Central Daylight Time

The ACC St. Louis and attorneys at Tueth Keeney look forward to presenting their annual CLE Legal Update program via ZOOM on November 19th from 12:00-1:30.

Topics will include:

· The Long View - Drafting Effective Position Statements for the MCHR and EEOC

We will discuss recent policy changes from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Missouri Commission on Human Rights related to confidentiality of materials submitted and jurisdiction to determine substantive violations. We will focus on best practices for drafting effective Position Statements, including strategies to protect the entity in future litigation.

Speakers: Mollie Mohan & Aigner Carr

· Handling Employee Complaints - Avoiding Retaliation and Whistleblower Claims:

We will discuss recent case law and litigation trends in Missouri retaliation and whistleblower claims. We will also offer practical guidance for handling complaints and avoiding claims from employees, particularly during the COVID era.

Speakers: Mandi Moutray & Jenna LaKamp

· What’s on the Horizon: Employment Based Immigration Update

We will provide a brief update on what to expect in the H-1B visa, L visa, and green card context, as well as discuss the practicalities of handling employee visa processing and travel in this challenging environment.

Speakers: Melanie Gurley Keeney & Luke Phillips

We look forward to seeing you online on on November 19th!

Blockchain and the technologies that rely upon it are shaking up established industries - first banking with cryptocurrencies and now the art world with "non-fungible tokens" (NFTs). Once limited to a small group of hardcore tech enthusiasts, blockchain has now burst into the mainstream and is being adopted on a wide scale. But even with its rapid spread, most have only a vague understanding of how blockchain works and what it can do.

In this presentation, Fish & Richardson patent attorney Kenneth Hoover will discuss the basics of blockchain and how it works, including:

• What are blockchains, cryptocurrency, and NFTs?
• Cryptocurrency misconceptions
• How blockchain technology works
• Possible and existing uses for blockchain and NFTs
• Patent trends for blockchain technology
• Copyrights and NFTs as digital art

SPEAKERS: 

Kenneth Hoover, Associate, Fish & Richardson, Austin, TX

The first 30 registrants will receive an Antonelli's cheese plate to enjoy during the presentation, courtesy of Fish & Richardson!

This presentation will discuss issues and matters that your company should consider in devising its arbitration strategy—whether that strategy is to embrace or to avoid arbitration—including considerations in creating a plan for adopting arbitration as your preferred dispute resolution procedure.

ACC Houston November Chapter Meeting CLE Webinar
Managing Patent Assertion Entity Threats in an Era of Patent Reform
November 9, 2021 | 12 pm - 1 pm | 1.00 hrs CLE (TX)

DESCRIPTION
Patent assertion entities (PAEs) drive over half of all US patent litigation. No longer limited to high tech, businesses in retail, entertainment, health care, energy and other industries face patent licensing demands from PAEs. Assessing risk and options involves a daunting interplay of legal, technical and business resources. Yet a number of legislative, judicial and administrative reforms with teeth are in effect. Private sector initiatives now give businesses even more leverage. In this contentious patent landscape, a range of new options and tools are available to savvy businesses. Businesses can now proactively and even reactively manage PAE demands and enhance freedom to operate.

Brand protection in today’s market encompasses a range of complimentary efforts.  This webinar will explore three particularly timely and critical activities that are vital to protecting your client’s brands.  Through taking advantage of the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau, securing appropriate trademark registrations to facilitate challenges with various e-commerce and social media platforms, and protecting your clients against cyber threats, our panel will provide you with valuable insight for today’s world of brand protection.

ACC Houston Healthcare Law Practice Group CLE Webinar
COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates - Special Issues for the Health Care Industry
October 26, 2021 | 12 pm - 1 pm | 1.00 hours CLE (TX)

Employers everywhere are struggling with whether and how to implement a mandate for their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The issue is especially acute in the health care industry. This webinar will discuss the fundamental legal principles and practical implications of such a mandate in a health care setting.

Intellectual Property (IP) assets play an increasingly significant role in the value of corporate transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, licenses, and distribution agreements. IP due diligence is an exercise to define, examine, and analyze an IP portfolio of a target company (including patents, trademarks, copyrights, domain names, and trade secrets) and can occur in anticipation of a transaction or in the context of one. Whether your company is the buyer or a target in a transaction involving IP, the due diligence should examine the scope, strength, and enforceability of the IP in addition to the ownership rights surrounding the IP and its commercial potential.

In this webinar, we will discuss key considerations before conducting IP due diligence, the essential elements of IP due diligence (with an emphasis on trademark and copyright diligence), and common pitfalls.  Examining these components will help in-house counsel derive maximum value from IP in corporate transactions, identify risks and potential deal-breakers, and satisfy the business objectives of a deal. We will provide you with the necessary tools to identify and remediate problems encountered during IP due diligence, negotiate deal terms to reflect information learned during IP due diligence, and develop IP portfolio management strategies post-closing.

The ACC Annual Women's Forum will return in-person on November 12, 2021

All in-house counsel (regardless of gender!) are invited to attend ACC Austin’s fourth annual Women’s Forum sponsored by Perkins Coie and Waller Law. Join us for lunch, then sessions, followed by a happy hour. This is a free event for both current and prospective ACC Austin members, so bring a colleague who is interested in learning more about ACC Austin.  Prospective members who attend and would like to join ACC will receive a discount code for their first year membership.

TOPICS:

Career Growth and Resiliency - Keynote Address

Speaker:

• Kathy Richardson, HR Legal Search, Austin, TX

Persuasive Speaking From Your Seat - Panel

This presentation incorporates the latest research on how women communicators are perceived in the workplace, including the promising finding that effective women communicators frequently lead teams and companies that are more productive and profitable. You will learn about unique approaches we women should consider in our persuasive communication styles when speaking impromptu in a meeting. Presenters Karen Lisko and Janice Ta will provide practical strategies for powerful verbal and nonverbal communication that will allow you to increase your effectiveness as a communicator – all without losing who you are.

 Speakers:

• Karen Lisko, Ph.D., Senior Litigation Consultant and Persuasive Communications Advisor, Perkins Coie
• Janice Ta, Senior Counsel, Perkins Coie
• and more

Managing Work in a Hybrid Environment - Panel

More details to come!

ATTENDANCE AND COVID SAFETY INFORMATION:

Attendees must be fully vaccinated.  The event venue is a semi-outdoor space.  We will be monitoring local COVID guidelines closely leading up to the event and will provide detailed guidance the week of the event. 

PARKING: Free on-site parking available.

CLE CREDIT:  We were unable to obtain CLE certification for the event topics.

AGENDA:

• 11:30am -12:00pm - Registration and Networking
• 12:00 - 1:00pm - Keynote Address and Lunch
• 1:00 - 3:00pm - Panel Discussions
• 3:00 - 4:00pm - Happy Hour

Please join us for a lively discussion with our panel of General Counsels and senior legal department leaders as we discuss the challenges and strategies for a safe return to the workplace, how in-house attorneys can navigate the path to leadership in an in-office, hybrid, or remote environment, and other topics.

Do you have a question for the panelists? Be sure to include it with your registration. As this is an interactive event, attendees will also be able to ask questions directly to the panelists.

PANELISTS:

• Adam Berry, General Counsel, Fourth

• Alex King, VP Legal Counsel, Indeed

• Kevin Eldridge, Head of Office (Austin), Seaton

• and more

• Adam Sencenbaugh (Moderator), Partner, Haynes and Boone, LLP

ATTENDANCE AND COVID SAFETY INFORMATION:

We will be complying with local COVID guidelines and will provide detailed guidance the week of the event. Please see our guidance below, as of today.

Masks will be required at this indoor event, except when eating. We will be providing a plated dinner to reduce contact between guests. Weather permitting, doors will be opened to the garden to provide extra ventilation and we will be practicing social distancing to the extent the space allows. Attendance will be limited, and we ask that attendees are fully vaccinated. 

We strongly encourage members of our community to be vaccinated to help protect those who are unable.

AGENDA:  

• 4:30 pm - 5:00 pm         Registration

• 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm         Panelist Discussion and Plated Dinner

• 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm         Networking Reception

PARKING: 

Free parking is available at Chez Zee.

CLE:

One hour of Texas CLE is pending for this event.