The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is the world's largest organization serving the professional and business interests of attorneys who practice in the legal departments of corporations, associations, nonprofits and other private-sector organizations around the globe.
This presentation will explore the top ways in which lawful employer responses or practices can inadvertently result in a lawsuit. Clear, candid communication with employees is critical even where the employer has complied with legal obligations. And “messaging” decisions to employees can be as important as scrupulous legal compliance. We all know that “no good deed goes unpunished,” especially in situations where an employee’s attendance or performance presents a challenge. We will discuss the need to look beyond legal and compliance requirements and will recommend strategies to avoid lawsuits while maintaining employee morale and engagement.
Earl B. Gilliam Bar Foundation's annual civil rights forum will be a panel discussion about the contributions of black women in areas of education, law, and business. The panel will also discuss the efficacy of diversity and inclusion efforts through legislation and more.
Counseling Through Change: The Role of General Counsel, Privacy, and Product Counsel in the Midst of Impending Regulations
Over the past few years, regulators have taken a newfound interest in the size and power of big tech companies. From consumer privacy and algorithmic transparency to antitrust policies and content regulation, standards are evolving, and staying abreast of changes to the law and building the tools to comply with them are important parts of product, policy, and general counsel roles.
Join panelists from Google, Notion, and Twitter as they discuss the role of the General Counsel, Privacy, and Product Counsel in the midst of impending regulations.
2020 saw a surge in anti-Asian violence. The AABANY and Paul Weiss report, “A Rising Tide of Hate and Violence Against Asian Americans in New York During COVID-19: Impact, Causes, Solutions” has been garnering widespread attention and acclaim. For a growing number of corporate employers, there is a keen desire to DO something. But what? What can or should corporate employers be doing to help stem and address anti-Asian violence and hate crimes? What could they be doing to support their Asian American and Pacific Islander employees? What do they need to understand about the difficulties of hate crimes prosecutions and the tensions between the valid concerns of those desiring aggressive prosecution, those who worry about further contributing to the prosecutions of people from other minority communities, and those who advocate for restorative justice? Join AABANY and a coalition of bar associations for a discussion with corporate in-house leaders about corporate social responsibility and anti-Asian violence.
Most of us were already managing “stress” but how has that stress changed, especially given our new work environment of and current uncertainties of Covid-19? How is the threat response triggered by these changes impacting lawyers’ abilities to practice competently and what responsibilities under the Model Rules should we be reminded of during these times? If stress is a way of the brain saying “pay attention,” can we use that stress to regain our focus to advise our clients and anticipate future challenges? In this seminar, we will learn to identify maladaptive strategies to stress and techniques to calm the mind to ensure we have the skill and mental and emotional ability to SERVE OUR clients facing a range uncertainty and new challenges.
Participants will learn about our natural threat response (stress), how that may be maladaptive in a knowledge economy, and how to change our mindset and response to stress in order to thrive and practice competently. Resources to help lawyers recognize the signs of potential mental health issues and how to get help will also be discussed.
The in-house/outside counsel relationship can be a very powerful one. One you can use to build a strategic relationship that can last for years and contribute to the long-term success of your company. Yet, how do you get there, and what should you consider to make sure you’re making the right selection. And once you’ve found the right match, what is the best way to manage the relationship?
Our panelists will share factors to consider when hiring outside counsel, the importance of auditioning more than one law firm, the pros and cons of using Outside Counsel Guidelines, the importance of fee arrangements, and tips for managing the relationship. You won’t want to miss this informative session.
Is your company making investments in early-stage companies? Trying to figure out the right type of financing and what rights you should get? Wondering if you should be treated like a venture/angel investor or treated differently?
Topics include:
Key points of negotiation
Understanding valuations in private financings
What is the norm for a Series A deal
Common differences in rights/terms for “strategic” investors
Sensitive client data stored at law firms is increasingly a target of cyberattacks. This year Chief Legal Officers have again rated information security as one of their highest concerns. Yet a recent Association of Corporate Counsel survey revealed that despite the risks, more than 70% of companies do not assess their law firms’ security, because they don’t know the right questions to ask and because they simply don’t have the internal resources to evaluate each of their firms. The 30% of companies that do assess their law firms’ security find the process extremely cumbersome, and the law firms themselves are equally frustrated. There is a better way.
This discussion will explore the Association of Corporate Counsel’s recently launched Data Steward Program for assessing, benchmarking, validating and accrediting law firms on their information security capabilities. It will address the professional responsibilities of a lawyer as it relates to the supervision of others, client confidences and the benefits and risk associated with technology.
The Data Steward Program utilizes a consistent, standardized process based on established information security standards, to enable law firms to easily demonstrate that they follow best practices. A number of large corporate legal departments have decided to standardize on the Program as a more secure and efficient model for assuring law firm security. Even better, this program is free for corporate legal departments.
Join James Merklinger, President, the ACC Credentialing Institute and Mark Diamond, CEO, Contoural, to discuss:
The inherent information security risks when a company shares its most sensitive information with law firms and legal services providers
What information standards and best practices help ensure information is properly protected
Why the current law firm assessment process is frustrating and time consuming for both companies and their law firms
How companies can take advantage of ACC’s Data Steward Program
Join us for what is sure to be a lively discussion.
Insights and recommendations for Law Department Leaders: leveraging trends from the most recent HBR Law Department Survey
ACC MEMBERS ONLY.
Join Mintz, ML Strategies, HBR Consulting, Intel and the San Diego Chapter of ACC for a webinar where we will consider the vision for what’s on the horizon in Washington, as the new administration and Democratic lead Congress set their agenda on key regulatory and policy issues.
This webinar will focus on insights and recommendations for law department leaders, leveraging trends from the most recent HBR Law Department Survey of leading Fortune 500 law departments. HBR will present the results of the recent survey, and share the trends common to successful legal departments across industries and how they are meeting the challenge of meeting new priorities. Then first-hand experience will be shared on leading Intel’s law department efforts to evolve to a best in class law department while balancing a continually shifting set of corporate priorities and regulatory pressures.
Our discussion will include:
• What to anticipate from the Biden Administration and the democratically lead Congress
• The role of corporate counsels in navigating the present and future policy
• How to adapt to new regulatory developments coming from the new administration
Solar Winds, Microsoft Exchange attacks, new ransomware variants and other cyber incident developments present significant legal and enterprise risks to companies of all sizes. Our panel of experts will discuss recent and significant developments in the world of data security incident response and provide practical guidance on how to manage the response process while mitigating risk.