Finance and Accounting for In-House Counsel | Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)

2019 Date:

September 23-25

Financial reporting. Capital budgeting. Revenue recognition. When you provide guidance to your organization as corporate counsel, you have to be confident in all areas of the business –– including finance. This two-and-a-half-day course will build that confidence by teaching the key terms, core tools, and practical techniques of finance and accounting. Collaborate with world-class faculty at the prestigious Boston University Questrom School of Business, as you learn alongside rising corporate counsel from industries and corporations worldwide. You’ll even practice applying the tools in a specially selected capstone case about accounting restatements. Strengthen your confidence in your organization: make accounting and finance your strength.

In this program, you will:

Deepen your understanding of financial accounting principles –– including the importance of judgment and subjectivity.
Develop your skills and insights in corporate finance and valuation.
Detect ploys and deceptions that get organizations into trouble
Actively engage with experts and peers on critical finance issues faced by in-house counsel, including financial reporting assumptions, revenue recognition practices, and more.
Hone your abilities as an advisor and executive in a down-to-earth, interactive environment specifically created for ACC members.

Sample Program:

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
Continental Breakfast 7:30 am - 8:30 am
8:30 am - 8:45 am Introduction & Program Overview Professor Michael Smith	8:30 am - 12:00 pm Corporate Finance Professor Ray Wilson	8:30 am - 10:30 am Cutting Edge Accounting Professor Eddie Riedl
8:45 am - 12:00 pm Financial Reporting Professor François Brochet	8:30 am - 12:00 pm Corporate Finance Professor Ray Wilson	10:45 am - 12:30 pm Capstone Case Professor Michael Smith
LUNCH 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
1:00 pm - 4:30 pm Accounting Shenanigans Professor Michael Smith	1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Mergers and Acquisitions Professor Michael Smith
	2:45 pm - 4:30 pm Hollywood Accounting Professor Michael Smith

Session Descriptions:

Title	Description
Financial Reporting	Understand the format and purpose of the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows. Discuss the conceptual framework underlying the measurement of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses. Demonstrate the reporting for M&A activity. Emphasize the role of subjectivity and materiality in financial reporting.
Accounting Shenanigans	Identify ways organizations stray into peril with accounting. Practice probing accounting data and reports, and learn to go beyond what you are told and into what is really happening. Recognize the danger signs that accounting is misused and understand what to do about them.
Corporate Finance	Describe typical capital budgeting practices. Discuss time value of money, sunk costs, net present value, and internal rate of return. Understand the conceptual foundations of valuation.
Mergers and Acquisitions	Delve into the financial details of M&A transactions, using the Amazon acquisition of Whole Foods as a case study. Examine both valuation and accounting. Where does the price come from? What will the financials look like post-merger? Reinforce and deepen your understanding of financial reporting and corporate finance.
Hollywood Accounting	Appreciate the dramatic role of accounting definitions and terminology on contracts and decisions. Explore allocation of overhead costs, a key tool of managerial accounting and decision-making. Use an entertainment industry case study to practice and hone your leadership skills in finance and accounting.
Cutting-Edge Accounting	Gain exposure to cutting-edge topics driving financial reporting today. Discuss current developments in revenue recognition, fair value reporting, and international reporting. Understand the distinctions between financial and tax reporting. Experience a financial reporting decision, and see its implications for reflecting and communicating the firm’s strategy.
Capstone Case: Applying the Tools	Work through different aspects of an accounting fraud. Identify the specific accounting rules violated. Understand the organizational culture and environmental forces that play a role in the decision to engage in accounting fraud. Develop insight into failures of governance, judgment, and more.

Registration Information:

Program Date	Early Rate Deadline	Early Rate (ACC Members/Non Members*)	Regular Rate (ACC Members/Non Members*)	In-Transition Rate** (ACC Members only)	Registration
Sept 23-25	July 29	$2,290/$2,675	$2,390/$2,775	$1,400	Register Here

*Must be in-house counsel to attend. Nonmember rate includes a one-year membership to ACC.

**In-Transition Rate: A special in-transition rate is available to existing ACC members on a first come, first served basis. This rate is for members who are not currently working, and are actively seeking a new in-house position. In-transition counsel who are not current members of ACC are not eligible for this rate. Please contact Boston University (execed@bu.edu) for details.

Program Credit Transfers:

Upon written cancellation prior to the cut-off date (see cancellation policy), a registration credit may be transferred to another program date that is within one calendar year of your original program. A $200 transfer fee will be applied. Credit may not be divided among programs, and if applied to program of lesser cost the tuition difference will be forfeited. Credit may be transferred to an eligible attendee from the same organization, but written notification of transfer must be received from original purchaser in order for credit to be valid. Credit may be transferred between programs one time only; all subsequent transfers carry a $500 fee.

Group Registration:

Any company registering two or more attendees will receive a group discount of $100 off of each registration. Registrations must be submitted on the same day to receive the discount. Each participant should register online separately, paying the full amount. After all registrations are completed one attendee must email Boston University(execed@bu.edu) the names of those who registered and a partial refund of $100 will be processed to each registrant. IMPORTANT NOTE: Payment for a minimum of two registrations must be received by 5 PM EST the same day in order to qualify for the group rate. No retroactive group rates will be given.

Program Faculty:

(for individual faculty bios, please visit the Faculty Information page)

Unless otherwise indicated, all programs take place at the Executive Leadership Center, Questrom School of Business in Boston, MA.

Boston University Programs

Boston Location:
Executive Leadership Center, Boston University Questrom School of Business,
595 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

Payment and Cancellation Policy