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Employers can address conflicts and reap the benefits of a multigenerational workforce by following these tips. #ACCDocket #HR #humanresources #DE&I #ageism

Through the intentional use of functional images and design principles, lawyers can create a universal language of law for an inclusive legal system — one in which every participant understands what they’re dealing with. #ACCDocket

: A handshake seals a deal and builds relationships. Contract signing isn’t the same without them. #ACCDocket #ACCEurope #inhousecounsel #generalcounsel

How can companies address the challenges and questions that follow the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision? Can employers continue to offer healthcare benefits relating to abortion? Can they offer travel benefits allowing employees to travel to states where abortion is legal? What do in-house lawyers need to evaluate in this changing landscape of laws and alternatives? #ACCDocket #healthlaw #SupremeCourt

Wish for at least a few failures and a meaningful life, and you’ll find a much deeper, more satisfying success. #ACCDocket #MindfulMonday

Employers are facing many questions after the constitutional right to abortion was overturned in the United States. #ACCDocket

A chunk — about 10 percent — of the people you communicate to or with won’t get you — and that’s OK, tells Career Path author James Bellerjeau. #ACCDocket #MindfulMonday #MondayMotivation

Solutions to problems often fail because managers don’t account for potential impediments. #ACCDocket #MondayMotivation #MindfulMonday

Figure out how you view success and failure – and how to work with others who see things differently.
#ACCDocket #MindfulMonday #MondayMotivation

What is OK — and what isn’t — when it comes to methods for improving workforce diversity? #ACCDocket #DiversityEquityInclusion #DEI #AffirmativeAction

Gartner’s Director of Legal & Compliance Yosr Hamza suggests asking if anyone needs any accommodation prior to meetings or social events can make a big difference. #ACCDocket #DiversityEquityInclusion #DEI

Patent eligibility can be complex and challenging — rejections based on judicial exceptions for abstract ideas, natural phenomena, or laws of nature may be difficult to overcome. The USPTO has experimented with a pilot program to change the way these rejections are handled. #ACCDocket #IP #IntellectualProperty

You missed it or couldn’t attend all your preferred sessions — we’ve got you covered with key takeaways from the ACC Annual Meeting 2022, live, at last, and in Las Vegas. #ACCDocket #in-house counsel

From ACC's 2022 Annual Meeting, here are program highlights from the panel, "Keeping a Legal Lid on Construction Costs," that will help stem unwanted surprises. #ACCDocket #in-house counsel

Active listening is much more than acting like you’re listening. Improve with tips from James Bellerjeau, ACC Docket Career Path columnist, in this Master Skills to be Effective In-house Counsel series. #ACCDocket #MindfulMonday #MondayMotivation

Article teaser: If your organization is covered by the US ERISA law, it must publish health plan fees and pricing. In addition, brokers and consultants need to disclose compensation received in connection with providing services to ERISA covered plans.
#ACCDocket #AffordableCareAct #ACA #Obamacare #healthlaw #employmentlaw #HR #humanresources #ERISA

It is only through reflection that you will figure out what you’re doing well, what needs work, and where it all fits writes James Bellerjeau in his weekly Career Path column. #ACCDocket #MondayMotivation #MindfulMonday

But while technologists work daily to demonstrate (to regulators, to investors, and to consumers) the road-readiness of autonomous vehicles, the actual rhythm of the shift to widespread autonomy is one that will be dictated first by public policy and second by science.

Change invariably comes packed with a lot of big emotions, including fear, elation, depression, and exhaustion. It is important to recognize this as a natural part of the process; so you should know that the emotional roller coaster your team is about to get on has its own cycle of stages. Recognizing those stages makes them easier to manage.

Gone are the days when lawyers could argue that legal is not a business, but rather a profession. It is critical for in-house counsel to be part of the push by applying business practices that strive to maximize value by streamlining operations and creating efficiencies. By adapting lean, Six Sigma, and project management tools, your company can uncover countless opportunities to team up with key business partners and make your organization more valuable.

For a company facing allegations of internal misconduct, whether from government regulators or prosecutors, whistleblowers, or the plaintiffs’ bar, an independent internal investigation performed by outside counsel may be an obvious next step. Often in these scenarios, outside counsel’s “independence” is conflated with “absolutely no prior work done for the subject company.” Indeed, some companies and boards categorically refuse to hire outside counsel to handle internal investigations if the firm has previously performed work for the company, out of concern that the government will assume such counsel cannot conduct an “independent” investigation.

This article will help the reader think about whether a professional rotation program for an in-house legal department makes sense for an employer and its legal team. It will help identify the purpose of such a program and showcase the costs and benefits. It will also address the critical steps to successfully implement such a program.

While many companies have had established diversity programs for some time, in-house legal departments have a long way to go to match the populations they serve. Over the past decade or so, in-house law departments have sought to change this. This article is meant to provide some context to these issues and to provide guidance on some best practices for creating and continuing an in-house legal diversity program. The BASF Corp. in-house legal program will serve as a case study for this initiative.

Patent litigation is often a high-stakes, zero-sum game. Either the patent is valid or not. Either the competitor’s product infringes or it does not. When a company’s current and future value depends on the strength of a patent, intellectual property disputes are often some of the most substantive and complex cases an in-house attorney may encounter.

It’s no secret that corporate crises are fast becoming “the new normal” for companies around the globe. With a seat at the executive table, in-house counsel can capitalize on this platform to become ethical gatekeepers for the company and minimize the liability of an unexpected crisis.

The German Institute for Compliance (DICO) and the German Association for Supply Chain Management, Procurement, and Logistics (BME) have recently published an English version of the DICO Guideline “Antitrust Compliance – Cornerstones for Effective Compliance Programs”. This article provides a brief overview of the background and the contents of the guideline.

This article examines the risks and costs associated with the duty of disclosure for in-house counsel. Using big data methods and internal data from the USPTO, we summarize recent academic research on this question. We also describe how new technologies can help you standardize your workflow and lower the cost of your company’s prior art search, so you can plan for how courts may view your effort to comply with the duty of disclosure.

For any company, its employees are one of its most valuable assets. But ensuring that you are hiring the right people — people who share your company culture and values — is not straightforward. This article examines both the legal and practical perspectives that can help you, and your company, make the best decision to protect your business and workforce.

Today’s legal department must perform at a much higher level than before — and at a lower cost. What was once considered world-class is now the baseline. Anyone working in-house knows what I mean.

Law department leaders at large data holding organizations might lack awareness of the real cost and expense incurred when responding to third party discovery requests.