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How to improve relationships and wellbeing by thinking more critically about drinking behavior: ethical and professional implications

Exploring the intersection of ethics, wellbeing, relationships and drinking behavior, this course is designed to educate lawyers about ethical issues and implications linked to drinking behavior in the legal profession, in the practice of law, and/or in the administration of justice. Our culture of drinking and emerging trends of sobriety are examined through the lens and experience of featured speaker Chris Aburime, founder of Sober Theory, LLC, and author of You Don’t Need a Rock Bottom to Quit Drinking, Attorney at Law Magazine, May 2020 issue.

Led by Ingrid Serck-Hanssen, MBA, MS, LPCC and Marit Solheim-Witt, MA, co-founders of Alpha Element Institute, the second part of this course explores the link between stress, relationships and drinking behavior. Problematic drinking behavior is a signal of distress. According to the American Bar Association, the quality of our work and lives plummet when we ignore signs of distress. New research on the impact of stress and the conflicted mind on cognition has ethical and professional considerations as well as implications for relationships and well-being. Through case studies and activities Ingrid and Marit share practical self-leadership strategies for how to incorporate self-care techniques to effectively set boundaries, reduce stress and create joy in professional practice as well as personal life.

The hour-long presentation will be followed by small-group discussions.

Presenters:

• Ingrid Serck-Hanssen, Co-founder, Alpha Element Institute
• Marit Solheim-Witt, Co-founder, Alpha Element Institute
• Chris Aburime, President and Co-founder, Sober Theory

CLE credit (1 Ethics) is pending in Minnesota.

ACC Houston Half Day CLE Seminar
Wine Tasting to Follow the CLE
November 4, 2021 | 1-5 pm | 2.75 Hrs CLE Includes 1.5 Hrs Ethics Credits

Please join us on November 4, 2021 for a half day CLE seminar where we will explore the pandemic's ongoing impact on organizations, in-house teams, the court system, and the City of Houston. Our generous sponsors at Beck Redden have an incredible line up of topics and expert panelist to discuss these timely issues. The CLE event will be followed by a virtual wine tasting.

Session Topics:
Trials and Hearings in a Post-Pandemic World
Looking Ahead: Reflections & Recommendations for In-House Teams
Ethical Communications in an Age of Flexible Work
Listening for Lawyers: Better Communications Between Business and Legal

Keynote Speaker: Steve Klineberg

CLE Credits:
2.75 Hours CLE (TX), includes 1.5 Hours Ethics Credit

You must register by October 28th to be able to receive wine tasting delivery from Montrose Cheese and Wine.

As mandates become broader in scope and more complex in nature, leaders quickly learn that relying on their position or title alone in the organization to get work done is an insufficient approach. Instead, leaders need to consider their credibility and how it can be interpreted differently when trying to engage diverse stakeholders with various positions, interests, concerns, and personal preferences.

In Influence in All Directions, leaders will discuss how their personal power and critical relationships can move ideas and initiatives forward, and how a deliberate process can help to successfully influence at all levels of the organization.

This module is designed to help you:

· Demonstrate political savvy in your communication and decision making.

· Assess your critical current and future relationships.

· Use emotional intelligence and personal power when building relationships.

· Implement recommendations from your peers to achieve your goals.

· Incorporate technology in your short-term and long-term plans to influence.

As part of ACC's Global Membership Month, you are invited to join ACC St. Louis members for lunch and to learn more about ACC St. Louis and its programs, opportunities and benefits. 

ACC St. Louis will provide a DoorDash E-gift card to attendees who register here.

We encourage you to forward this invitation to any of your colleagues who are not presently members of ACC and who would be interested in joining.

We'll host this lunch & information hour on Thursday, April 22nd starting at 12:00 p.m.  Meet the Board, Committee Chairs and each other! 
 

The pandemic has affected all elements of life, including lawyering. As vaccinations continue and we start to see restrictions lift, how will litigators see their workday change or return to pre-pandemic practices? Join ACC St. Louis and speakers from the 2021 Litigation PAN Sponsor, Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP, as they provide thoughts on ways courts will be affected and what new challenges litigators may face.

Topics for discussion will include:

• Status of reopening of local courts and what reopening will look like.

• Types of litigation arising out of the pandemic.

• What value-added litigation practices has COVID-19 ushered in that clients should demand to stay?

We look forward to seeing you online on April 21st!

ACC Houston CLE Webinar
What In-House Counsel Need to Know About Insurance
March 11, 2021 | 12-1 PM | 1.00 CREDITS CLE (TX)

DESCRIPTION
Insurance is designed to cover the unexpected, but this topic also delves into when the unexpected happens with the insurance itself. By critically reviewing a number of situations where things went awry, new insights can be gained about how they might have been avoided so that a company can better manage its insurance assets and reduce risk.

ACC Houston Women In-House Event: An Interactive Discussion with Historian Betty Trapp Chapman
Living on the Cusp During the Women's Suffrage Movement in Texas
International Women's Day 2021 | March 8, 2021 | 4-5:30 PM

Please join us for an inspiring International Women's Day celebration featuring an interactive discussion with guest speaker, Betty Trapp Chapman. 

Born on October 18, 1936, Betty is an historian, educator and author who is passionate about Texas history and women's suffrage.  She moved to Houston in 1959 for a teaching position and has been serving as a freelance writer since 1989. She has written several books including "Rough Road to Justice: The Journey of Women Lawyers in Texas," which chronicles struggles endured and achievements earned by female lawyers throughout history. In addition to her role as a columnist for the Houston Business Journal, she has worked as a consultant for a variety of historical projects in the city of Houston, including the 60 historic markers along Texas Avenue. Betty is currently writing a book focusing on the exceptional life story of Annette Finnigan (1873-1940), who was a central figure during the suffragist movement in Houston, which began in 1903.    

Baker McKenzie partners, Denmon Sigler and Emily Harbison, will moderate an engaging discussion including smaller breakout sessions delving into topics related to Betty's extensive historical knowledge of women's suffrage. Betty will address questions from the audience and provide insight surrounding her latest subject, Annette Finnigan, highlighting her pioneering efforts and way of "living on the cusp" during her lifetime. We look forward to recognizing and honoring these efforts on International Women's Day 2021.    

Join us for this robust one-hour discussion. 

How can emerging technology optimize contract management and drive greater value? Learn strategies to establish a framework that facilitates workflows, yields more accurate analysis and provides key insights to support compliance, security and privacy requirements. Our speakers explore tech resources, including artificial intelligence applications, designed to reduce contract risks, enhance efficiency and boost productivity. And they offer actionable tips to strengthen organizational control and performance – and value – at all stages of the contract lifecycle process.

ACC Houston March Chapter Meeting CLE Webinar
Crisis Management in the Digital Age
March 9, 2021 | 12-1 pm | 1.00 hours credit CLE (TX)

DESCRIPTION
Whether it originates online or on the airwaves, or occurs offline but becomes the subject of online chatter, no company is immune to a digital crisis. Digital crises spread at a rapid-fire pace and have a lasting impact on your organizations’ bottom line. This webinar will use case studies to explore best practices and foundational legal strategies to help you navigate the digital landscape and tackle any digital crisis head on.

A team of Polsinelli Intellectual Property attorneys now wear a new hat – inventors – similar to the clients they represent every day. Inspired by a desire to maximize efficiency and focus on areas that benefit the most from their time, they saw a need in the patent drafting process and decided to fill it.

Patent applications are time consuming. They require meticulous attention to detail. Manual input of this information is time consuming and does not enhance the application. Although automated patent drafting tools assist in these tasks, they are only suitable for simple claims and are not user friendly. That’s exactly what our team aimed to improve with the development of PatentCAD. The PatentCAD working group used their collective years of experience to design, build and implement this Artificial Intelligence tool that maximizes efficiency and elevates client service.  In this presentation we will demo the tool and its impact to the patent industry.