Search

With enforcement policy initiatives and definitive statements on compliance from the FERC having been issued in 2008, electric and gas companies have every incentive to devote the resources to having a robust compliance program in 2009. This session will show you how to translate FERC's guidance and policy statements into meaningful programs at your company. If you do find yourself in an enforcement action, it will teach you the basic rules of the game.

With the increasing globalization of US business, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act continues to be the foundation for how companies must transact international business. While the United States has had the FCPA in place since 1977, the international community has joined together and has begun focusing their attention on anti-bribery issues. This session intends to provide an overview of the FCPA, a look into what the international community is doing to further improve international business and will provide attendees with a list of hot topics and a game plan on how to address them.

If your coverage area touches on personal information or privacy-related
issues, you cannot afford to miss this update on the latest privacy law
issues in America. Privacy and data protection laws and regulations at the
US federal level are still moving at a mile-a-minute. And don't forget
the state statutes as well! If you do business in states like Massachusetts
that have recently passed additional provisions to protect the privacy
information of employees then you need to be aware of what they require too.

The "b" word usually raises fear and anxiety in those who are not bankruptcy specialists. Worry not! This program will cover the primary issues raised in business bankruptcy matters including minimizing and analyzing preference exposure, rights of landlords and tenants, issues relating to vendors, filing a proof of claim, payment or rejection rights, impact on intellectual property and licensing agreements, benefits of becoming a secured creditor, purchasing assets from a company in bankruptcy, deciding whether to serve on a creditors' committee, and hiring and managing outside bankruptcy counsel.

The crises in world financial markets, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and Sarbanes-Oxley among other causes, all have contributed to a tremendous increase in the number of investigations overseen by corporate counsel. At the same time, the strategies deployed by some lawyers and investigators have landed them and their companies in trouble. What are the best strategies for fact finding? What are best practices for interviewing witnesses? What laws are relevant to investigations and how do they differ between states and countries? A diverse panel will examine how thorough, but ethical investigations are conducted. Topics discussed will include federal and state statutes, evidence, interview strategies, the Code of Professional Responsibility, ethics opinions, and the use of outside investigators.

Does your company have a wellness program? This session will address federal and common state restrictions, and go through the strategies that will assist your company in developing a successful program, incorporating the Small Law Department Committee's InfoPak on this topic. In-house counsel that implement a program in their own companies may achieve fame and fortune for initiating a program that saves the company money and gets their employee base healthy. Who knows, in the process some may even develop a smaller waistline!

When public companies get into trouble, very frequently it is for a violation of the securities laws. Its not a topic to be messed with. The liability is significant. The issues are complicated. The impact can be mind boggling. Don't be uninformed. Must know information for lawyers who are new to in-house or to the securities arena.

Over the last 10 years companies have struggled with the structure of their ethics and compliance programs, including where they should be placed within the corporate structure (in the legal department or elsewhere?), to whom they should report (GC? Internal Auditor? CEO?), and the relationship of compliance staff to in-house counsel (including whether they should even be the in-house counsel). The struggle continues. During this roundtable discussion, participants will exchange ideas on these and other perplexing issues and general counsel from large and small companies will share their views and experiences.

We probably remember grandma's rotary phone that’s now considered an antique. Moving into the 21st century, your company is most likely using or planning to use voice over IP, or VOIP technology. This cost-saving version of the telephone presents exciting technological possibilities, yet poses serious global regulatory pitfalls for the unwary. This panel is directed at the essential strategies, tips and traps that in-house counsel –– at both current and future VOIP-enabled customers, service providers and technology licensors should know. IT counsel, telecom practitioners and those responsible for regulatory and general corporate legal matters should find this panel to be of great interest, and the lessons learned will be applicable to other technologies and services deployed on an international scale.

With the steady increase of cross-national relationships in virtually every industry, it is inevitable that a domestic company, irrespective of size, will at some point face a cross-border bankruptcy matter. Consideration of this international component is critical for the in-house practitioner to effectively protect the client when structuring transactions. When the inevitable cross-border insolvency arises, a basic knowledge of the applicable rules will be equally critical to minimize the interruption to operations and potential loss of revenue. This program present non-bankruptcy specialists with a detailed overview and practical advice for dealing with insolvency laws across national borders.

This panel will address the hottest tax and legal issues affecting attorneys serving nonprofit organizations. It will provide a practical update of the case law, and new statutory and regulatory developments. Bring your latest issues and discuss practical solutions you can take back to the office.

A principal goal in contract drafting should be avoiding the ambiguity that leads to conflict and litigation. In this session, you will consider real-life examples of disputes over ambiguous agreements, and get practical tips and solutions to avoid complications and litigation. Topics that will be addressed include settlement agreements, arbitration and dispute resolution clauses, intellectual property licenses, bankruptcy and ipso facto and insolvency clauses, and independent contractor and commission and bonus agreements.

With control over the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives, Democratic leaders have promised an aggressive agenda of employment law reforms in 2009. This program will provide an in-depth analysis of new employment laws and regulations (enacted, proposed or under development) to which your companies will need to respond. Topics will include pay discrimination reforms, card check legislation, civil rights reforms, FMLA expansion and paid sick leave bills, OSHA proposals, immigration reforms, and limitations on arbitration agreements.

Strategic alliances in various forms have long been a useful tool for entities looking to leverage the expertise, reputation, market position, capital or other resources of potential alliance partners. In the current economic climate, strategic alliances represent a potentially attractive alternative to acquisitions or capital-intensive initiatives or projects undertaken by a single entity. For those currently engaged in strategic alliances, however, the current economic circumstances may exacerbate issues with a failing alliance partner or a failing strategic alliance. This session will address the basics of strategic alliances and address the opportunities and potential issues in this difficult economy.

There are now four generations of lawyers at work on your corporate matters. This presentation and panel discussion on generational differences in the legal profession will be an informative and interactive opportunity to learn exactly what the different generations are, how they differ in work styles and perspectives, the interesting challenges that arise when they interact and ways in which organizations can leverage the creativity that arises from generational diversity. This session will offer timely research on generational diversity in the legal profession, and moderate an interactive discussion among the Xs, the Ys, the Boomers and the audience!

Attend part one of this two-part session and learn practical strategies for reducing insurance and litigation costs with the right insurance policies, including 10 strategies you can implement now. This panel discussion will include basic strategies for in-house counsel to employ to reduce insurance costs based on the company's litigation risk profile.

This panel will focus on what all in-house counsel covering technology-related transactions should know about the growing nexus between technology and the environment. Currently, the world is in Green IT 1.0. The focus is on conserving energy and reducing heat in power-hungry data centers and protecting the environment with proper equipment disposal procedures. The panel will review what to ask for when negotiating data center agreements, outsourcing and equipment disposal arrangements. Discussion will also include Green IT 2.0, in which innovative efforts are under way to meter IT usage to utilize power consumption as a proxy, recycle heat and employ IT as part of a firm-wide effort to achieve certification as a green enterprise. The panel will focus on the things you cannot afford not to know when negotiating technology transactions or counseling your IT department.

Significant changes under two employment statutes, the ADA and the FMLA, were ushered in this year. This session will focus on the ADA Amendments Act and the new FMLA regulations, the history behind the changes, as well as suggested best practices and tips and techniques for dealing with these revisions. Case law interpreting these important regulatory regimes will also be addressed.

The far East isn't that far anymore. With over 1.3 billion people and a strong industrial base, China represents a major market and resource for many businesses. The counsel charged with maintaining a company's intellectual property rights in this country, must also be cognizant of Chinese law, government involvement, culture and language. This course will discuss the changing IP environment in China and how to protect your intellectual property as you begin to manufacture in, or introduce, your products into China.

Someone in your company has just been questioned about possible criminal activity. You receive a grand jury subpoena for company documents and the US Attorney wants to interview company personnel. Among other things, you would like to show this potential prosecutor that your company has an effective program of ethics, compliance and internal controls designed to prevent and detect crime and fraud. What specific elements do you want to bring to the US Attorney's attention? Join this panel discussion and get the tools you need to handle this situation.

What's new? There are more diversity activities than ever, come to this workshop to find one that fits your needs. What's now? Despite the economy, the business case for diversity has been made and is not going to go away. What's next? Here, an assessment of strategies that are working to engage younger constituencies will be given –– bring to the discussion your best strategies. While Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) diversity is the new kid on the block, this demographic represents the future of the profession. Top in-house counsel will offer their perspectives on what's new, now and next in diversity in the legal profession.

This material discusses the tips for handling the legislative landscape, managing employee personal information, dealing with customer information, and breach response strategy.

This material focuses on the relevant legislation that you need to know to protect the privacy of your company and those who deal with your company. Includes M&A transactions, Cross-border data flow, contracts, breach notification and employee personal information.

This material focuses on the primary legislation of EC Competition, Article 81 and 82 of the EC treaty and guidelines of what to keep in mind when the European Commission begins an investigation.

Employment litigation is often triggered by the actions of front line supervisors when faced with an unhappy employee. As an employer's first line of defense, supervisors must be trained to recognize employment law issues, what to say and what not to say to disgruntled employees, and when documentation is or is not necessary. This program will provide attendees with the critical skills needed to train supervisors to effective operate in an increasingly litigious environment.

All too often, attorneys tasked with the preparation of a non-compete agreement jump head-first into the drafting process without much forethought or planning. In this proposed presentation, faculty will discuss five important things for a would-be drafter of a non-compete agreement to do before starting the drafting process. These action items are important for optimized enforceability of the resulting non-compete. Likewise, faculty will discuss five critical things to keep in mind while the agreement takes shape.<br />Help create an interactive dynamic session. Please feel free to bring specific questions regarding the implementation of non-compete agreements to the presentation for discussion.

As courts have become more burdened and short of funds, they have increasingly turned to private judges, referees, or special masters to resolve discovery disputes. This panel will address the pluses and minuses of this trend, including the consequences of having a parallel system of justice for well-heeled parties, the consequences of having cutting-edge issues of, for example, e-discovery, resolved in private, the advantages and disadvantages of having discovery motions carefully considered and extensively litigated, how to work effectively with a referee, and so on. The panel will include in-house and outside counsel, and either a judge who sits as a referee or a representative of an organization like JAMS. We will also present sample case studies of “the good, the bad and the ugly.”

This session will address the various tracking technologies used and data collected in connection with online advertising, social media and mobile applications including geolocation data and provide guidance with respect to how to support in-house clients in implementing these technologies in a manner that complies with law as well as developing best practices.

Is your company aware of all the different data-breach-notification laws in the US? This session will focus on what constitutes a security breach with electronic transfers, the steps to take following such breach, the obligation to the National Provider Identifier, how insurance coverage is considered, and the differences in the state laws.

How do you protect your company from IP theft? What is a trade secret and how do you protect it? What laws are applicable to trade secrets? How do you protect them? What do you do if you think they’ve been misappropriated? If they have been misappropriated, what if it’s by an employee? This course provides a basic introduction to law governing the protection of IP, with a focus on trade secrets.