Central Standard Time (DST observed)

Join the conversation!  Led by patent and trademark attorneys at Brinks Gilson & Lione, our roundtable will explore how to efficiently manage a variety of intellectual property issues affecting your company:

Patent Prosecution
•    When should you rely on trade secret protection instead of patents?
•    How to harvest inventions for patent applications

Trademark
•    What are the best strategies for combatting bad faith trademark filings in China?
•    Considerations when responding to a cease and desist letter

Patent Litigation
•    Are written opinions of counsel necessary?
•    How to mount an aggressive defense while controlling costs

ACC Houston Annual Holiday Party

Join us with your spouse or guest at the Manor House at The Houstonian Hotel for great food, festive music and holiday cheer!

Overview

ACC Houston Women In-House 3rd Annual Holiday Market Event

Enjoy an evening of networking at our holiday market of local women-owned businesses. You will cherish this opportunity to get all of your small to medium gift needs for the holidays!  Each attendee will receive a $25 gift certificate to spend at the event.  We have invited local women-owned businesses to display their wares of handmade and locally developed gift items including soap and spa items, divinely scented candles and fragrances, textiles, coffee beans, jewelry and more!  Don't miss this amazing event...make it your annual tradition!

Overview

ACC Houston Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group CLE
Identifying and Protecting Privileges During Transactions

Privilege issues frequently arise in the day-to-day activities of transactional attorneys, yet transactional attorneys may not become attuned to those issues until litigation arises. This program will arm in-house attorneys with tools to identify and analyze early in a transaction attorney-client privilege and attorney work product questions that commonly arise in M&A situations, such as:

• When would a lawyer’s email on deal-related matters be protected by attorney-client privilege?
• Will my notes as a lawyer need to be produced in transaction litigation?
• Can minutes of meetings be shielded from discovery?
• What are the impacts on privilege of involving non-legal advisers in transactions?

Come for the steak. Stay for the interactive “is it privileged?” discussion based on real case decisions.  The results may surprise you.

Speakers

Amy Hefley, Deputy Department Chair - Litigation (Houston) Partner, Baker Botts
Jim Marshall, Deputy Department Chair - Coporate (Houston) Partner, Baker Botts
Robin Phillps, Senior Counsel, BMC Software

Please come celebrate the Holiday Season with your 
in-house colleagues at the ACC St. Louis 2019 Holiday Social!
 

Wednesday, December 18^th
5:45 p.m.  to 8:00 p.m.

Panorama at the Saint Louis Art Museum
 

Hors d'oeuvres, Chef-Attended Risotto Station & Open Bar
 

Tour for FREE the main exhibition, Dutch Painting in the Age of Rembrandt
from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, compliments of Macy’s.
 

Drawings for holiday gifts will take place 
throughout the evening!
 

Bring a canned or boxed food donation for one extra chance
at the attendance drawings, with donations collected going to: 
Loaves & Fishes St. Louis 
Our 2019 Pro Bono Community Service Partner
 

The garage underneath the SLAM will be open with free parking for this event.

Join ACC St. Louis and Tueth Keeney for lunch and program covering the following Legal Updates:

Missouri Employment Law Update
Join us for a lightening-round discussion of Missouri employment law cases since the amendment of the MHRA, the codification of private whistleblower claims, and the overhaul of the public employee whistleblower statute.  Also, on October 23, the Missouri Supreme Court is hearing four MHRA appeals, addressing questions ranging from extraterritorial application to the timeliness of administrative charge filings.  Jim Layton, who is arguing one of those appeals, will report from Jefferson City on the Court’s questioning.
Kate Nash
Jim Layton

Weed at Work: Policies and Practices for Handling Medical Marijuana in the Workplace
Medical marijuana has been broadly expanded in Missouri with the passing of Amendment 2 in 2018.  This presentation will provide insight on handling complex employment questions related to medical marijuana at work.  We will discuss best practices in the context of disability claims, the MHRA, unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation.  
Melanie Gurley Keeney
Jenna M. Lakamp

E-Discovery Essentials
This presentation will cover essential issues about e-discovery for in-house counsel from data preservation and litigation holds to processing e-discovery requests and the impact of the new Missouri Rules of Civil Procedure on reducing the burden of e-discovery. 
Mandi Moutray
Veronica Potter

Brief Immigration Update
We will provide a brief update on changes to watch for in the business immigration context, including the new H-1B lottery system and other issues involving the hiring a foreign nationals in this ever-changing immigration world.
Melanie Gurley Keeney
Kristine Nazir

Best Practices in Legal Operations:
Small Things You Can Do to Reduce Legal Spend and Increase Efficiency Whether You're in a Large Law Department or a Department of One

It is impossible to turn a blind eye to the fact that we are seeing dramatic changes in the legal industry. All law departments, both large and small, are under increasing pressure to reduce legal spend, increase efficiency and develop innovative processes and technology. Legal operations is focused on achieving these goals. Please join us for an interactive discussion on small ways you can partner with outside counsel to provide high quality, cost-effective and seamless legal services and receive tremendous benefit.

Thanks to our sponsor, Ballard Spahr LLP!

AGENDA:
11:45 AM to Noon -- Check-in
Noon to 12:30 PM -- Buffet lunch and networking
12:30 to 1:30 PM -- CLE program presentation

Presenters: Melissa C. Prince, Chief Client Value and Innovation Officer and Karla Vehrs, Managing Partner | Ballard Spahr LLP
------------
We have applied for 1 standard CLE credit.

In-house counsel often are asked to manage complex transactions while juggling all of the other legal needs of their organization.  Given the diverse issues presented in a typical transaction, this can be a daunting task. This training program will provide a firm grounding on the manner in which transactions are structured, financed, negotiated and executed – de-mystifying the deal process and providing a firm grounding for counsel who manage transactions. The program will culminate in an in-house counsel panel discussion addressing tips and tricks for tackling transactions.

7:30 – 8:30 am     Breakfast & Registration 

8:30 – 9:20 am     Welcome to the M&A World: Avoiding Structural Pitfalls    

John M. Callahan, Managing Partner, Head of International Healthcare M&A, McDermott Will & Emery
Gregory R. Metz, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery
Moderator: Patrick J. McCurry, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery

9:20 – 9:30 am    Networking Break  

9:30 – 10:15 am   Anatomically Correct: The Anatomy of a Purchase Agreement    

John M. Callahan, Managing Partner, Head of International Healthcare M&A, McDermott Will & Emery
Kevin L. Miller, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery

10:15 – 10:30 am    Networking Break    

10:30 – 11:00 am    Money Talks: Financing Facts and Foibles    

Kathy Schumacher, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery

11:00 – 11:45 am    A View from the Front: A Panel Discussion with In-House Counsel    

Earl Barnes, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, AMITA Health
John W. Lee, Assistant General Counsel, Follett Corporation
Dean Zarafonetis, Senior Legal Counsel, North America, Gordon Food Service

Moderator: Eric Orsic, Partner, Co-Head Capital Markets and Public Companies, McDermott Will & Emery

ACC Houston International Practice Group CLE
Compliance without Borders:  Compliance for Multinational Companies in the Modern Enforcement Context

 Presentation will include a discussion of:

• The Global Enforcement Context and the Rise of Corporate Liability Laws

• Pre-Enforcement Issues in Financings and Loans from Multilateral Development Banks and Private Lenders

• Building Out Your Compliance Program to Meet Enhanced Expectations

Speakers
 

Brent Benoit, Chief Compliance Officer, National Oilwell Varco. Brent is a past president of the Houston Bar Association.

Peter S. Spivack, Partner, Hogan Lovells (US) LLP

Greg Hill, Partner, Hogan Lovells

Mass Shootings and Workplace Violence – Planning for the Unthinkable
With the increasing number of mass shooting incidents and the significant claims and liability they spawn, recognizing and addressing these types of risks have taken on greater importance. The recent $800 million settlement of the Las Vegas shooting victim claims makes this a risk companies can no longer ignore. Join us for a discussion of the statistics, liability landscape and the role risk management and insurance play in protecting your company when the unthinkable occurs.

AGENDA:
4:00 - 4:30 PM   Check-in and networking
4:30 - 5:30 PM   CLE program
5:30 - 7:00 PM   Social 

Even if you can't get there in time for the program, please join us for the social.

Park in the World Trade Center ramp across the street for complimentary validated parking.