During this program, the speakers will explore “International Ethics for In-House Counsel: Managing Risk Across Borders (and Oceans),” highlighting the ethical challenges of cross-border matters with insights from Canada and the United Kingdom.

Attendees will learn practical strategies to navigate differences in privilege, confidentiality, and regulatory requirements while connecting with peers from the Northeast Ohio legal community.

The presentation outlines how ethical obligations for in‑house counsel differ across the US, Canada, and the UK, focusing on competence (including technology and AI), cross‑border practice limits, and confidentiality and privilege.

While all jurisdictions require lawyers to maintain competence, the US explicitly mandates tech proficiency, Canada treats it as context‑dependent, and the UK implies it through broader duties. AI can support legal work but never replaces professional judgment or cures unauthorized practice.

Cross‑border matters—such as deals, litigation, and employment issues—often require local counsel because in‑house exceptions do not extend to foreign law. Confidentiality rules diverge significantly, with Canada imposing the strictest limits and the narrowest exceptions.

Lastly, the presentation also highlights France’s forthcoming privilege protections for in‑house counsel and concludes with practical guidance: 
•    Maintain tech competence
•    Verify AI outputs, 
•    Avoid unauthorized practice, and 
•    Understand jurisdiction‑specific confidentiality and privilege rules.

PARKING
Free onsite parking is available.

CREDITS
1.5 CLE (This course has been submitted for approval by the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Continuing Legal Education for 1.5 ethics/professional conduct CLE hours)

AGENDA
2:30pm                        Registration opens
3:00pm – 4:30pm        Program
4:30pm – 5:30pm        Networking 

SPEAKERS
Gowling WLG Attorneys
Tom Cox
Partner, Commercial Litigation
London, UK

Selena Kim
Partner, Intellectual Property
Toronto, Canada

In-house Counsel TBD

Note: At the Northeast Ohio (ACC NEO) chapter level, event sponsors/hosts are provided the name, title, and company of all attendees. ACC NEO never provides or sells member emails, phone numbers, or addresses to sponsors or any other external audiences.

Attendees must abide by ACC NEO's Event Code of Conduct.

QUESTIONS
Contact neoh@accglobal.com

Doors open, and Lunch Provided from 12:15pm

As practitioners we may not think about the source of our ethics, relying instead on an instinctive approach – are our actions wrong or right? It isn’t until something goes awry that we have to unpack the ethical dilemma that has emerged. 

Practicing in-house can have particular challenges in that lawyers are operating in a system where not every person in a lawyer or legally trained. Those colleagues may not always understand the ethical framework which must be adhered to. 

In this session, Brett Cassidy and Alex Darcey will take a look at recent legal ethics cases and the ethical issues facing in house practitioners including the adoption of AI into the workforce.

Annual Ethics Lunch & CLE:

Thursday, June 11, 2026 | 11:30 am - 1:30 pm

One (1) Ethics CLE Credit pending!

Maggiano's Resataurant

7401 S Clinton St, Englewood, CO 80112

REGISTER

$20 Members | $30 Non-Members

In

PANELIST(S)

Helena Ledic, Associate General Counsel, CSC Global

Helena Ledic is an Associate General Counsel with CSC, based in Chicago. Helena is a corporate attorney advising senior management, multi-national corporations and law firms on business, legal, strategy and technology matters. Helena is the immediate past chair of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Corporate and Securities Network and is a regular ACC panelist on topics involving legal ethics, SaaS, and security and non-disclosure agreements including speaking at the ACC Annual Meeting. She is also a board member of ACC Chicago.  She is a frequent guest speaker at law firms and paralegal organizations on best practices regarding corporate and financial filings.  She is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago School of Law and is licensed in Illinois.

AI is transforming the way we live and work in big and small ways. There is significant pressure on many in-house counsel to usher its implementation across their organisation and to incorporate it into their practice to supersize stretched resources.

LK Law will lead a panel discussion with in-house counsel and technical specialists to share practical insights from their experiences with implementing AI solutions to address operational challenges and drive efficiency gains.  Specifically, the panellists will discuss:

  •  How AI and other strategic technology adoption has transformed workflows within their organisations 
  •  The process of formulating an AI strategy and executing AI projects 
  •  Managing related governance, regulatory and risk considerations, including privacy and cyber security

This session will offer practical takeaways for in-house counsel looking to leverage technology and the potential of big and small AI.

Michael Brown MP will provide opening remarks at this session in his capacity as Assistant Minister for AI, Digital Economy, Defence and Space Industries. We will also welcome Bec Tolhurst, GC, Bickford’s,  Nadia Andjelkovic, Chief Executive Officer, Centennial Park Cemetery, Allie Umoff, Special Counsel, LK, David Marshall, Chief Technology Officer, LK, and Connor Mulholland, Special Counsel, LK, as panellists, while Brooke Hall-Carney will moderate the session.

Many of us were attracted to the legal profession because we care about people and want to help them. 

Attorneys hopefully recognize that, unlike many other professionals, their lives are already filled to the brim with anxiety and stress. The consequences of shrugging it off can be catastrophic. One of those consequences that we often hear about is burnout. 

And then there’s a special type of burnout called “secondary traumatic stress” or “compassion fatigue”. The ramifications of trauma and compassion fatigue aren’t discussed as frequently as those of stress and burnout thus, for many attorneys, they are topics in need of attention. 

Secondary or vicarious trauma can be the cumulative effect of listening to a client or witness relay stressful, often graphic, stories and experiences. Those who experience compassion fatigue tend to take on the pain, suffering and burdens of the people they are helping. It is an exhaustion that is felt physically, emotionally, or mentally and can affect numerous areas of your life, often leaving you feeling numb. 

Recent studies have shown that there has been a dramatic increase in impairment due to alcoholism, addiction, and mental health disorders among members of the legal profession. The statistics are compelling and clearly indicate that 1 out of 3 attorneys will likely have a need for substance use or mental health services at some point in their careers. 

Mr. Quinn will discuss: 
1. The early warning signs of impairment, with special emphasis on stress, burnout, trauma and compassion fatigue. 
2. The free services that Lawyers Assistance Programs provide to lawyers, judges, their family members and law students. 
3. A close look at what barriers exist that prevent lawyers and judges from seeking the help they need will be provided. 
4. The role that education plays in breaking the stigma and fear associated with addiction and mental illness in the legal profession. 5. How best to approach the impaired individual.

This program offers practical guidance for legal professionals navigating complex ethical and professional challenges. The first session will focus on the ethics of settlement negotiations, examining the boundaries of competence, candor, and truthfulness, and how AI tools factor into modern practice. The second session will address attorney–client privilege in the workplace, especially for in-house counsel managing overlapping legal, HR, and business responsibilities. Together, they provide actionable insights for maintaining ethical integrity and protecting privileged communications in high-stakes legal environments.

AGENDA
1:30pm - 2:00pm        Registration
2:00pm                         Welcome and Introductions 
2:05pm - 3:35pm        The Ethics of Settlement Negotiations 
3:35pm - 3:45pm        Break
3:45pm - 4:45pm        Navigating Attorney-Client Privilege in the Modern Workplace: The In-House Counsel Edition 
4:45pm - 6:00pm        Networking Reception 

LOCATION
Lockkeeper’s
8001 Rockside Road
Valley View, OH 44125

PARKING
Free onsite parking is available.

CREDITS
2.5 CLE (This course has been approved by the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Continuing Legal Education for 2.5 total ethics CLE hours)

SPEAKERS
Fisher Phillips
Bob Dezort, Partner
Kirsten Mooney, Associate
Bonnie Kristan, Partner

In-house Counsel
Adrienne Stemen, Swagelok

Note: At the Northeast Ohio (ACC NEO) chapter level, event sponsors/hosts are provided the name, title, and company of all attendees. ACC NEO never provides or sells member emails, phone numbers, or addresses to sponsors or any other external audiences.

Attendees must abide by ACC NEO's Event Code of Conduct.

QUESTIONS
Contact neoh@accglobal.com

Inside Counsel, Outside the Lines: Navigating California’s Ethics Rules for In-House Lawyers 

In-house counsel face a unique set of ethical challenges that traditional law firm attorneys rarely encounter. In this fast-paced, practical session, Jen Shaw, one of California’s leading employment-law and ethics educators, breaks down the complex obligations that arise when your “client” is an organization rather than an individual.

 Through real-world examples and interactive discussion, attendees will learn how to: 

• Navigate California Rule of Professional Conduct (Organization as Client) and related confidentiality and privilege rules
• Preserve privilege when business and legal advice overlap
• Manage conflicts across subsidiaries, affiliates, and executives
• Deliver effective Upjohn warnings during investigations
• Avoid multi-jurisdiction and technology-competence pitfalls that can expose in-house teams to risk 

Whether you advise leadership, manage compliance, or oversee internal investigations, this one-hour program offers clear, California-specific guidance to help you protect your organization—and your professional license—with confidence.  (It’s also worth 1 hour of MCLE Ethics credit!). 

By the end of this program, participants will be able to: 

1. Apply California’s Rules of Professional Conduct—especially Rules 1.6, 1.7, 1.9, and 1.13—to the unique context of in-house practice, where the client is the organization
2. Preserve attorney-client privilege and work-product protection in communications that mix business and legal advice, including those involving consultants, affiliates, or public relations professionals
3. Identify and manage conflicts of interest that arise from dual roles, complex corporate structures, or concurrent representations of executives, subsidiaries, and affiliates
4. Conduct privileged internal investigations ethically, including delivering effective Upjohn warnings, maintaining confidentiality, and complying with California’s two-party consent recording laws
5. Recognize and mitigate emerging ethical risks in multijurisdictional practice and technology use, including data privacy, AI tools, and remote legal work across state lines

Doors open at 4:45pm, the Session commences 5:00pm with Networking opportunities available from 6:00pm AWST.
 

The session will explore the unique position in-house counsel occupy, balancing ethical standards and professional obligations with the commercial realities of an ever-expanding role. We will discuss how to build an organisational culture that recognises these challenges and creates an environment that prioritises shared values and clear purpose, fostering open communication and collaboration, in order to successfully navigate them.