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There are subtle and not-so-subtle issues in dealing with another party’s confidential information and in-house counsel need to understand and address them both. This was a how-to course to train employees and set up processes and procedures to minimize the risks associated with obtaining and using confidential information of third parties. It is crucial when competitive technologies from two or more third parties are being evaluated or developed, or where your company is working on potentially competitive technology to that of one of your current or potential vendors or customers. This program was suitable for in-house lawyers with or without an IP background at both a basic and intermediate level.

Simplified agreements and the elimination of unneeded contracts results in a huge increase in productivity and business partner satisfaction. How can you achieve this same result without increasing risk? The task encompasses a variety of activities from simplifying language and shortening documents, to smarter risk allocation (to avoid unnecessary negotiations), to implementing contracting mechanisms that reduce the number of provisions that must be repeatedly drafted, reviewed, understood, and negotiated. Hear how these panelists did it and take these lessons home with you.

Internal development of ("Intrapreneurship") and/or external minority investment in new entrepreneurial ventures has become a strategy of choice for businesses looking to stay ahead of the innovation curve. But there are a number of potential pitfalls that in-house counsel need to avoid in creating, structuring, negotiating, and implementing such a transaction. A panelist of in house and outside counsel will discuss a marketplace orientation, share their proven strategies for successfully spinning-off or investing in a new business, and point out the benefits and risks of home-grown enterprises.

You have a matter management system. Now what do you do with it? One of the toughest challenges of in-house counsel is to use the available technology to obtain a complete picture of the legal landscape, both within the law department and with its outside counsel. The panelists discussed the latest technologies that provide flexible, sophisticated matter management capabilities. The panel also shared their experiences in using technology to make more fully informed decisions regarding budgeting, forecasting, resource allocation, effective use of outside counsel, spotting legal trends, effective enterprise collaboration, and marketing your in-house services to your clients.

Contingent workers may be the best answer for your company’s staffing needs, but there are many potential pitfalls in using this solution. And the IRS, the Department of Labor, and a variety of state agencies are watching for any slips. This session focused on these areas of concern and provide advice on best practices for structuring these arrangements to protect your client from employment and benefit related claims.

Assuring advertising, external communications, and marketing programs meet applicable regulations, laws, industry standards and internal corporate policies, presents a continuing challenge to corporate counsel. Involvement of the legal department, early and often, is critical. Panelists described how to move beyond the role of Columbo (deducing what your marketing department is really up to) or Wyatt Earp (shooting down marketing’s plans). In-house counsel shared lessons learned and best practices to create robust processes and review of marketing programs and advertising claims, including process and elements necessary for advertising claims substantiation, and to lessen the risk of legal, regulatory, and competitive challenges.

Who is at the door? It could be the EEOC, OSHA, Customs, NRC, the SEC or a myriad of other possibilities. First, a deep breath. But then what do I do? This session provided a road map for those first 24 hours and beyond. It allowed you to plan ahead for this scenario, implement guidelines, and train your people in advance for when a government investigator comes calling. Once the investigators are at the door, understand what these agencies can and cannot do during an inspection or investigation. Know what your first response and first steps should be.

The decision is back from the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC says your company got it wrong. Now you may: (a) restate your financial statements; (b) reevaluate your accounting; (c) reevaluate the information prepared under GAAP; or (d) all of the above. Result? The stock takes a nosedive, the press has a ball, and there is a big mess to be cleaned up. But there are lessons to be learned from other company’s experiences and this session addressed them. The panel reviewed case studies of companies who faced the criticism of the Securities and Exchange Commission and how they responded.

Most courts have long recognized that the selection of counsel by a client is one that should not be disrupted. When it comes to insurance coverage of a claim, that selection is often limited by the terms of the insurance contract. The best time to negotiate a favorable selection of counsel clause is when the insurance renews or the business is considering changing insurance companies. This program reviewed options offered by insurance carriers, including: mutual selection; an opportunity to confer; insured’s selection of counsel, except for designated claims; insured’s selection from a panel list; insured’s choice with carrier’s approval; and strong consideration to insured’s choice — final decision with carrier.

The two countries experiencing the greatest economic growth are India and China. Each possesses unique resources and opportunities for US-based companies. China has concentrated on contract manufacturing, while India is more focused on attracting service industries. In 2007, the Indian economy grew almost nine percent, which closely parallels China’s growth. This course focused on why you must adopt a different approach and mindset when dealing with China and India and what you cannot afford to ignore about doing business with these emerging giants. It covered both legal and cultural barriers that all foreign direct investors encounter.

The means by which your company can monitor and track employees and customers has become easier than ever. In addition to monitoring telephone calls, emails, and internet usage, the technology exists through Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tags, phone records, and global positioning systems to passively collect data on and track the movements and habits of employees and customers. We can watch our employees enter and exit our buildings, and we can pull their telephone and computer records to review usage. However, the use of this technology and how the information learned about your employees and customers is used is not without legal pitfalls. This program looked at the laws governing employee and customer monitoring and suggested best practices in connection with company policies and practices.

It is an increasingly global age where more companies are doing business overseas, and a greater number of foreign companies are SEC registrants. As a result, in-house counsel must face the challenge of addressing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) compliance responsibilities. This program addressed the issues of setting up a practical and effective program, recognizing and addressing relevant issues, and current activities and determinations in the FCPA arena.

This presentation provides information on how employers should evaluate their compensation practices in the wake of new federal laws.

You lived through it all — now tell your story. As practicing in-house counsel, we face subtle and not-so subtle ethical issues as part of our everyday work responsibilities. This interactive session will focus on the questions that arise in the daily tasks that in-house counsel perform: business person vs. attorney? Ex-employee relationships? Disclosure rules vs. confidentiality? But rather than hypotheticals, we want you to tell your story and make our audience laugh, cry or simply shake their head. With an expert in the field of ethics guiding our session, we will look at how ethical issues arise in our everyday work life and become educated in how to recognize and avoid ethical traps.

Join this session and learn the key intellectual property decisions from the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that have affected the manner in which intellectual property rights are procured, licensed and enforced. An understanding of the implications of recent significant decisions — involving copyright, trademark and patent law — is essential to creating an effective IP acquisition and enforcement strategy.

What exactly is intellectual property and what does it mean? Corporate counsel must often discuss intellectual property issues with company employees who lack a basic understanding of IP law. This session will use lectures and role-playing to demonstrate techniques for communicating these complex ideas in terms anyone can understand. Don’t miss the opportunity to educate yourself in IP.

Whatever happened to the tradition of getting two paper originals executed by the parties so that they would each have one? How times have changed! This session will address how the use of emails, faxes and electronic signatures is affecting contract law and the implications for the statute of frauds.

The consequences for an employer running afoul of federal wage and hour laws can be dire. This session will review the most common FLSA mistakes made by employers, and how employers can avoid making those mistakes. Strategic ideas about self-correcting FLSA missteps and ways to deal with FLSA claims by employees and/or former employees will also be discussed. This session will also cover case law, collective actions and Department of Labor initiatives.

Whether you have a multi-million dollar advertising campaign or a basic website, your company is engaging in commercial speech. Regardless of industry or company size, bodies of law govern all of your business communications: defamation, commercial disparagement and false advertising. From the sales person in a one-on-one encounter with a prospective customer, to the billboard showcasing your latest product line, statements about your products and those of your competitors could create tremendous risks for your organization. Attendees will learn how to recognize when marketing statements pose unacceptable legal risks, and guide their sales and marketing colleagues to safer ground. Attendees will use handheld clickers to vote on whether particular advertisements cross the line, and receive live feedback on their choices.

Federal and state enforcement agencies have directed substantial new resources toward the misclassification of independent contractors, consultants and other contingent workers. These efforts expose employers to a higher risk of liability to contingent workers (or these agencies) for employment taxes, overtime pay and benefits. This panel will discuss practical tips for assessing your contingent worker practices, and provide guidance on how to reduce your company's risk profile.

Enforcement is back and fines are going up. Does your company have all of the environmental permits it needs? Does your reporting calendar cover all reports and deadlines? How do you keep up with the many changes and new environmental requirements at the local, state, federal and international level? This program will review the basic requirements most companies face for environmental permits and reporting for air, water and waste, including what to do when the inspector shows up, and how to find the help you need to remain in compliance.

This Workplace Bullying training course will help you understand (1) what bullying is and how it affects the workplace; (2) how to respond to bullying; and (3) the standards of civility that we expect from all employees in our work environment.

To access the Workplace Bullying Training Course, visit <a href=http://www.ethicsxchange.com/topic/38917-workplace-bullying>www.acc.com/compliance</a>.

This powerpoint discusses an integrated approach to compliance and risk management for your company, including how to assess the consequences and severity of different risks.

This resource explains healthcare product advertising and drug promotion in Canada. In addition, this document describes the relevant codes and laws, including Health Canada and PAAB.

This resource explains why a social media policy is necessary and presents other lessons learned regarding social media.

This document discusses counterfeit goods and the various government agencies and business that enforce the protection of trademarks.

This materials from this session presents a choice of free resources available to corporate lawyers and addresses the risks and benefits of using such resources. Learn how open sourcing of legal know-how could be a new and cost effective approach for legal departments.

This presentations covers the highlights of the 208 Session at ACC's 2011 Annual Meeting.

Enforcement agencies, the media, and plaintiffs’ attorneys continue their sharp focus on pay equity and wage/hour violations. Our panel of experts will leverage current class action litigation and enforcement trends to provide an interactive session focused on proactive risk mitigation and compliance best practice strategies that you can bring back to your office and share with your clients.

What are the current legal challenges arising from workplace romances? Should you implement a no- fraternization policy? Electronic flirting and sexting and the out-of-control use of social networking; how employers are coping with employees’ use of recreational and prescription drugs ; the challenge of regulating employee appearance including weight, dress, tattoos and body piercings; conflicts arising from offensive or objectionable music and “art” in the workplace. Do these issues vary from state to state and country to country?