Resource Library

Case Study <br />- Improving Contracting Process at Discover Financial<br />- Over Hauling Law Department Operations at PG&E

Now that both parties have negotiated and agreed on the contract, you can’t just sit back and let the contract take care of itself. This session will address the best practices for creating and maintaining a corporate contract management repository within the legal department that fully addresses the contract lifecycle. This program will also<br />discuss transparency, profiling, and archiving.

Map out key areas of compliance and risk management that can be addressed through effective contract management. Discuss contracting best practices that experienced in-house practitioners have developed to support compliance and risk management. Explore tips for performing a contract risk audit to identify contracts where additional language should address major risks. Identify best practices and tools that your peers use to analyze and address key risks posed by a proposed contract.

This presentation discusses the business acquisition process.

The program will begin with an overview of the ethical obligations with which a lawyer who decides to outsource legal services to a Legal Process Management (LPM) provider must comply. The panel will address common elements of relevant opinions from state and local bar associations, the American Bar Association and the Ohio Supreme Court, and describe how the outsourcing provider can help facilitate the lawyer’s compliance with these elements. In the second phase of the workshop, two attorneys from Fortune 50 law departments, one who focuses on corporate work and one who is responsible for litigation, will describe: (1) their reasons for exploring LPM; (2) the due diligence they performed when selecting a provider; (3) their initial expectations for the relationship; and (4) how the relationship with their selected provider created additional value for their department and company.

This presentation includes an overview of process improvement methodologies (including Six Sigma and Lean). Outlines framework for a process improvement project and showcases key tools to create a project charter, assess client requirements, and map a process. From ACC Value Challenge workshop, Legal Service Management, July 2010: www.acc.com/legalservicemanagement

The negotiation of good IP agreements can be particularly thorny since the negotiator often doesn't understand the underlying IP. This session will discuss best practices and include practical checklists for would-be IP agreement negotiators.

This session will focus on how to establish a small local or regional law office of a multinational company. Processes including organizing and structuring a department, policies and procedures, oversight, and contract management will be addressed.

International negotiations present unique challenges for negotiators dealing with counterparts from different cultural backgrounds. A common language and a shared understanding of negotiation ethics are integral to negotiating viable agreements. If a negotiator is dealing with different cultural backgrounds and different ideas of ethics during the course of negotiations, he or she must know how to acknowledge and respond effectively to the cultural norms and standards of ethical treatment and fairness of her or his counterparts at the bargaining table. This interactive panel of experienced cross-cultural negotiators will provide solutions that will enable you to analyze your negotiation situation, interpret signals during negotiations, cope with cultural differences, and successfully manage the international negotiation process to seal the deal.

It's not just boiler plate! This program will help you negotiate important clauses even with the 800 pound gorillas that everyone says will not change their "standard" contract language. To do this, you need to get past the gatekeepers. Those gatekeepers are internal and the other side with whom you are negotiating. Build influence by choosing the important issues to negotiate and help your internal constituents understand the importance to gain momentum. The panel will present negotiation and drafting tips designed to complement and refine your approach based upon differing internal and external pressures to "get the deal done."