct after-action reviews to drive strong performance; and Develop a list(s) of providers and criteria for preferred legal service providers and specialized firms.
Discuss the involvement of non-lawyers (e.g., paralegals) in contract review; Explore what contract approval processes your peers have in place; Discuss what systems your peers have in place to manage contracts’ life cycles from conclusion to termination; and Share and learn from your colleagues best practices on how a legal department can become a better facilitator in the contracting process within your organization.
Obtain a better understanding of key legal, business, leadership, personal and interpersonal skills that general counsel need in order to lead their department and serve their business well; Discuss the role of today’s (and tomorrow’s) general counsel as leader of the legal department, counselor and strategist; Learn from the experience of key stakeholders such as general counsel and their business partners in the C-Suite; and Discuss how you can further develop the skill set to become, or be a more effective and efficient, general counsel.