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A Self-paced Course based on ACC's Corporate Counsel University Europe from 2021.

ACC's signature Corporate Counsel University (CCU) is now specially tailored and available on-demand for European in-house lawyers.

This self-paced curriculum of 11 programmes is designed to provide an overview of the substantive practice areas and skill sets you need to know about to succeed in your role. CCU is designed for lawyers new to European in-house practice (less than five years), and those who simply wish to sharpen their basic practice skills.

**CPD/CLE credit is not currently available for this self-paced course. For more information, please contact cle-cpd@acc.com. **

This is a members-only product. Please log in to purchase.

acc corporate counsel university

11 Modules; 14h

$349.00

Course Modules:

Module 1: Building Your In-house Career – What’s Different In-house?

Setting the tone for Corporate Counsel University, hear from this panel of successful in-house lawyers as they share their personal experiences and discuss practical tips to be an effective in-house counsel.  

Learner Outcomes: 

  1. Identify what’s different in-house compared to other contexts; 
  2. Discover personal experiences of how your peers developed their knowledge of the business, its legal issues and risk tolerance, key business drivers, profit sources, decision-makers, and corporate culture; 
  3. Discuss strategies to build relationships, credibility, and reliance with the business, and provide effective in-house legal advice and business guidance; and 
  4. Explore career advancement opportunities in-house, such as moving to a management position with a business unit. 

11- Developing GC Skills

 

contract on table with pen

 

Module 2: Contract Drafting & Negotiation

Hear from our team of experts as they review the fundamentals of contract drafting and negotiation for in-house lawyers practicing in Europe. Gain insights as they explain how to successfully negotiate a wide variety of commercial agreements, as well as effectively analyzing and drafting important provisions in such agreements.  

Learner Outcomes: 

  1. Review successful behavioral approaches to negotiation; 
  2. Identify negotiating lines intended to get you to concede an issue, examine why they often work and how to respond to them; 
  3. Discover best practices for working with business units in connection with contract issues; and 
  4. Solve common-but-challenging contract provisions, spot the issues, and add risk mitigation techniques to your practice. 

Module 3: Managing Risk and Compliance

Your organization has to adhere to a set standard of processes and procedures for compliance and managing risk. So, how do you begin to establish a foundation that pinpoints vulnerabilities and provides a strong foundation to improve efficiencies? Hear insights from our panel on how to begin to create measures necessary to meet compliance and reporting obligations. 

Learner Outcomes: 

  1. Determine the elements of an effective compliance and risk management program, and how to build and maintain one; 
  2. Review the process to implement and maintain monitoring mechanisms and audit plans; 
  3. Discuss the implications of compliance reporting channels, e.g., reports to the general counsel/chief legal officer vs. reports to the chief compliance officer; and 
  4. Discover how experienced in-house counsel respond to regulators’ requests and calibrate information disclosure. 

blocks with legal icons on them

 

stacks of coins overlaid with a bar graph

 

Module 4: Outside Counsel Management

There are many considerations beyond pricing and fees when evaluating the use of outside counsel. But which factors should a law department consider when comparing, selecting, evaluating, and retaining such an arrangement? Hear from our team of experts as they provide a comprehensive review of actions needed before selecting outside counsel. 

Learner Outcomes: 

  1. Review steps that suit the organizational needs of your company (including through competitive processes such as Requests for Proposals); 
  2. Examine the benefits and pitfalls of legal process outsourcing (LPO) and learn how to recognize when it’s time to bring in an expert; 
  3. Explore value-based fees and how they can align internal and external incentives; consider which types of value fees are best for different types of work; 
  4. Discuss how to work with outside counsel to scope the work, set budgets that stick, monitor progress, and conduct after-action reviews to drive strong performance; and 
  5. Appraise an understanding of metrics selection and use. 

Module 5: Data Privacy, Challenges to Information Security, and Data Transfers

There’s no exception for the level of challenges facing most organizations regarding information security and data transfers. Hear from our panel team as they identify and review data security issues that can arise and determine how to assess the risks of your data privacy and information security protocols. 

Learner Outcomes: 

  1. Gain a better understanding of the data privacy legal and regulatory landscape; 
  2. Review the process to develop a privacy program and the tools put in place to prepare for incidents and engage business teams on privacy and security risks; 
  3. Explore how to mitigate your company’s cyber risk with cyber and traditional insurance; and 
  4. Examine how to manage an international patchwork of privacy rules and cross-border transfers of data. 

digital code with errors highlighted

 

lady justice in law library

 

Module 6: Introduction to Corporate Litigation

Dispute resolution in-house carries with it a different set of objectives, responsibilities, and incentives from what many lawyers have experienced in past lives as outside counsel. In this session, a team of experienced in-house corporate litigators will shed light on the nuances and share their well-honed practices and tips for specialists and generalists alike.  

Learner Outcomes:  

  1. Identify tips to better understand your organization’s culture and goals regarding litigation; 
  2. Discuss key steps your peers take when faced with a new lawsuit; 
  3. Understand how to assess the financial impact of a lawsuit on the organization and enable management to make decisions about risk; 
  4. Explore what tools your peers use to determine whether to get in, stay in, or get out, and resolve disputes as early as appropriate; and 
  5. Learn to take steps and create programs to prevent litigation.

Module 7: Developing General Counsel Skills

Explore strategies to develop the legal, business, leadership, and interpersonal skills required to succeed as in-house counsel and lead the law department, and the business.  

Learner Outcomes:  

  1. Discuss pitfalls that could hinder your development toward a general counsel role; 
  2. Learn practical tips on interacting effectively with a board of directors; 
  3. Hear how peers develop relationships with their corporate stakeholders; and 
  4. Obtain insight into how to improve your time management, prioritize work, and effectively communicate about your time investment and priorities.

Gavel in legal library

 

illustrated people investigating employment records

 

Module 8: In-house Ethics Essentials for European In-house Lawyers

The ethical problems that arise in-house can be very different from the typical private practice issues. Join our team of experts as they focus on the prevailing ethical challenges for in-house lawyers in Europe.  

Learner Outcomes: 

  1. Review the ethical implications of the dual business and legal roles you are often called to fill; 
  2. Determine how to create a “contract with the business” that spells out expectations on either side; 
  3. Navigate the complex state of confidentiality, legal privilege, and other professional obligations across Europe; and 
  4. Review the intersection of ethics and technology, including issues around electronic discovery, cybersecurity, and employee monitoring. 

Module 9: Key Employment Issues

This session provides an introductory overview of employment issues from two aspects: the angle of day-to-day operations of the company, and the key considerations that arise with employee misconduct. 

Learner Outcomes: 

  1. Analyze approaching the employee vs. independent contractor determination given the varying legal regimes across Europe; 
  2. Review navigating working time issues, including general principles, monitoring working time, and accommodating new ways of working; 
  3. Inspect the enforceability of non-compete agreements; and 
  4. Determine how to deploy social media in the employment context. 

file folders labelled intellectual property, law, infringement, and copyright

 

compass pointing towards ethics

 

Modul 10: European Intellectual Property Overview

This session offers a primer on what in-house counsel from both large and small legal departments need to know about European intellectual property rights and enforcement.  

Learner Outcomes: 

  1. Understand the main types of IP rights and associated strategies and risks, comparing Western and Eastern European perspectives with those in other jurisdictions, such as China and the United States; 
  2. Learn the steps necessary to protect your valuable corporate assets on a national, regional, and global scale, including the process of customs recordation; 
  3. Explore mitigation tactics for combating misappropriation of confidential information by employees and independent contractors; 
  4. Evaluate common IP issues with advertising, trademarks, licensing, and other commercial areas to ensure that you are empowered to respond appropriately; and 
  5. Discuss high-level trends, considerations, and strategies regarding intellectual property enforcement in Europe and abroad. 

Modul 11: Accounting and Financial Statements for In-house Counsel, Presented by King's Business School, King's College London

Understanding accounting principles and financial statements is a key skill set for in-house counsel. Establishing how to spot red flags, assess strategic options more effectively, and provide better informed legal and business advice is critical to your role and to the success of the organization. 

Learner Outcomes: 

  1. Examine the external and internal factors that affect the longer-term profitability of the organization;  
  2. Review basic GAAP accounting financial statements, including, the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flow; and 
  3. Discuss how to identify red flags that signal financial difficulties or accounting problems. 

Scales in legal library

 

Want More? Check out the rest of our available Self-paced Courses! And don't forget to check for updates every month!
 

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