The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is the world's largest organization serving the professional and business interests of attorneys who practice in the legal departments of corporations, associations, nonprofits and other private-sector organizations around the globe.
If you conduct business around the world, you know data privacy policies are far stricter outside the US than in. When you add Sarbanes-Oxley regulations to the mix, all bets are off. If you have US headquarters with international operations, you likely ponder the issue of privacy vs SOX often. Have all the answers? Didn’t think so!
With growing emphasis on controlling the costs of litigation, corporate counsel must demonstrate value using objective measurements. The emerging best practices for measuring the value of litigation management require metrics using methodology CFOs understand and in which they will have confidence. Our panel of law department leaders will demonstrate litigation management metrics and how they can be used in combination with risk analysis and early case assessment to improve litigation results.
ACC’s focus on privilege protection led us to look into the evolving (devolving?) relationship between lawyers and auditors for the company, but what we found takes us far beyond problems that arise in the context of auditor access to confidential or privileged files: additional dissatisfactions permeate the relationship. This program will present the results of this year’s examination of how to improve lawyer-auditor rapport and propose ideas to help facilitate the important work that lawyers and auditors should be working together to accomplish.
With intellectual property assertions from third parties becoming increasingly visible to companies, intellectual property indemnity provisions are more heavily negotiated and the focus of supply line and technology licensing agreements. Our licensing experts will discuss the key IP indemnity provisions that are often the most heavily negotiated. Plus they provide tips based on their past experience, share proven methods on how to negotiate provisions, and identify the most important ones to require.
New regulations and ever-evolving standards are changing the relationship between companies and their auditors, and the way audits are conducted. What are the company's legal obligations when working with auditors? How can in-house counsel assist in the audit process? Who is in charge and what are the standards? What can be done when auditors change their minds? How can you best protect the attorney/client privilege in the audit process (e.g., minutes, litigation reserves)? Learn the answers to these and other pressing questions from our panel.
In-house counsel often has the opportunity to help shape the record around a company’s conduct and then defend the record as best they can in litigation. Take this opportunity to evaluate the steps you can take to shape the record and develop a litigation strategy that does the most with whatever the record eventually turns out to include. In addition, receive practical pointers on what government agencies conducting their own investigations expect from companies and how you can negotiate with those agencies to protect your record.
This humorous look at a very serious subject will include a mock meeting of a dysfunctional Disclosure Committee. Participants will share ways in which an in-house attorney can add both value to the process and help ensure that the investing public has confidence in your company’s SOX certifications. Take aways from this session include better achievement regulatory compliance through methods to draft or improve a Disclosure Committee charter and organize/participate in routine meetings.
UBIT, Lobbying, political activity, and involvement in commercial ventures. Sound familiar? In-house counsel will appreciate this review of the major tax issues confronting nonprofits.
"Patent litigation" - unfamiliar venues, strange procedures, and crippling potential downsides often come to mind with these words, and companies’ patent dockets continue to expand. This panel of patent litigation veterans will draw from their experiences to help you better address your next patent case, from practical tips to new case law that will drive the cutting edge of this important topic.
The hottest class action law suits all focus in on wage and hour. Don’t let it happen to you! Find out what you need to know to help eliminate significant liability in the ever changing, highly regulated, litigious world of wage and hour. You’ll find this program to be of great value as our panel shares with you what you need to conquer the basics of spotting the intricacies of wage and hour law early on.