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Opening up again is critical — when done safely. Our economies were never built for this. The pandemic kills people to be sure, but so do hunger and the crushing weight of collapsing finances. There is a balance to be found between opening up and avoiding the spread of the virus.

The practice of law is changing rapidly. Lawyers are going in-house faster, in-house legal departments are impacting the business more than ever, and lawyers are constantly adapting to shifts in the way companies conduct business. Here are the five trends we believe are going to disrupt the practice of law, and what we can do to embrace them.

Performing a legal spend assessment provided a low-cost solution that required minimal effort and helped us accelerate conversion of our existing spend data into relevant metrics that we could leverage in order to inform future direction — including how the legal team could operate and better leverage outside counsel.

These days, to streamline and speed up cross-border internal communications, multinationals increasingly communicate workplace messages and documents internationally in the original English version only. There are advantages and disadvantages to issuing untranslated English-language HR communications to staff around the world.

With Rubin’s guidance, Aon’s legal department deployed the Law Department Strategic Improvement Project — a multi-faceted program that earned a 2016 ACC Value Champion Award for Aon.

As we are coming to understand, big data is essential in moving legal departments forward. It can arm in-house lawyers and their outside counsel with strategic insights that enable them to craft effective IP litigation and portfolio management strategies. Patent analytics can help in-house law departments achieve material gains for better patent quality while reducing overall costs.

The scope of constant vigilance needed can be a burden to many organizations, and legal sets the mandate for how that is accomplished. Your biggest ally is technology. For source-to-pay and procurement organizations, there is no better combination of risk mitigation tools than a Software as a Service (SaaS) contract management solution linked with a supplier management solution.

Achieving flow, a state of focus on a particular activity, can help in-house counsel achieve their goals.

As with many things in our legal world, the answer here is both simple and frustrating: It depends. Many factors come into play. It may depend on the company profile — its size, business area, level of regulation, governance structure and priorities, budget, management practices, and so on. It also depends on the individual professional perspective — duties, skills, professional and educational background, career aspirations, and talent.

Now the vice president for legal and corporate affairs of Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) Middle Americas — also known as Grupo Modelo in Mexico — Jimenez-Zorrilla fondly looks back on his professional career, and believes that every decision served as a crucial step that would ultimately lead him toward his dream of overseeing a global legal department.

Basketball played a role for Brent Irvin, vice president, and general counsel at Tencent Holdings Limited, giving him an opportunity to get his first glimpse of China.

We invite you to “listen in” on the future, and decide whether this fictionalized firm is the kind of law firm that you would want to hire for your organization.

==This article will identify some of the key points employers must bear in mind while conducting internal investigations in Mexico.

This article includes some questions that will help you and your employees create a better evaluation process.

Although artificial intelligence has now moved from the research and development stage to commercialization, its wider deployment in business imposes challenges for enterprises and for patent legislation, as it is a completely new concept and a very powerful force for change.

Inclusion allows for superior decision-making by bringing balance and equilibrium to any team or group and to the environment in which the team operates. And a diverse group will develop different strategies, approaches, solutions, and ideas.

We’ve dedicated this issue of ACC Docket to stories that touch on employment issues and emerging trends.

As corporate clients, it is easy to place the burden and blame on our outside counsel partners for the pervasive industry challenge of retaining and advancing diverse talent. We suggest law firms need stronger affinity groups, mentor and sponsorship programs, and more inclusive and flexible working environments. As clients, we then demand diverse teams at multiple levels and express frustration when our law firms fail to deliver.

On Aug. 8, 2019, the Ministry of Law and Justice in India formally announced its Code of Wages (Code), which amended and consolidated labor laws relating to wages, bonus, and similar matters that are applicable to all workers in India. This article will discuss the history and coverage; salient features that affect employers and employees; and enforcement reforms, including the offenses and penalties.

Document requests are a regular part of your life as an in-house lawyer — even when your organization isn’t involved in the litigation for which documents are requested. For corporate counsel, such document requests can present an interesting predicament.

Crown Resorts’ Senior Legal Counsel Caterina Cavallaro provides more tips on the importance and benefits of travel and nature in our daily lives. #ACCDocket #WellnessWednesday

Make every meeting worthwhile. Learn how with tips from ACC Docket Career Path columnist James Bellerjeau in the series, Master Skills to be Effective In-house Counsel.
#ACCDocket #MindfulMonday #MondayMotivation #meetings

Using in-house counsel to argue in court has advantages, such as saving costs, when used in the right circumstances. Sometimes you can gain a persuasive edge by using in-house at a hearing.

Understanding the risks tied to both expressed and unexpressed considerations can go a long way to ensuring a fair deal for your organization. Below are seven pitfalls to avoid and some tips to help you navigate potential issues.

In early 2019, two attorneys in the ACC Southern California Chapter, Jill Kalliomaa and Jeff Compangano — both passionate about health and wellness — became inspired to create an attorney well-being focus for their chapter. A few months later, their chapter formally launched the Attorney Well-being Committee to help its members find healthy ways to manage the stress inherent in the fast-paced in-house law practice.

You are here because you want to work out, but working out as a busy lawyer seems virtually impossible. The good news is that (1) it is possible, and (2) you are done with the hardest part: wanting change.

As more data laws are passed, in-house counsel need to understand how they will affect vendor relationships.

Leaders don’t become leaders without mentors — or their mentees. Brian Ellis has learned this firsthand on his career path to senior vice president and general counsel at Danaher.

Employment lawyers have been complicit by being too cautious. Follow these steps to help your company move forward.

Setting goals for the first 90 days (and beyond) will help you build relationships and add value.