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ACC Houston Litigation Practice Group CLE Webinar: Living in a Virtual World
New Developments, and Best Practices for Dispute Resolution in the COVID Era
November 17, 2020 | 12 – 1 PM | 1.00 hours CLE (TX)

A few months ago everyone was dealing with the novelty of COVID 19 and essentially standing down as current and prospective cases were put on hold. As the months rolled by, the courthouse doors have reopen, some "live," but most operating with a new virtual reality that has prompted significant changes in how trial lawyers do business, as well as a whole new set of protocols that apply in that regard. Please join us, as seasoned Baker McKenzie practitioners present an overview of new developments with respect to trial practice and arbitration, and share their knowledge and insight regarding these new protocols and best practices as we head into 2021. Sponsored by Baker McKenzie LLP

ACC Houston November Chapter Meeting CLE Webinar
US Supreme Court Term Preview for (Non-Expert) Lawyers
November 10, 2020 | 12- 1 pm | 1.00 hours CLE (TX)

The intent of this seminar is to convey a high-level understanding of the composition of the Court and its upcoming term that we think all members of the bar should possess, including a preview of some of the most anticipated cases of the term which involve the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, the power of Congress to subpoena materials from the Executive branch, the contours of religious liberty, and other issues of national importance.

And, depending on what developments may be trending on November 10, there may be additional timely – and historic – wrinkles to discuss related to Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation proceeding (and the potential Democratic response) and the results of (and potential litigation regarding) the Presidential election.

ACC Houston CLE Webinar: Scanning the Horizon - Examining legal changes and business challenges in 2021

Join us for a half-day CLE examining legal changes and business challenges in 2021

ACC Houston "Women In-House Holiday Market"
November 19, 2020 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm

Join us for the 4th Annual ACC Women In-House Holiday Market
This year’s Women In-House Holiday Marketplace will be a virtual event showcasing local vendors. Many of your favorites will be there so you can stock up on gifts from Ellion Candles and Pop Soap bath products and much more! We love that this annual event supports local female owned small businesses. If you have missed this event in the past, join us for this one! We are planning to host breakouts for networking and also play BINGO. Prizes will be given out and we will mail gift boxes with wonderful goodies to the first 50 registrants.

Join us for the ACC Houston Women In-House Social: Spruce Up Your Space
November 11, 2020 from 4:00 - 5:30 pm hosted by Foley Lardner LLP

In this hands-on arrangement crafting party, guests will learn how to create their own beautiful succulent arrangement/terrarium. They will leave the party with their own living creation and the knowledge to care for it. The class includes instruction on techniques for selecting succulents, planting and arranging them, as well as best practices for keeping the arrangement vibrant and healthy. All supplies will be sent to each participant and the class will be led by a Succulent professional.

In the midst of the perfect storm – most notably, the coronavirus pandemic and the killing of George Floyd – racial disparities and injustices took center stage. While many organizations were focused on safely reopening after weeks of sheltering in place, our diversity practitioners were curiously examining the “storm” through a generational lens to explore the implications on race relations for businesses.

Our efforts culminated in the creation of UnMasked™, a comprehensive equity and engagement program. Grounded in empirical science and observation, UnMasked™ exposes the complex nexus of implicit bias, current crises, and generational shifts in mindsets on race and diversity. UnMasked™ also uncovers intra-generational differences in expression and belongingness of Black American Millennials contrasted to pre-Millennial generations of Blacks in the workplace and marketplace. Understanding these nuanced differences fosters diversity innovations, deepens belongingness and reduces conflict to identity differences.  

Learning Objectives:
•    Understand how recent events are affecting race relations in the workplace and marketplace.
•    Explore assumptions and stereotypes that inform biases underlying the racial disparities unmasked by the current “perfect storm.”
•    Examine generational differences in views on racial and ethnic diversity and the culture gap.
•    Explore identity insights through an intra-race, cross-generation perspective.
•    Explore concepts of belonging and social integration, and variations between pre-Millennial and Millennial Black Americans.
•    Identify equity-minded and inclusive leadership skills to foster a culture of belongingness for NextGen.

In the midst of the perfect storm – most notably, the coronavirus pandemic and the killing of George Floyd – racial disparities and injustices took center stage. While many organizations were focused on safely reopening after weeks of sheltering in place, our diversity practitioners were curiously examining the “storm” through a generational lens to explore the implications on race relations for businesses.

Our efforts culminated in the creation of UnMasked™, a comprehensive equity and engagement program. Grounded in empirical science and observation, UnMasked™ exposes the complex nexus of implicit bias, current crises, and generational shifts in mindsets on race and diversity. UnMasked™ also uncovers intra-generational differences in expression and belongingness of Black American Millennials contrasted to pre-Millennial generations of Blacks in the workplace and marketplace. Understanding these nuanced differences fosters diversity innovations, deepens belongingness and reduces conflict to identity differences.  

Learning Objectives:
•    Understand how recent events are affecting race relations in the workplace and marketplace.
•    Explore assumptions and stereotypes that inform biases underlying the racial disparities unmasked by the current “perfect storm.”
•    Examine generational differences in views on racial and ethnic diversity and the culture gap.
•    Explore identity insights through an intra-race, cross-generation perspective.
•    Explore concepts of belonging and social integration, and variations between pre-Millennial and Millennial Black Americans.
•    Identify equity-minded and inclusive leadership skills to foster a culture of belongingness for NextGen.

Join us at the ACC Chicago In-House Counsel Virtual Celebration 2020 featuring a “fireside” chat with Earvin "Magic" Johnson!  Close out your workday at this year’s premiere social distancing event for the Chicago corporate counsel community, all from the comfort of your office or home.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history, Magic has enjoyed similar success off the court as a businessman and philanthropist. Today he serves as Chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, an investment conglomerate that provides high-quality products and services that focus primarily on ethnically diverse and underserved urban communities. A robust and engaging conversation about the experiences of his interesting life will serve as the centerpiece of our event.

The evening will include our traditional annual chapter program and the presentation of the 2020 Thurgood Marshall and Member of the Year awards.  While it will be a little different than past celebrations, the event will also incorporate a technology-enabled experience (REMO) to network and socialize with all other virtual attendees. Stick around after our formal agenda to participate in the best part of this annual get-together—catching-up with old friends, making some new ones, and generally connecting with others in our community. 

Have some dinner on us!  Registrants will receive a $25 credit to their GrubHub account if that account is set up with the same email address used to register for the Celebration.  Dinner must be ordered and delivered between 3:00-9:00 pm CST on November 12th.  You must register for the Celebration by 5:00 pm Wednesday, November 11 to receive this benefit.   

During our Networking portion of the event (REMO platform) there will generous prizes awarded to those still in attendance.  You won't want to miss any of this fun. 

This year more than ever, we look forward to virtually seeing you all on November 12th to celebrate our Chapter. 

Bring your lunch and join us in discussing how every company, across industries, has been impacted by the pandemic. Companies scrambled to new work-from-home models, finances are under a microscope, new needs coming out of the pandemic have spurred and accelerated innovation, and some companies have even pivoted their business to create new products to help fight the pandemic. All of these have IP implications to consider. This session will offer a collaborative discussion regarding:

• Potential trade secrets challenges created by the unexpected and universal shift to working from home
• Companies scrutinizing IP portfolios while focusing on the bottom line:
  • When should you drop an IP asset that’s draining cash?
  • How do you determine which IP assets to double-down on?
  • What about licensing your innovations when you wouldn’t have considered it pre-pandemic?
• IP considerations for companies that are adapting to the pandemic and/or have shifted their business operations, including companies with employees working remotely, those that have accelerated the launch of a product or developed a new product, targeted new markets, or developed a new innovation.

Join ACC TN and Merchant & Gould for a virtual 1.5-hour general credit CLE in exploring three lessons in brand enforcement and management gleaned from recent headlines.

Lesson 1: When enthusiastic brand 'friends' become harmful brand 'frenemies.' Recent experiences suggest strategies for detecting online brand nemeses and managing social media and online marketplace trademark and copyright use.

Lesson 2: What we’ve learned from the “Lady A” trademark litigation. The dispute between the country trio and the blues singer offers valuable lessons for brand owners.

Lesson 3: How to enforce your trademark without destroying your brand and reputation. The recent backlash by the outdoor community to Backcountry.com’s aggressive trademark enforcement practices underscores the importance of policing your rights in a way that does not harm your mark or reputation.