Central Standard Time (DST observed)

What better way to ring in the professional New Year than by catching up with your ACC colleagues after a busy holiday season? Enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and networking with fellow ACC members. This event is free for all ACC Minnesota members and their in-house counsel guests.

Thanks to our sponsor, Winthrop & Weinstine, for hosting our first social event of 2020!

Please join your ACC colleagues and friends in the Salón Vela/Candle Room of the Paloma Blanca Restaurant on December 5th for our ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY!  Free valet parking will be provided.

RSVP to Amber Clark at southcentraltx@accglobal.com.

Join us for war stories about best practices and emerging tools focused on legal operations.  Led by Legility General Counsel Mona Maerz and seasoned in-house counsel.  Enjoy lunch at Gibson’s. 

Join us for war stories about best practices and emerging tools focused on legal operations.  Led by Legility General Counsel Mona Maerz and seasoned in-house counsel.  Enjoy lunch at Gibson’s. 

Overview

ACC Houston Environmental Practice Group CLE
Defending Environmental Citizen Suits – The Plaintiffs’ Playbook

Please join us for the next meeting of the ACC Houston Environmental Practice Group, sponsored and presented by Beveridge & Diamond.   Citizen suit litigation is on the rise, and it is overwhelmingly repeat players filing the complaints.  We will give you a peek inside the plaintiffs’ playbook to show you how citizens litigate these unique and often complex federal lawsuits, from pre-suit mining of your publicly available data, to injunctions, discovery tactics, settlement, and the emerging battlefield of social media.  We will also provide an overview of citizen suit claims under the major environmental statutes and the relief available under each.

Speakers

Jeff Dehner, Senior Legal Counsel, Enbridge
Laura McAfee, Principal, Beveridge & Diamond
Michael Vitris, Associate, Beveridge & Diamond

Please join ACC Chicago and BakerWomen on Wednesday, December 4 to kick off the holiday season at Baker’s Wine and Chocolate Tasting at RPM on the Water.  Visit with old friends and meet new faces. We are excited to partner together in celebrating many talented women in the legal community.  A variety of hors d’oeuvres will be served in addition to a tasting of delectable chocolate creations.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

Overview

ACC Houston Marquee Full-Day CLE: Life Cycle of a Deal 
Entering, Exiting and Litigating your Strategic Relationships

Please join us for our ACC Marquee day-long CLE seminar and networking reception at the Hotel Derek.

Join our Baker McKenzie experts and accompanying in-house practitioners as they share their expertise regarding the progression of a strategic relationship - from the inception to the conclusion of the deal.

We are also pleased to announce that Jesse Thompson, Senior Business Economist at the Houston Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, will serve as the keynote speaker. Mr. Thompson, who joined the Bank in 2010, performs research and analysis on issues affecting the Houston and Gulf Coast economy.

Featured Speakers
Our panelists will include senior in-house counsel and business representatives from Baylor Genetics, Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc., Halliburton, Houston Roughnecks (XFL), Kraton Corporation, PTTGC America, Total, Valero Energy Corporation and Weatherford International plc as well as Baker McKenzie practitioners from different offices.

CLICK HERE to view the full agenda.

Speakers Include

Brian Burke, Partner, Baker McKenzie
Emily Harbison, Partner, Baker McKenzie
Matthew Mauney, Senior Associate, Baker McKenzie
Rocio Mendoza, Senior Associate, Baker McKenzie

Keynote Speaker:

Jesse Thompson, Senior Business Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston Branch

The Illinois Supreme Court held in Rosenbach v. Six Flags Enter. Corp. that Illinois residents do not have to allege actual harm to state a cause of action under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. Since this monumental decision, class action lawsuits under BIPA (mostly based purely on procedural violations), are being filed against companies, particularly Illinois employers, at an alarming rate. With no imminent legislative action curtailing the rush of BIPA litigation, it is critical that companies have the appropriate policies and procedures in place to comply with BIPA. Join us for a discussion on what BIPA requires for companies and employers and the potential penalties for noncompliance, as well as best practices to avoid a BIPA lawsuit.  We will also discuss how the threat of BIPA liability has impacted product and services offerings in Illinois.

The Illinois Supreme Court held in Rosenbach v. Six Flags Enter. Corp. that Illinois residents do not have to allege actual harm to state a cause of action under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. Since this monumental decision, class action lawsuits under BIPA (mostly based purely on procedural violations), are being filed against companies, particularly Illinois employers, at an alarming rate. With no imminent legislative action curtailing the rush of BIPA litigation, it is critical that companies have the appropriate policies and procedures in place to comply with BIPA. Join us for a discussion on what BIPA requires for companies and employers and the potential penalties for noncompliance, as well as best practices to avoid a BIPA lawsuit.  We will also discuss how the threat of BIPA liability has impacted product and services offerings in Illinois.

Overview

ACC Houston Energy Practice Group CLE
Innovative Green Energy Options for Large Electricity Customers in Texas

Companies are increasingly focused upon reducing their carbon footprint while cost-effectively managing their electricity costs. As the energy prices for wind and solar energy have dropped over the last few years, an increasing number of corporations have begun procuring significant renewable resources, both to decarbonize their energy use and to reduce their electricity costs. While many of these contracts have been directly with wind and solar developers, Texas retail energy suppliers are also beginning to respond to this customer demand and create innovative products to provide customers access to the renewable markets while minimizing regulatory and commercial risk. Some companies are also considering large on-site solar installations. This panel discussion will focus upon the options, products and contracting structures available to large electricity customers, especially within ERCOT, and the pros and cons of each structure, including regulatory considerations, ease of contracting and commercial risk.