2007 ACCE Annual Conference: Is your company tempted by the prospect of saving big money by outsourcing technology service, customer call centers, and human resource functions to India or Eastern Europe? You may want to think before you jump. Our panel of outsourcing experts shared practical advice on conducting due diligence, structuring outsourcing agreements, drafting contracts, and minimizing risks.
CCU 2007: You deal with these types of documents, most likely on a daily basis but, is your comfort level where it should be on how your company's contracts are negotiated, prepared, and executed? If you are involved in working with contracts, either from the beginning (creating templates) or at the end (handling execution-ready documents or performing due diligence reviews), then this session is for you. In this paralegal track program, a panel of experts will explore the legal issues involved with basic contract design and sample clauses to use, as well as discuss the benefits of using templates and creating standard procedures to implement controlled, uniform review processes.
Whether you think of yourself as a litigator, a regulatory specialist, or a transactional lawyer, as a legal manager you will deal with litigation. Because the costs can be so high, many CEOs and other business managers measure the effectiveness of the law department based on how well the department manages litigation. Learn about the latest issues in managing litigation, to help your company achieve the desired result at the right cost.
It's all a number game. New legal reporting requirements and increased exposure for accounting mistakes mean that you need to know how to read and understand the numbers in a real- world context. The business people often complain that the lawyers do not understand the numbers, so come learn how to prove them wrong. Using real-world examples, this session provided a review of current accounting requirements and a checklist to become more proficient when dealing with financial matters.
In spite of a Republication administration, it is ironic that many companies are facing increased regulatory activity from regulators who seem to be expanding their reach, whether by aggressively interpreting laws or adopting new regulations that are subject to challenge. In either case, it is often in-house counsel who need to decide what to do next. Do you file a lawsuit? Try to negotiate a resolution? Work through lobbyists to try and persuade the agency or Congress? Our panel will share best practices and battle stories from companies and lawyers who have taken different approaches and discuss failures and successes and pros and cons to each approach. When you leave, you will have best practices for each approach as well as insight from those who have been through the battle.
Natural and man-made disasters are now foreseeable events. The events of September 11, 2001 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have made it clear that disasters can have a debilitating effect upon a corporation. Having a business continuity plan which is updated regularly can help any company struck by disaster steady itself and return to normal business in a reduced period of time. Learn what you as a lawyer can do to develop an effective plan for your organization so that the company is prepared for and can survive a disaster.
Globalization has resulted in greatly increased business activity across borders. Many companies that have never practiced international trade are now planning or have already begun to import and export products and materials. The US government is hardening its enforcement stance on trade laws. Fines and penalties are increasing, as are companies' obligations under the law. Every company engaged in international trade should have internal controls in place sufficient to manage the risks inherent in trade. Learn from our panel of seasoned international counsel what you need to know to get an effective program in place within your company that includes how to perform a compliance assessment for international trade activities, organize a trade compliance department, and identify and accomplish key objectives.
Annual Meeting 2006: How can you establish credibility with your management when claiming that expenses are beyond your control? Learn how experienced practitioners have approached and conducted their internal negotiations for resources in the face of business and legal uncertainties. Topics will include making the case for bringing work inside, billing back for time, establishing metrics, using benchmarking effectively, increasing the number and/or experience levels of non-lawyer staff, and using contract or temporary lawyers for specific projects.
Annual Meeting 2006: How do you advise the business to decide what to keep, develop, or retire after a merger or acquire? Conducting proper due diligence of IP assets is essential to making informed decisions. Review the applicable legal issues and benchmark with your peers the proper steps to follow in IP due diligence as well as the best methods for integrating IP portfolios after a corporate merger or acquisition.
Annual Meeting 2006: Many large companies have institutionalized compliance with EH&S requirements by developing internal written guidelines or standard practices, which attempt to translate and adapt these requirements into procedures, customized for their specific operations. But do the advantages of having such standard practices truly outweigh their disadvantages? What resources are involved in developing such standard practices and keeping them updated on a regular basis? What role should in-house counsel play with respect to these standard practices? Come join the debate as these and other hot EH&S topics are discussed.
No one lawyer can stay on top of all the issues a year can bring, especially in the areas of technology and ecommerce. Never fear, ACC has you covered. Here is the only legal update you’ll need to keep you and your client ahead of the curve on the latest developments in ecommerce and technology law.
This fast-paced overview of everything you need to know to provide legal advice to your marketing and advertising departments and will cover legal issues such as regulators and their hot-button issues, how to run a sweepstakes, how to challenge a competitor's ad, claim substantiation and comparative advertising, dealing with emerging mediums such as branded entertainment and blogs, and email and web advertising. Walk away from this boot camp exercise with the legal knowledge you need to handle a wide variety of circumstances and the ability to trouble-spot issues before they can become problematic for your company.
Annual Meeting 2006: Technology can be a powerful enabler-or an expensive diversion-from the work of a law department. What can you do to increase the prospects that your technology projects will work? How can you make legal knowledge management a reality? In-house practitioners from various law departments will speak candidly about their own projects (i.e., the good, the bad, and the ugly) and how they are managing them. After our presentation, you will understand what legal knowledge management entails, be able to improve your department’s reuse of knowledge, easily recognize the traps, and better appreciate the process required to make implementation of technology successful.
A growing area of regulatory and legislative activity is data security. Aside from legal implications, data breaches can wreak havoc on a business, damaging customer or employee confidence. Most businesses collect and store personal information about their customers or employees. Is your organization prepared not only to safely handle customer and employee data, but also to respond appropriately in the event a problem develops? Learn where the law in this area is headed, and take home a step-by-step guide to best practices in preparing for and responding to data breaches. Plus, you will learn about disclosure and protection of personally identifiable information in unique contexts, including mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy, and retail consumer transactions.
Any lawyer faced with negotiating an outsourcing agreement will benefit from both the best practices and practical solutions shared in this session. From the perspectives of experienced in-house counsel for the customer and service provider as well as outside counsel, the presenters will analyze and debate each side of the most contentious, key provisions in outsourcing agreements. Topics include planning for termination with a focus on termination for cause and convenience, benchmarking, material change provisions, and transition assistance requirements; drafting the scope of services to be performed with a focus on the line between in-scope services, on the one hand, and out-of-scope services and potentially costly change orders, on the other hand; constructing effective service levels; pitfalls to avoid in drafting limits of liability and indemnity provisions; and modeling intellectual property ownership and licensing.
Annual Meeting 2006: In part 2 of this two-part series, our panel will review the current case law and discuss the new proposed amendments to the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure. In addition, the panel will review the Sedona Principles and give practical tips to ensure compliance with the law.
A strategic IP management program is essential to increasing the value of your company’s innovative power. How can your IP be used to invigorate the business and enhance your company’s competitive position? Using real-world experiences, our panel will share their perspectives on how to develop an effective strategy for leveraging and protecting your company’s IP assets.
For global companies operating across multiple jurisdictions, establishing a single set of compliance policies and guidelines that can be used around the world is a daunting challenge. With increased corporate focus on compliance activities comes a new need to coordinate with other corporate non-lawyer-led functions, such as a Chief Compliance Officer and staff, or internal controls/audit functions. Given the number of players on the field, differences in how each function understands the proper performance of their work, and increasing complexity of regulation, the reality is that there are growing opportunities for both structural confusion and compliance mandates falling through the cracks. Discuss how recognized compliance leaders at global companies are navigating this maze, and bring back ideas on strategies you can use immediately within your company.
Almost every private company is looking for an exit strategy for its investors — most often by means of an IPO or an acquisition by a much larger, usually public, company. Accordingly, most exit scenarios entail a transition into the public company realm. That transition can be rocky, or with some advance planning, you can make it smooth and look like a star. This session will look at public company regulations and best practices as they apply to private companies in transition. Our panel of seasoned corporate practitioners will provide the perspective of private companies preparing for exit scenarios, as well as public companies evaluating private companies as acquisition candidates. Topics covered will include board and committee governance, financial reporting infrastructure, executive and equity compensation, risk management, D&O insurance, employee policies, officer and employee education and others.
The decision of whether to litigate or arbitrate poses a number of legal questions. For example, in-house litigators are regularly asked to decide which is the best forum for a matter to be heard. Is this case better for arbitration or litigation? What are the pros and cons of arbitration v. litigation? Our panel of seasoned litigators will answer all these questions, plus give practical advice on drafting arbitration clauses to maximize your chances of enforceability and success.
Annual Meeting 2006: If your company makes use of or develops free or open source software (FOSS), this session is for you. Our technology counsel will provide an overview of what FOSS is, legal issues concerning such software including litigation, patents, different licenses, warranties, and indemnification involved, where and how FOSS is generally used, and risks and benefits involved with licensing and using these types of software. You will also receive an update on proposed changes to the General Public License (GPL) and take home a list of the legal issues to be aware of to keep your company out of trouble.
As in-house counsel for your company, one of your many roles may be to provide support and guidance to the board. But you need to stay on top of the trends in order to provide the best legal advice possible. Here is your chance to get up to speed as this course will teach you about current best practices in board process, director communication, and on-boarding new directors. You’ll also take home practical tips on the hottest legal issues affecting directors today, including duties and liability, D&O insurance, and corporate governance.
This program will review and interpret recent Supreme Court opinions, as well as pending cases, and their potential impact on businesses. The program will also discuss the current make-up of the Court, the Court's far reaching impact, and how businesses can participate in the amicus brief and certiorari process.
Test your employment law knowledge as our distinguished expert panel highlights significant, interesting and weird employment & labor law decisions and legislative developments.
This program will explore what companies are required under SEC guidance, or may soon be required (by regulation or consumer demand), to disclose regarding how much carbon their products have generated, the chemicals used in their products, the origin of product materials and the well-being of the workers making their products. This may soon be required of the entire supply chain for products.
An overview of Chinese legal developments related to mergers and acquisitions and foreign invested enterprises.
The recent high number of corporate bankruptcies points to the importance of strong risk management practices. No, you won’t have to wear a green eyeshade and crunch numbers. However, smart in-house counsel understand they must be knowledgeable about finance and accounting issues in a strong risk management framework. Increasingly companies need lawyers who can anticipate problem areas before they arise. We’ll introduce you to the basics of finance and accounting, risk management “best practices” and
help you identify what financial red flags look like, gain greater understanding of key financial documents including corporate financial statements, and enhance your risk management toolkit.
Overview of the changes made under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) and the new issues they present for in-house counsel.
Discover the critical factors to consider in deciding whether and how to form a joint venture with a Chinese partner or to invest in a wholly-owned foreign entity, including issues arising from Chinese foreign ownership restrictions, as well as issues relating to technology transfers, protecting IP, leasing property, hiring staff, dealing with local governments and establishing banking relationships in China.
This material teaches how to handle specific requests from foreign government officials, deal with due diligence red flags, manage travel expenses and per diems, and address charitable donations and community development initiatives.
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