Pacific Standard Time

Join Morrison & Foerster’s IP Litigation Group for our 60-minute CLE webinar on developing issues in patent law. John Lanham and Janet Kim, IP litigators with Morrison & Foerster’s San Diego Office, and Denise Hickey, Assistant General Counsel with Bristol Myers Squibb, will provide an update on emerging issues and trends to keep an eye on in patent law that warrant attention from in-house counsel.   

Networking with the presenters and ACC members will follow the presentation.

ESG Basics and Principles In House Counsel Need to Know

Join Mintz and the San Diego Chapter of ACC for a webinar on ESG fundamentals, as they relate to the role of in house counsel as advisors to corporate boards. While a growing number of companies and investors embrace ESG, it is evolving to encompass a broad spectrum of social and governance developments that shape and impact shareholder interests. Some of these issues include environmental sustainability, the economic, community, and health effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the increased focus on gender and racial equity in board composition, and the call for racial justice — both in the boardroom and throughout corporate America.

This webinar will focus on ESG fundamentals; what is the ESG movement, what ESG means for the role of in house counsel and as advisors to corporate boards, the economic, community, the increased focus on gender and racial equity in board composition, and the moral imperative of achieving racial justice. Topics to be covered include the in-house counsel’s role in matters such as board refreshment, compliance with statutory mandates such as California’s gender and underrepresented community laws, diversity and the role of in house counsel in governance matters.

Our discussion will include:

·       Direction for in house counsel in understanding their role in ESG

·       Compliance with statutory mandates such as California’s gender and underrepresented community laws

·       Role of in house counsel in governance matters

·       How corporate diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives influence ESG metrics

Join attorneys from Jackson Lewis for a 1 hour overview to discuss the latest round of California workplace law developments and best practices for employers as they navigate these new obligations. Speakers will offer guidance on how employers can prepare for 2021. Topics to include:

• Can You Say That? – Limitations on Speech in the Workplace
• Corporate Efforts to Combat Systemic Racism: Mitigating Risks and Unintended Consequences
• OFCCP Has Been Busy – What’s New, What’s Coming, and How to Prepare
• Wage and Hour Development in the COVID Era

Companies need to protect the confidentiality of their proprietary information and trade secrets. The use of non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements is a  key element in making necessary efforts to put such protections in place.  Join Procopio Partner and Licensing Practice Group Leader, Eli Mansour, and Procopio Corporate Attorney, Lana Turpie, for a primer on NDAs, which will cover important principles and factors to consider for your next NDA, including:

·         Why and when to use NDAs

·         Principles to approaching NDAs

·         The confidential information you should care about

·         Elements of an NDA

    ·         Red flags relating to disclosing confidential information to receiving parties

Networking with the presenters and ACC members will follow the presentation.

From preservation and collection through analysis and production, the eDiscovery process is a minefield for attorneys. Please join us for a 60-minute CLE webinar and earn ethics credit as we address the unique ethical challenges that arise in the context of eDiscovery, including cooperation with opposing counsel, competence with technology, protecting client confidences, candor with the court, and diligence throughout the process.

Guidance for Recommending Action to the BOD During an M&A Deal

Register by February 18th. This is your opportunity to experience firsthand (in a fictional setting) how a deal plays out in the board room and how to guide your stakeholders through the process. Our M&A Partners with Procopio and Transaction Advisory Services professionals with BDO have worked on hundreds of deals, and will share their vast knowledge and tips. They'll walk you through real life scenarios, assist you with how to dissect and analyze a deal, provide a primer on legal, accounting and financial diligence, and guide you on how to make critical decisions.

One week prior to the workshop you will be provided with the details of a fictional deal, as well as all the materials you’ll need to make an informed decision – including a term sheet, diligence check list and the financials for both the “buyer” and “seller”. You’ll be assigned to participate on either the Buy-side or Sell-side board of directors. The two groups will be divided into separate zoom rooms to discuss the details during the mock board meeting. Our moderators will guide you on what to look out for and important steps not to skip when working through this type of transaction.

After analysis from both sides, we’ll join together in one zoom room to determine – deal or no deal?

Login details for the webinar will be provided upon registration, and you will be pre-assigned to either the "buy-side" or "sell-side" group. Materials for you to review will be emailed one week prior to the workshop.

As companies enter 2021, questions still remain as to how to best prepare for upcoming cyber threats, the best next steps towards compliance under the CPRA, and other emerging privacy laws. Join us as we offer a state of the (cyber) union and unpack what’s in store for the new year under these umbrellas and how the cyber insurance market is adapting.

Attendees will walk away understanding:

1. The CCPA, its trends and enforcement;
2. The CPRA, including the Agency’s focus, new requirements, and compliance timeline;
3. Cyber Insurance trends and pitfalls;
4. Current cybersecurity threats, including ransomware and fallout from the SolarWinds attack; and
5. 2021 predictions on whether more states will implement privacy laws, as well as the potential for federal privacy regulation.

As the coronavirus vaccines are deployed, employers considering workplace vaccination programs are seeking legal guidance for the contours of such programs. On December 16, the EEOC updated its guidance regarding vaccination in the workplace and outlined the permissible scope of mandatory workplace vaccination programs. While the guidance has neither the force nor application of a statute or regulation, it provides a compelling structure for a legally compliant workplace vaccination program.

Implementing a workplace vaccination program requires an understanding of how the coronavirus vaccines provide protection — and the limits of that protection. Employers should also understand the “Emergency Use Authorization” process and whether newly authorized at-home COVID-19 test kits would be considered “medical tests” subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Please join Mintz’s Employment, Labor & Benefits and Health Law attorneys and noted immunologist Dr. Darryl Carter for a webinar to discuss key takeaways from the EEOC’s recently updated vaccination guidance and other COVID-19–related workplace questions, including:

Expert Analysis

• What is an mRNA vaccine? How were the two vaccines authorized for use, and what is known and not yet known about how they work?
Regulatory Considerations
• What is the scope of the EUA vaccine and home testing process? What can we expect in the near future?
Legal Guideposts for Employers
• The basic contours of a legally compliant workplace vaccination program.
• The importance of qualified and trained personnel to administer and manage accommodation requests;
• The need for compliant recordkeeping with respect to medical information that might be obtained in connection with such a program; and
• The importance of individualized assessment for employees who refuse to take a vaccination, and the flexibility to accommodate such employees based upon their positions, job duties, and functions in order to balance the “direct threat” and “undue hardship” standards.

Session Two:

Best Practices To Protect Your Trade Secrets

How can companies protect their trade secrets from misappropriation, especially in light of changes in business conduct resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic? These new work practices can jeopardize your company’s trade secrets, particularly work-from-home directives for employees that include routine video-conferencing for meetings, and massive layoffs resulting from the pandemic. It is critical for businesses to address the security of their trade secrets and you may be surprised by what you have forgotten to think about in these chaotic times. The panel will offer “best practices” to minimize risk and a checklist of steps to protect your trade secrets.

Session One: February 10th

Reducing The Risk Of Trade Secret Misappropriation Claims

Getting sued in a misappropriation lawsuit can be devastating even if the suit is baseless. The expense. The burden. The disruption. The alienation of customers and investors. Can your company be the target of a misappropriation claim, even if it had no intent to misappropriate? Yes, especially in these COVID days when misappropriation claims are on the rise.  The panel will address “danger areas” such as:  

• on-boarding of employees
• business alliances
• reverse-engineering, and
• patents

and will offer checklists of relevant considerations to reduce the risk of misappropriation claims, as well as:

• potential remediation steps upon discovery that an employee used a former employer’s trade secrets for your company, and
• the benefits of using (and how to establish) “clean” development teams. 

Session Two: February 24th

Best Practices To Protect Your Trade Secrets

How can companies protect their trade secrets from misappropriation, especially in light of changes in business conduct resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic? These new work practices can jeopardize your company’s trade secrets, particularly work-from-home directives for employees that include routine video-conferencing for meetings, and massive layoffs resulting from the pandemic. It is critical for businesses to address the security of their trade secrets and you may be surprised by what you have forgotten to think about in these chaotic times. The panel will offer “best practices” to minimize risk and a checklist of steps to protect your trade secrets.