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Question of the Month
I accepted a new job as the sole in-house attorney for a company. What
resources are available to aid a company’s solo in-house lawyer who has
limited support staff?
Answer: Get expert insight and advice for the solo in-house lawyer from ACC. Here are a few examples:
• Connect with ACC members like you: Small Law Department Committee and Listserv
• I Am the Law Department
• Small Law Department InfoPAK
• Technology Tools for Small Law Departments
• Using Non-Lawyer Personnel to Help Perform Legal Functions
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Upcoming ACC Webcasts/Online CLE
• SEC’s Proposed Rules on Executive Compensation
Tuesday, February 14, 4:00 PM (EST)
• Emerging Technologies for Finding and Mapping Discoverable Information
Thursday, February 16, 1:00 PM (EST); 6:00 PM (GMT)
• FERC’s Expanded Enforcement Authority Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005: Is Your Company Ready?
Wednesday, February 22, 2:00 PM (EST)
• Enterprise Compliance eLearning and Risk Assessments—Best Practices and Benchmarking from 700+ Companies
Thursday, February 23, 1:00 PM (EST); 6:00 PM (GMT)
• Canada Votes 2006—What the New Government Means for Your Business
Friday, February 24, 1:00 PM (EST); 6:00 PM (GMT)
• Common Problems in Technology Transactions: How to Recognize and Avoid Them
Tuesday, February 28, 2:00 PM (EST); 7:00 PM (GMT)
• Assessing
Corporate Vulnerability to New Union Organizing Tactics, Corporate
Campaigns, and Two Labor Federations: The In-House Counsel’s Playbook
Wednesday, March 8, 1:00 PM (EST); 6:00 PM (GMT)
• Hot SOX: Executive Compensation and other Sarbanes-Oxley Developments
Tuesday, March 14, 1:00 PM (EST); 6:00 PM (GMT)
Don’t forget that you can get CLE credit online through ACC’s
partnership with West Legal Ed Center. Programs presented by
in-house counsel at ACC’s Annual Meeting and other events are now
available at your convenience. Find out more.
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News: Attorney-Client Privilege, Auditor-Client Privilege
The US Sentencing Commission is considering an amendment to the
sentencing guidelines. At present, commentary in Chapter 8 allows
prosecutors to decide when it’s necessary for a corporation to waive
its right to exert privilege. The USSC is now soliciting comments about
whether or not this language is having “unintended consequences.” To
find out more and to learn how your company can submit feedback, see
the Federal Register notice on the USSC website; page 123 contains details of the attorney-client privilege commentary.
In addition, ACC filed an amicus in a case before the Texas Supreme
Court that questions the reliability of the accountant-client privilege
and related attorney-client privilege issues. Learn more and read ACC’s amicus.
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Find Out What Chief Legal Officers Are Thinking
ACC has been hosting a series of CLO Think Tanks, bringing together
small groups of top in-house counsel to discuss key business
issues. You have access to the executive reports from these
sessions, which provide insight into current trends and proposed action
points. Topics include:
• Attorney-client privilege
• Private company liability
• Corporate Governance
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ACC Adds Financial Services Committee
ACC now has 14 national committees representing practice areas and
types of practice ranging from corporate and securities law to small
law departments. The new Financial Services committee will serve the
interests of and develop resources for ACC members who work in the
finance, banking, investments, leasing, and insurance industries.
Please contact Jacqueline Windley at windley@acca.com for more information about this new ACC committee. Find out about all of ACC’s committees.
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This Month in ACC Docket
• If your company does business in Europe, you shouldn’t miss “Le Document, C’est Moi: Records Retention in Europe”.
• “Disasters and Insurance: Lessons for Businesses from Katrina and Rita” explains the vital role that in-house lawyers can play to help your company bounce back from disaster.
• “Beating Vendor Lockdown: Negotiating Software Licenses for Your Organization” will help you navigate this tricky process.
• For Legal Managers: Clorox vice president and general counsel, Laura Stein, discusses the importance of staff retention in this month’s “Tips & Insights”.
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New to In-house? Attend Corporate Counsel University
Have you recently entered a new phase in your legal career? If you are
new to in-house practice or moving up as a legal manager, ACC’s
Corporate Counsel University is for you. Open only to in-house counsel,
CCU provides you with opportunities to learn first-hand from in-house
colleagues and will emphasize practical tips and hands-on advice.
• ACC’s Corporate Counsel University, May 21-23, Baltimore, Maryland.
• ACC’s Corporate Counsel University, June 2006, Toronto, Canada: For
the first time ever, ACC will hold CCU in Canada. Contact Erica Pina at
pina@acca.com to be among the first to receive information when details
are finalized.
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Benchmark Your Approach to In-house Issues
ACC’s Leading Practice Profiles are unique and practical benchmarking
tools. Learn how legal departments from top companies are
addressing a wide variety of in-house issues, including:
• Corporate Governance Programs for Reporting Concerns
• Diversity
• Job Titles for In-house Lawyers
• Law Department Metrics
• Privacy and Data Protection
Check out all of ACC’s Leading Practice Profiles.
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For General Counsel: Affirmative Action Compliance
Sponsored by the law firm of Jackson Lewis, ACC’s InfoPAK, General Counsel’s Guide to Affirmative Action Compliance,
provides an overview of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance
Programs (OFCCP) and suggests steps a company can follow to determine
if it is subject to federal affirmative action regulations, and if so,
how to ensure compliance.
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Find Sample Agreements, Forms, and Check Lists from Around the Globe
From employment contracts in the Netherlands to checklists for starting
offices in Korea, ACC’s Virtual Library has hundreds of sample forms,
agreements and checklists from across the globe. Find the
international resources you need in the ACC Virtual Library.
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Don’t Miss ACC Europe’s Annual Conference
Join us for ACC Europe's 2006 Annual Conference: Taking the Lead as
In-house Counsel (14-16 May, Athenaeum Intercontinental Hotel, Athens,
Greece). Programs will feature legal updates, management advice, and
leadership thinking, and will open opportunities to network with the
best and brightest in the in-house legal profession in Europe. Get more information and register or contact a staff member at acceurope@acca.com.
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Register Now for the 2006 Forum on In-house Corporate Pro Bono
Corporate Pro Bono, a national partnership project of ACC and the Pro
Bono Institute, will host its 2006 Forum on In-house Corporate Pro Bono
March 2–3 at the Willard Inter-Continental Hotel in Washington, DC in
conjunction with the Pro Bono Institute Annual Seminar. The 2006
Seminar/Forum will place special emphasis on collaborations among
in-house counsel, law firms, and public interest organizations and
include a separate track devoted solely to the issues and challenges
that are unique to in-house counsel and legal departments developing or
undertaking pro bono projects. To register or for more information
about the 2006 Forum, please visit www.cpbo.org or contact Eve Runyon at erunyon@cpbo.org or 202.662.9699.
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Exclusive Offer from LexisNexis for ACC Members
LexisNexis® Analytical Content Solutions, designed exclusively for ACC
members, will help you save time, feel confident, and minimize business
risk with custom offerings to meet your information and budgetary
needs. LexisNexis’ specialized content menus are customized with
easy-to-use search selections combining practice guides, checklists,
and forms from 12 areas of law, including labor and employment,
corporate governance, healthcare, and general practice. Through the ACC
Alliance program, ACC members who choose to purchase a new LexisNexis®
Analytical Content Solutions menu at full price can select up to four
additional content menus for 75 percent off the full price. For more
information call 800.227.4908.
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