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The virtual offering of the In-house Counsel Certification program is a combination of online self-paced training modules and participation in live virtual classes.

The virtual classes are an opportunity for participants to engage in practical exercises and discussion and a chance to network and share best practices with other legal professionals participating in the course. The self-paced modules allow for ease of completion with access anytime, anywhere, and on any device. The In-house Counsel Certification program is currently only offered virtually.

For more information about future virtual offerings of the certification program, please email certification@acc.com or call +1 202.696.1559

*The ACC Credentialing Institute reserves the right to modify program content at its discretion.

Program Structure:

Online Self-paced Modules: You will be given access to on Online Learning Portal where you will access 8 online training modules that must be completed for you to satisfactorily complete the assessments and course. You can access your materials at any time, anywhere, and on any device.

Virtual Workshops: The second component is a series of online workshops that include virtual group projects and activities to encourage the exchange of ideas and networking with your peers. Held on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday schedule over a two week period.

Final Assessment: We want you to finish the course with the knowledge and skills to be a competent and successful in-house counsel. At the end of the workshops, you will undertake a self-paced online assessment. Delegates obtaining a passing score will be awarded the credential In-house Counsel Certified (ICC).

Below is the virtual classes timetable. View a breakdown of each self-paced module here.

Virtual Class Timetable

 

Week 1

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

30 minutes
Welcome and Introduction

1 hour

Review of Module 3

1 hour

Team works on presentations

1 hour

Review of Module 5

2.5 hours

Review of Modules 1-2 and introduction to cohorts

2 hours

Team Project 1: Conducting a Legal Risk Assessment for the company

1 hour

Team Presentations: Conducting a Legal Risk Assessment for the Company

2 hours

Team Project 2: Developing an Effective Compliance Program

 

  1 hour

Review of Module 4

 

Week 2

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

1 hour
Team Project: Developing an Effective Compliance Program

2 hours

Review of Module 7                    

3 hours

Review Hypothetical and Discussion

1 hour

Exam Review of Key Principles

1 hour

Team Presentation: Developing an Effective Compliance program

1 hour

Review of Module 8

  2 hours

Certification Assessment

1 hour

Review of Module 6

     

In-Person Schedule (On Hold Until Further Notice)

  • Day One

    Session One: The Role of In-house Counsel

    This session examines organizational fundamentals and the expectations of today’s in-house counsel. Faculty will discuss how the business units, executive suite, and legal department work in tandem to achieve the organization’s goals. As a topic that is too often overlooked, there will be a focus on understanding the revenue generation activities of your organization. From there, faculty will take a deep dive into the corporate legal department, including a discussion of generalist versus specialist roles and an analysis of reporting lines: direct versus indirect, centralized versus decentralized, and operational versus geographic.

    Learning outcomes — delegates will learn how to:

    • Create organizational charts and map multiple reporting lines
    • Navigate the corporate structure through increased emotional intelligence, leadership, and people
    • management skills
    • Encourage business partners to seek the advice of in-house counsel

    Session Two: Managing an Indispensable Law Department, course materials:

    Building on earlier instruction, this session offers practical tips for communicating effectively with the
    executive suite and board of directors. There will be an in-depth discussion of the strategic planning
    process, including how to align the law department’s goals with the greater organization. The discussion will cover related budgetary considerations, performance management, and the use of technology-driven solutions. Finally, faculty will introduce recurring issues around international attorney-client privilege.

    Learning outcomes — delegates will learn how to:

    • Develop a blueprint for running a law department based on global best practices
    • Implement short- and long-term strategic plans
    • Approach attorney-client privilege, whether in a common law or civil code jurisdiction

    Session Three: Case Study- Measuring and demonstrating the value of the legal
    department

    This session will provide examples of how to measure and demonstrate the value of the legal department.

    Session Four: Team Project- Creating Effective Reporting Lines and Training the
    Board of Directors

    During this interactive project, delegates will break into teams to work on a hypothetical situation involving a new general counsel. Delegates will address how the general counsel should educate the board of directors on their duties and responsibilities when a major violation of law occurs. This project requires delegates to examine reporting lines and determine when to update the board on developments.

    Session Five: Team Presentation- Telling the Board of Directors What to Do

    Teams will deliver a mock presentation to the board of directors. Each presentation will be 10 minutes long. Following the presentation, faculty will provide evaluation and feedback. Each presentation will be graded.

  • Day Two

    Session One: Managing Stakeholder Expectations

    This session addresses what it means for in-house counsel to have the corporation as the client. Faculty will return to attorney-client privilege, discussing how to manage expectations when a stakeholder — whether board member, officer, or field-based employee — views in-house counsel as their personal representative. Through this discussion, effective communication skills will be emphasized again as characteristic that distinguishes excellent in-house counsel. The second half of the session will revisit the topic of demonstrating law department value.

    Learning outcomes — delegates will learn how to:

    • Use training and client surveys to continuously improve performance
    • Identify relevant stakeholders and their fiduciary duties within and outside the corporation
    • Approach difficult conversations about who is the client

    Session Two: International Negotiations

    This session highlights the unique challenges of international negotiations, particularly where the
    negotiating parties might bring different cultural experiences and expectations. There will be practical strategies for interpreting signals during the negotiation, coping with cultural differences, and successfully managing the process to seal the deal.

    Learning outcomes — delegates will learn how to:

    • Acknowledge and respond effectively to the cultural norms of their counterparts at the negotiating table
    • Analyze general principals of contract management
    • Increase emotional intelligence through developing active listening and empathy

    Session Three: Case Study - Contract Management and Services

    This session will outline effective contract management strategies for global law departments.

    Session Four: Team Project- Closing the Deal

    During this interactive project, delegates will break into teams to negotiate opposite sides of a deal. The project involves implementing negotiation strategies, using emotional intelligence, and taking into account cultural considerations.

    Session Five: Team Presentations- Explaining the Deal

    Teams will deliver a mock presentation to their executive team about the outcome of their negotiations and the impact on the company. Each presentation will be 10 minutes long. Following the presentation, faculty will provide evaluation and feedback. Each presentation will be graded.

  • Day Three

    Session One: Compliance, Ethics, and Legal Risk Management

    This session explores what an effective compliance and risk management program comprises, and how to build and maintain one. There will be special attention to global compliance programs based on a legal risk assessment as the foundation, this session will address the seven steps for an effective compliance program.

    Learning outcomes — delegates will learn how to:

    • Collaborate with other departments (e.g., sales, human resources) to proactively address risk and compliance
    • Respond to regulators’ requests and calibrate information disclosure
    • Develop synergy between the ethics and compliance components of a program

    Session Two: Crisis Management and Crisis Audits

    This session presents the information that every in-house counsel needs to know about crisis
    management — from crisis audits and other pre-incident planning tools to crisis response and managing the effects of a crisis on the corporate brand. It will emphasize the value-added contribution of in-house counsel in a crisis-situation.

    Learning outcomes — delegates will learn how to:

    • Conduct a crisis audit assessing the types of risk the organization might face and their likelihood of occurring
    • Develop tools for explaining crisis strategy to the executive suite and board of directors
    • Use mock incidents and other exercises to train staff on crisis response

    Session Three: Case Study-Building Credibility

    This interactive session focuses on the softer skills required to build trust and credibility with key
    stakeholders. It will focus on the “dos and don’ts”, whether you are actually integrated with the business, how lawyers are perceived and how to get the business to come to you and give you visibility.

    Session Four: Team Project- In-house Counsel’s Role in Compliance and Crisis Management

    During this interactive project, delegates will break into teams to work on a hypothetical situation involving a new general counsel. Delegates will create a compliance program and a crisis management program for a company, and then apply those programs to a crisis.

    Session Five: Team Presentation: Presenting the Compliance and Crisis Management Plan to Leadership

    Teams will present their compliance and crisis management programs. Each presentation will be 10
    minutes long. Following the presentation, faculty will provide evaluation and feedback. Each presentation will be graded.

  • Day Four

    Session One: Creating Internal Investigation and Reporting Protocols

    This session outlines best practices for internal investigations. It will begin with a discussion of who might lead a given investigation, between outside counsel, in-house counsel, and other corporate departments (e.g., compliance, human resources). Next, faculty will address the steps to conducting an internal investigation, including obligations to notify and update the appropriate stakeholders. As an underlying consideration, this session will address the possibility of investigation-related materials being subject to discovery in future litigation.

    Learning outcomes — delegates will learn how to:

    • To create internal investigation protocols
    • Guard against the most common mistakes organizations make when investigating allegations of wrongdoing
    • Formulate investigation protocols that account for the risk of subsequent discovery
    • Approach issues related to cross-border investigations, including issues around data protection, and cultural and language differences

    Session Two: Managing Outside Counsel and Legal Service Providers

    This session offers a customizable blueprint for selecting the outside counsel and/or legal service
    providers that best suit your organizational needs. Specific topics that will be covered include recognizing when it is time to outsource work, determining the scope of the project, and setting a budget that sticks. There will also be a discussion of using team-building skills to improve your relationships with outside counsel and/or legal service providers.

    Learning outcomes — delegates will learn how to:

    • Evaluate the legal and ethical implications of outsourcing work
    • Draft a request for proposals, including defining the project to avoid scope creep
    • Develop outside counsel management guidelines Monitor progress and conduct after-action reviews to drive strong performance.

    Session Three: Corporate Governance

    This presentation addresses in-house counsel’s role in effective corporate governance practices.

    Exam Review

    Certification Exam
    On-line exam will be administered on-site. Delegates requested to bring laptops.

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