In the last few years, the rules have been changing all over. There are mandatory requirements in the US, and "recommended practices" in Canada, plus required disclosures. If you are listed on one side of the border and traded or do business on the other, compliance can be complicated. This session will explore some of the issues your company needs to know, and your role in the process as the attorney.
The rules have changed. Learn about current trends in corporate governance, and your roles as corporate counsel in the process. This discussion will include developments in board composition and committees, and the role of the general counsel and legal department.
Take a closer look at the variations between civil and common law jurisdictions as they relate to contracts. A panel of your in-house peers guide you through the relevant issues as they address such topics as implied duties of good faith, concepts of equity, the power of the parties to contract and more.
The Association of Corporate Counsel and the Greater New York Chapter of ACC present an ethics program that takes the participants through a series of four vignettes set in a corporate legal department that dramatically depict ethical issues facing in-house counsel. General Counsel from American Express, New York Times, Bank of the West and Pfizer provide commentary on the ethical scenarios. This program intends to spark group discussion on how to approach similar situations, and offers in-house counsel an opportunity to benchmark their practices against others. Program is 90 minutes. Set up is usually a moderator and panel of in-house counsel to stimulate discussion with audience.
The procurement of IT services, whether in-bound procurement or outsourcing of IT and business processes, is complex and expensive. Most software transactions now involve significant services, including software development, so even modest procurements can cost hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. IT outsourcing often involves multi-year commitments valued in the tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. This advanced course will focus on these two sides of IT services procurement, exploring common issues and ways to limit monetary and outcome risks. Topics will include how to optimally structure negotiations and draft key contract provisions.
Learn the basics relating to environmental, health, and safety auditing, an important element of corporate governance. Our program will include assessment of ongoing operations as well as potential mergers and acquisitions. Topics will include the scope of an audit and preparation, (particularly Federal and State audit privilege laws) and means of establishing potential privileges for the resulting reports. In addition, selection of auditors and tracking corrective actions as well as auditing in international locations will be covered to provide you with guidance on how to design an effective EHS audit program and the pitfalls to avoid when developing your company's program.
Inn dealing with problems in-house, counsel are often presented with a variety of ethical issues. In this program we will, through the use of a hypothetical problem, examine counsel’s duty to warn employees when interviewed, counsel’s ability to preserve privilege when conducting interviews, counsel’s duty to the corporation or other business entity as opposed to the individuals who manage the business and other questions. These written materials provide some background in analyzing these questions.
The blurred line between legal advice and business decisions has resulted in court decisions that demonstrate a willingness to pierce the once sacred attorney-client privilege. A portion of the
material will review the piercing and preservation of the privilege, in addition to presenting practical guidelines for maintaining it. Sarbanes-Oxley and the newest proposed Model Rule of Professional Conduct have also weakened client confidentiality.
Learn the danger signs of potential compliance problems before they explode. We have all read examples of companies that are in trouble because they did not have effective compliance programs. This program will examine some of these examples, including a review of possible danger signs that could have been detected by an effective compliance program.
With so many companies turning to contractors to perform tasks outside of their core business, compliance with federal and state safety and health laws can be a challenge for your clients. In this program we will look at the ways to use contracts to mitigate your company's safety liabilities. We will examine each of the phases of a contract, pre-qualification, qualification, bidding, contract formation, administration, enforcement, corrective action, and disengagement. You will receive an overview of the legal issues involving use of contractors within your facilities. Topics to be covered include training curricula, monitoring and auditing, incentives and discipline, and hazard communication at multi-employer workplaces.
The Association of Corporate Counsel and the Greater New York Chapter of ACC present a series of four vignettes that dramatically depict the ethical issues that face in-house counsel. General Counsel from American Express, New York Times, Bank of the West and Pfizer provide commentary on the ethical scenarios. This program intends to spark group discussion on how to approach similar situations, and offers in-house counsel an opportunity to benchmark their practices against others.
Financial Analysis for In-house Practitioners: Reading Between the Headlines - power point presentation
Learn about new reform practices and duties for the board and executives.
704 - Document Retention & e-Discovery in a Post-Enron/Andersen World
604 - Early Case Assessment Online - How Technology Transforms Case Assessment
How to protect your company from cyber-smears and cyber-attacks.
308 Corporate Restructurings & Shutdowns. Includes an example of reorganization.
306 Dealing with Employee Lifestyle Issues. Sample guidelines for lifestyle issues such as dresscode, confidentiality, office codes of conduct and office security.
A presentation on developing a corporate code of conduct.
Issues that confront corporate secretaries, including corporate strategy, compliance, business operations, as well as fiduciary duties.
Discusses how companies can leverage outside counsel to support internal business objectives.
"Today’s discussion will focus on ethical questions and issues frequently faced by in-house attorneys. We will address four major areas, all of which are interrelated: (A) who is the client?; (B) attorney/client privilege; (C) suing the client; and (D) unauthorized practice of law."
If your company outsources or is thinking about outsourcing legal services, this program provided practical guidance about some of the issues that you may need to address. This included analyzing whether it is truly cost-effective to outsource in the first place. The panel discussed some of the areas of the in-house practice of law that have been outsourced the most, as well as some areas which may be future prime candidates for outsourcing, and which industries have experienced the most outsourcing activity and why. The various types of fee structures and negotiation strategies were explored as well.
Wondering how your company’s corporate governance practices and activities stack up against your peers or best-in-class companies? Find out from knowledgeable ACC members. This course discussed the design and collection of data on corporate governance measures and also identified the different sources for securing comparative data.
Who buys your company’s energy? An increasing number of companies have energy managers tasked with purchasing energy and managing the related costs. This program included a review of what in-house counsel need to know about arrangements for purchasing and managing fuel and electric service agreements. Panelists included representatives and in-house counsel from the North American Energy Standards Board, commodity markets, large end users, and energy suppliers. The discussion covered available contract models, market structures, and credit and financing issues common to energy supply agreements.
In view of the extremely high financial cost and drag on a company involved in patent litigation, this panel discussed best practices for dealing with patent litigation in house more efficiently. It also highlighted alternatives to costly litigation, including arbitration, mediation, and International Trade Commission actions, with particular emphasis on how recent court decisions and legislation may have an impact on your strategies dealing with patent.
This dynamic panel discussed current issues that boards and their counsel face in the midst of heightened scrutiny as perceived gatekeepers by the SEC, US Attorney, and other regulators. With examples and insights to help navigate through these issues, this panel helped you do so with confidence.
Each term, the Supreme Court issues decisions of interest to the American business community on issues ranging from arbitration to labor and employment to product liability. How did the court shape the business environment in the cases it decided this year? Which cases are on the docket and will be decided over the coming year? Join a distinguished panel of Supreme Court litigators and court watchers as they discuss these questions and the impact of a new administration on the composition of the court.
During this session, the distinguished panel will discuss the recent developments and emerging trends in D&O liability, indemnity and D&O insurance coverage issues.
This program material discusses organization structures for compliance, different departments for compliance issues, working with the legal department, systems for reporting complaints, and systems for processes and managing an internal
investigation.
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