This InfoPAK examines the concept of organizational effectiveness and how corporate counsel can use its principles to effectively develop an international, “world-class” legal department. The InfoPAK focuses primarily on “soft” organizational development issues, including those relating to development of a shared vision and organizational culture for the legal department, and development of the people who make up the department. The InfoPAK begins with a discussion of the important foundational step of aligning the legal department’s priorities with the organization’s business strategy and developing a corresponding shared vision for the department. Discussions of successful management of client relationships and internal departmental issues including leadership issues and team management follow. Because change is the one constant in today’s legal department, the InfoPAK also discusses change management and creating a “one team” culture. Finally, it discusses metrics and measurement tools for managing organizational development.
If your company sells anything, it's going to be marketed. Don't land in the soup - read our experts' guide to marketing law basics.
This InfoPAK (now known as ACC Guides) provides a practical guide to a Q&A that gives an overview of the legal system; foreign investment, including restrictions, currency regulations and incentives; and business vehicles and their relevant restrictions and liabilities in Canada.
Learn about key data protection and cybersecurity laws in this multi-jurisdictional guide.
A review of mergers and acquisitions in Europe in 2021, with insights on key trends.
Open source software is being incorporated into commercial software products at increasing rates. Despite the association of open source software with a sense of public-domain freedom, open source software is in fact licensed with a variety of restrictions. Although open source software also carries risks of patent liability, this article focuses on the unique interplay between open source software and copyright law, and suggests best practices to limit your company’s potential copyright liability.
In recessionary times, managers are highly motivated to find creative ways to save money. Managers may consider increasing their reliance on independent contractors, to maximize the flexibility to control labor costs on minimal notice and with less disruption to employees. However, retaining independent contractors or reclassifying existing employees as such without a proper legal basis poses significant risks for the company should the workers' status as independent contractors later be challenged. This article discusses ten practical tips for employers and their in-house counsel to minimize the risks associated with the use of independent contractors, particularly in recessionary times.
In-house counsel can take advantage of delays in the effective date of several key Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements to refine their health care strategies for 2014 and 2015. This program will focus on the ACA requirement that most employers provide all full-time employees (who average 30 or more hours per week) with health coverage that meets federal standards of affordability and minimum value. There is no “one-size-fits-all” compliance model for businesses. This presents both a compliance challenge and a strategic opportunity for in-house counsel. Our panelists will provide sophisticated information on how to take into account factors about your company — including its turnover rate, reliance on part-time employees, vulnerability to union organizing, use of staffing agencies, seasonal fluctuation and systems for tracking hours worked — in choosing a health plan design and coverage options. We will also cover how your company will deal with the new state-based insurance exchanges, as well as new rules on waiting periods and wellness programs. Panelists will answer specific questions on these new requirements and enforcement issues.
In this ACC Guide, an overview of recent developments in post-grant proceedings before the United States Patent Trial and Appeal Board are explained. With relatively new administrative proceedings developed for challenging competitor grants, in-house counsel will need to familiarize themselves with this knowledge to prepare for hearings.
No new laws or regulations have been adopted expanding legal liability to cover caregiver or victims of COVID-19. However, the EEOC’s guidance is a good reminder of what the law requires – and does not require – when addressing employees or applicants who may be caretakers.
Here are the top ten takeaways of what the guidance does and does not do.
This guide provides an introduction to the laws and regulations that affect the conduct of business in Canada.
This primer provides non-Canadians with an introduction to the laws and regulations that affect the conduct of business in Canada and, in particular, in the province of Ontario. In some cases, this primer also identifies issues in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Because of Canada’s federal structure, the authority to make laws and regulations is divided between the federal and provincial governments by the Canadian Constitution although, in some areas of divided authority, both federal and provincial laws may apply. Read on to learn more.
The focus on culture has become more acute during the COVID-19 pandemic, as investors and consumers observe and judge companies based on their navigation of the crisis, particularly treatment of employees and wider societal stakeholders. In our view, the global regulatory direction of travel is clear. Companies and investors planning an exit must consider the impact that poor corporate culture may have on their potential to achieve an exit, in particular an IPO, and to prosper as a company in the longer term.
This article discusses the EU Council and Parliament September 2023 announcement that they have provisionally agreed to new rules to specifically prohibit certain types of misleading green claims.
The General Electrics of the world do it, and so do smaller real estate holding companies. Outsourcing legal services to India can be a low-cost option, but is it really a solution, or just creating a new batch of problems? Read the story of a company that has used legal services from India, and find out what projects are good candidates for such offshoring, which are not, and whether it's worth the political risk to take the plunge in the offshoring ocean.
Procurement of green energy and associated certificates is at the top of the agenda for many industrials, who are particularly impacted by soaring energy costs and required to meet ambitious ESG and decarbonization goals. As a result, industrial organizations are seeking to obtain all or most of their power from renewable sources.
On 20 October 2011, the European Commission proposed a new directive on criminal sanctions for insider dealing and market manipulation. This proposal was approved by the European Parliament on 4 February 2014. In this legal alert, we outline the main changes.
This article provides a brief summary into changes that the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) have each made to their existing rules. Specifically, both organizations have embraced technologies that were necessary to adapt to the changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic (such as the use of electronic communications and remote hearings).
As business professionals, in-house counsel are required to collaborate with many stakeholders with different incentives. Join our experienced panelists as they discuss obstacles to collaboration and how to overcome them. Panelists will provide insight and practical tips on working within your legal department, working with different groups within the company (such as sales) and working with those outside the company (e.g., customers, outside counsel and opposing counsel) to achieve corporate goals and succeed within the department and company. Move from, “That's not my job” to “I’ll take the lead.”
Learn about Nigeria's 2022 data protection landscape and privacy trends for 2023.
Learn about changes to Iowa privacy law, effective January 1, 2025, to protect consumer data.
Learn about challenges to E-commerce in the United States.
On November 4, 2013, the US District Court for the Northern District of California denied a motion filed by a company to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a former Libya-based employee. This decision ended the company's unsuccessful attempts to remove to the Libyan judicial system a complaint filed in US federal courts. The ruling, and a companion decision issued two months earlier, serves as a reminder of the need to include well-crafted forum selection clauses in employment agreements, particularly in the international context.
Class and collective action litigation continue to evolve. Recently, appellate courts have issued precedential decisions affecting class size, composition and standards for certification.
This is a template for a business plan for the creation and management of a new legal department.
This quick overview discusses new Brazilian new rules for the general conditions of regular passenger air transport in the domestic and international spheres. The new rules arise from Resolution No. 400/2016 of Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), which is responsible for the standardization and enforcement of the rules of the Brazilian air transport sector.
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