Events

Government relations activities such as lobbying and PAC contributions are always important to government contractors, but particularly in election years such as 2022.  That is when the political and legislative stakes are highest, the scrutiny is greatest and the profiles of PACs and advocacy activities are most likely to become election issues.

This seminar will cover legal and best practices with respect to government relations compliance for government contractors. It will discuss the federal-level ban on federal contractor political activity and the often similarly-restrictive state and local pay-to-play laws. The panel will offer guidance on core aspects of operating a federal PAC as well as what triggers lobbyist status and lobbying reporting under the federal, state, and local lobbying laws. In addition, the panel will offer approaches to deal with the unallowability of costs associated with lobbying and political activities and compliance with the gift rule, offering real world examples of where some contractors have been tripped up.

Presented by Mark Renaud, Partner and George Petel, Associate at Wiley, Mara Motherway, Senior Vice President, Government and Customer Relations at Peraton Corporation and Ogechi Muotoh, Corporate Counsel at VMware.

1.5 Hours of VA MCLE pending.

Arbitration is often advertised as a faster and less expensive alternative to traditional litigation in court.  However, contracting parties often include arbitration clauses in agreements as a matter of course, without full consideration of the potential advantages and disadvantages of arbitration and other critical factors that could impact their particular situation should a dispute arise.

This program will provide an overview of potential pros and cons of arbitration, strategic considerations and pitfalls to avoid in deciding whether and how to include an arbitration clause in a contract, and whether to invoke arbitration when a dispute arises.  This panel will explore issues such as: 

·  Cost comparisons to traditional state or federal litigation

·  The pros and cons of litigating “behind closed doors”

·  Legal and policy constraints on the use of arbitration clauses, including the permissibility of arbitrating matters brought as class or mass actions

·  Factors to consider in drafting an arbitration clause

·  Selection of an arbitration organization

·  Arbitrator selection

·  Availability of party and non-party discovery

·  Evidentiary considerations

·  Arbitral awards, interim relief, enforcement, and appealability

Presented by Christopher N. Manning and Ellen E. Oberwetter, Partners at Williams & Connolly LLP, Angela (Anji) Foster, Certified Mediator and Arbitrator at Silicon Valley Arbitration & Mediation Center and Patrick Chaing, Associate General Counsel at Sallie Mae Bank.

1.5 Hours of VA MCLE pending.

M&A can move very quickly, and it pays to be well set-up before embarking on an acquisition or series of acquisitions. Our speakers will cover best practices for setting up a successful M&A cross-functional team, and good processes that get people focused on the major time-sensitive issues pre-signing, between signing and closing, and then for integration after closing. 

Speakers:
Aarthi Belani, Partner, Baker McKenzie
Derek Liu, Partner, Baker McKenzie
Megha Aggarwal Sharma, General Counsel, Uniphore
Zachary Gennett, Director, Senior Corporate Counsel, Palo Alto Networks

M&A can move very quickly, and it pays to be well set-up before embarking on an acquisition or series of acquisitions. Our speakers will cover best practices for setting up a successful M&A cross-functional team, and good processes that get people focused on the major time-sensitive issues pre-signing, between signing and closing, and then for integration after closing. 

Speakers:
Aarthi Belani, Partner, Baker McKenzie
Derek Liu, Partner, Baker McKenzie
Megha Aggarwal Sharma, General Counsel, Uniphore
Jonas Marson, Senior Vice President, Strategic Transactions. & Associate General Counsel, Salesforce

Virtual patent marking is a convenient alternative to traditional patent marking as it allows patentees to provide information about the patents that cover a company’s products online. This practice saves time and expense and allows for easy updates when patent information changes. However, virtual marking is a fairly recent development in patent law, and judicial guidance clarifying the specific requirements of virtual patent marking is relatively sparse. As a result, patentees wishing to take advantage of the benefits of virtual patent marking should act prudently when incorporating it into their patent marking schemes.

During this presentation, Fish attorneys Phillip Goter and Jason Zucchi will discuss best practices for virtual patent marking, including:

• Patent marking requirements

• Virtual marking case law, examples, and pitfalls

• Minimizing liability risk for false marking

1 Standard CLE credit is pending in Minnesota.

Thanks to our sponsor, Fish & Richardson P.C.!

A Puesto Perfect Fiesta!

Join your colleagues and ACC San Diego members for an evening of tacos & tequila and some in-person networking!

Presented by Paul Hastings LLP.

ACC Southern California is proud to partner with Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles (“AAAJ”) and University of California, Irvine School of Law  to help community members who are looking forward to achieving their American dream and becoming US citizens.  During this virtual event, volunteers will provide citizenship application assistance to AAAJ clients.  There will be a brief orientation on the day of the clinic, however, all volunteers will be required to review online training videos prior to the day of the event in order to participate.  AAAJ is also looking for bilingual volunteers.  You can sign up for one session or both.  Please see below for further details.

Date:     Friday, May 20, 2022

First Session: 9:30am - 12:00pm

Second Session: 12:30pm - 2:00pm

Additional Languages (optional):  Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Mandarin/Cantonese, Hindi, and/or Spanish.

CLASS SYLLABUS & OBJECTIVES:
 

a) Bring awareness to the benefits of advocating for diversity through a light-hearted and interactive presentation;

b) Discuss policy manuals and specific employment law practices that can promote equity and inclusivity in law firms and legal departments

 c) Offer specific measures to avoid perceptions of discrimination for in-house counsel to discuss with their clients; and

 d) Bring forth data and caselaw that reflect negative consequences for in-house counsel who do not approach DEI measures in a thoughtful, balanced manner.

More than ever, how employers should handle drug issues in the hiring process and the workplace is complicated and confusing.  How do they handle conflicts between state and federal laws regarding recreational marijuana use?  What if the marijuana use is medicinal?  How is this different than an employee who is taking pain killers, which may not show up on a drug screen?  How do different local, state and federal anti-discrimination laws come into play? 

These are all issues that most employers face and simply do not know how to handle.  During this presentation we will discuss the relevant laws and provide legal and practical advice on how to handle various situations in compliance with those laws.

Presented by Tina Maiolo, Partner at Carr Maloney PC and Andrea Phillips, Chief Counsel - Litigation and Employment, Rolls-Royce, NA.

1.5 Hours of VA MCLE pending.

Our panelists will review some of the major initiatives and recent activity by the Department of Justice and other enforcement authorities that likely will impact companies in our region.  We will touch on the latest news regarding cybersecurity, consumer data and privacy issues, small business matters, procurement and health care fraud, and antitrust enforcement, with an eye towards helping the audience spot issues, recognize and prioritize risk areas, and provide appropriate responses in the current enforcement climate.    

Presented by Justin A. Chiarodo and Jennifer A. Short, Partners at Blank Rome LLP and Allison Barlotta, Associate General Counsel, Director, Investigations, Booz Allen Hamilton.

1.5 Hours of VA MCLE pending.