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.
In this multi-jurisdictional guide, explore an overview of key legal issues, rules and developments regarding litigation and dispute resolution across a range of jurisdictions.
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.
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 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.
As companies expand their activities in the European market, the time may soon come when, in order to practice, the "transnational in-house lawyer" will have no choice but to seek transnational training and licensing. Despite efforts to create a "single European legal market" for EU lawyers, licensing remains quite difficult for US attorneys. But the rewards are great. This article provides practical information on how US lawyers should proceed in order to get licensed in the EU.
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 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 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.
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.
Recently, the US, the EU, and the UK announced that they will exclude some Russian banks from the SWIFT global payment system, a move that is expected to have a significant impact on these banks’ ability to remain connected with the international financial system and operate globally. The EU also announced plans to restrict the activities of certain Russian media outlets.
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).
This articles describes the evolution of the roles of general counsel (GC) in Germany. Because of the need for German companies to respond to different challenges and business needs, GCs now serve more multi-faceted roles in contrast to their United States counterparts. In addition to providing legal insight as lawyers, GCs in German companies also have more executive roles, even acting as business managers.
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.
This ACC Guide sponsored by Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP provides an overview of five specific aspects of brand protection and enhancement in the United States.
This survey explores the areas of personal career history, personal demographics, profile of the corporate legal department and the use of legal research and other products and services.
Class and collective action litigation continue to evolve. Recently, appellate courts have issued precedential decisions affecting class size, composition and standards for certification.
Transborder disputes present special management challenges to in-house counsel because strategies and outcomes depend as much on culture as on legal systems. Your domestic case management system may not identify and cope with all of the cultural differences, and your outside counsel may not have cross-border experience to fill the gaps. This article presents a sampler of types of issues by which you can assess your needs in the complex transborder environment, offers a broad range of relevant and informative questions, illustrated with examples from the authorsÕ experience, and suggests how you can expand the transnational resources of your team.
When an employee parts ways with the company, it isn’t just a box of office decor that gets carried out the door: Any skills or information learned on the job is now potentially benefiting your competition. Many variables can affect the successful application of a non-compete agreement. This article explains how different countries handle non-compete agreements and what the alternatives are to protecting your company’s resources.
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