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This Executive Report provides an overview of discussion results from ACC’s CLO ThinkTank session titled "Corporate Business Information Management: E-Discovery & Beyond" held in Toronto, Ontario on January 18, 2007. ACC’s CLO ThinkTank sessions are designed to provide a forum for CLOs who wish to exert greater leadership at the bar, in the courts, and in the halls of government on emerging issues of greatest concern. Following is summary information on key topics and takeaways, discussion point highlights, and follow-up initiatives identified by these CLO thought leaders.

CCU 2007: Project management at any level, regardless of the size of the job, is an incredibly important skill you bring to the table in the role of paralegal. In many cases, the ability to perform this function effectively impacts the perception your attorneys, business clients, or team members have of you. Not a born-organizer? Can't keep it all straight? Need to learn new methods to get things in order? In this session, our panel will share with you proven techniques and processes that will improve your organizational skills and review affordable technology that will enable you to discover your inner "project manager."

Annual Meeting 2006: Do you know what your employees are legally entitled to when it comes to leave and disability? If not, here is your chance to brush up on the state and federal laws covering leave and disability accommodations, learn how to deal with FMLA intermittent leave, and understand what leave as an accommodation is. Plus take home effective tools to manage disability, wellness, and attendance at your organization.

Annual Meeting 2006: Join us for an overview of the latest legal and regulatory issues surrounding executive compensation, including SEC and legislative updates as well as best practices for companies and their compensation committees. Our panel will discuss the SEC's proposed rule on executive compensation disclosure and the changes you will need to make to next year's proxy statement disclosures. Panelists will also discuss the impact on compensation committee practices as a result of these rules.

In the post-Enron and Worldcom world, the development and maintenance of effective corporate governance strategies and policies remain top priorities for in-house counsel. You are frequently called upon by management and boards of directors as first responders in M&A situations and are expected to guide the company through corporate governance issues affecting M&A transactions. In multinational situations, corporate governance issues are made more complex by the interplay of different legal schemes. Are you prepared when senior management comes knocking? If not, here is your chance to learn the law you need to intelligently advise your management and board. Our panel will review corporate governance issues and responses through all stages of an M&A transaction including planning, due diligence, negotiation, board liability issues, the board approval process, and the shareholder approval process and send you home with the resources you need to counsel your client.

A must for any in-house practitioner needing to stay up to speed on current employment law, this permanent fixture on the ACC Annual Meeting agenda will do just that. Join our panel to learn about new case law and legislation that affects employment and labor law issues. You will take away resources to draw from to help you understand these changes and how they might affect your company’s employment practices.

Annual Meeting 2006: Counsel practicing at multinationals will benefit from this practical guide to managing cross-border transactions. Learn key approaches to identifying and retaining qualified counsel, identifying legal and regulatory issues, anticipating differences in legal and business cultures, maintaining consistent quality, efficiency and cost effectiveness, and much more.

Annual Meeting 2006: Have you been asked to draft and implement an employment arbitration agreement and don’t know where to start? Here is an opportunity to learn from and ask questions of a panel of your in-house peers who just happen to be experts on the subject! Learn the laws that will help you determine the benefits an employee arbitration agreement can provide for your organization, and the effectiveness and enforceability of such agreements. Plus we’ll send you away with sample agreements you can use as a starting point of your own.

Presented at ACCA’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - ERISA Basics and Hot Topics

Links to sources useful for diversifying a company's work force.

Presented at ACC’s Annual Meeting 2000; California's Business & Professions Code Section 17200 has gained national notoriety for breaking new ground in creative litigation against businesses. It is part of a growing trend of lawsuits pursued without injuries or damages - sometimes even without clients. The Civil Justice Association of California has been tracking lawsuits under the Unfair Competition Law (UCL) for half a decade, sponsoring legislation to reform the law and filing numerous amicus briefs with the California Supreme Court and courts of appeal.

Presented at ACCA’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - Wanted: Business Manager and Other New Law Management Approaches

Presented at ACCA’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - Today’s Business Etiquette

Presented at ACCA’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - Strategic Use of Information in M&A Contexts

Presented at ACC’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - States Under Siege - The Who, What, and Why

Presented at ACCA’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - Recent SEC Developments in Public Company Disclosure

Dealer Agreement; Presented at ACCA’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - Latest Trends in Strategic Alliances

Presented at ACCA’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - Latest Trends in Strategic Alliances

Presented at ACCA's Annual Meeting 2000; Program - IP: A Basic Training Session

Presented at ACC’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - Copyright Protection in Cyberspace: IP on the ’Net

Presented at ACCA's Annual Meeting 2000; Program - Conducting Environmental Compliance Audits

Presented at ACC’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - Career Development: Recruiters, the Net, and Beyond Finding Your Next Job

The purpose of this paper is to describe how enforcers cooperate with one another and to advise those concerned about antitrust enforcement how they can facilitate or hinder cooperation.

Presented at ACCA’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - A Comparative Analysis between U.S. and European Competition Laws.

Presented at ACCA’s Annual Meeting 2000; Program - 21st Century Approaches to the In-house/Outside Counsel Relationship

Many of us grew up under a common law system. Others lived in countries that have a civil law system. As in-house practice grows increasingly global, however, it is essential that we understand both traditions and that we also understand the relationships that these two traditions have to the developing legal systems in the world’s emerging economies. This program gave the participants a better understanding of the basic differences between the various branches of these two legal traditions and looked at some of the nuances of the two systems’ different negotiating styles in order to help us more successfully negotiate international transactions.

This panel reviewed the basics of trade secrets and the practical steps in-house attorneys should take to protect trade secrets and educate company personnel on how to safeguard them. The panel highlighted recent cases to illustrate the types of disputes that arise from the misuse of trade secrets and how they might be avoided. Finally, the program addressed the nexus between trade secrets and employment agreements including, non-compete agreements and confidentiality agreements, as well as reviewed other important employee issues.

Sustainability concerns are poised to fundamentally change the way your organization does business. Corporate counsel are increasingly called upon to participate in everything from investing in alternative energy, sustainable products and technologies, to “greening” their companies’ facilities and operations, to verifying compliance with proliferating green reporting and disclosure requirements. The legal department will be a key focal point, and virtually every legal specialty can play a part. This panel focused on the central role of the legal department in addressing your company’s sustainability challenges and in designing and implementing your company’s green initiatives.

The recent US Supreme Court decision in Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. v. PSKS, Inc., relaxes the rules on price maintenance—but in Canada such activity remains a “per se” criminal offense. These and other differences can create traps or unnecessary burdens for companies which seek to operate on an integrated North American basis. This session, which was co-lead by a Canadian and a US practitioner, discussed the key areas of inconsistency and provided attendees with practical solutions for addressing them.