With a downtrodden economic climate and increased reports of corporate scandals, companies need to be aware of fraudulent activities that can occur.  What preventative measures can corporate counsel take to ensure that their employees have a clear understanding of workplace fraud?

Answer:  There are a number of useful resources on the topic of workplace fraud accessible at www.acc.com, including:  

• ACC/WeComply Ethicall:  The “Workplace Fraud Alert” Ethicall is a free two-minute phone message training that includes an overview of anti-fraud policies and an interactive hypothetical situation for employees to resolve.
• InfoPAK^SM:  Responding to Governmental Investigations
• Online CLE:  Fraud Planning and Prevention for In-house Counsel
• Annual Meeting 2008: Fraud Planning and Prevention for In-house Counsel
• Is Your Organization Prepared to Deal With Fraud and Corruption When It Occurs?

And for even more resources, plan to attend the 2009 ACC Annual Meeting, which will feature:
• Whose Ethics Are They Anyway? Storytellers Required
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Results from the 2008 ACC Chief Legal Officer survey are now available.  Find out what CLOs are thinking about in relation to alternative fee arrangements, impacts of the economic downturn, and legal department management issues.  Statistics, benchmarking data and analysis are all included in the Executive Summary & Survey Results; available to ACC members for free.  Click here to download the results.
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Online professional networking is now a growing area of importance for the legal industry, and it can be easy to get left behind.  Read this month’s ACC Top Ten Tips for Online Professional Networking in the Legal Community to find out how you can use online social networking to enhance your career.  If you are interested in authoring an ACC Top Ten, contact Nichole Opkins.
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The ACC Web site’s search engine has been upgraded to make your quest quicker, and easier.  Try it out now, visit www.acc.com. 
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Educational Program Materials
IMPORTANT UPDATE: In late March 2009, significant and far-reaching legislative amendments to Canada's Competition Law and Foreign Investment Regime were approved.  These changes and implications are discussed in detail in the below "Legislative Update," a temporary supplement to the InfoPAK^SM.
• Canadian Competition Law – Legislative Update 

Leading Practices Profiles
ACC Leading Practice Profiles provide best practices among in-house legal departments of varying size, industry and location.
• Leading Practices in Electronic Billing: A Technological Tool for Corporate Legal Departments
• Corporate Political Compliance: Best Practices for Legal Departments in Lobbying, Campaigning, and Gifts and Entertainment

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Did you know that April 22 marks the beginning of a two-year Green Generation Campaign, and nearing a 40th anniversary for Earth Day? The ACC Green-house Counsel* invites you to be part of the initiative and participate in local Earth Day activities in your area.  For more information, visit ACC Green-house Counsel.

*As a special Earth Day feature, ACC Green-house Counsel sponsor Holland + Knight, has authored an “ACC Top Ten Tips for Being Green in Your Professional Life.”


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Remember, you can help us to reach our goal by letting your colleagues know how much your ACC membership means to you—and why it should matter to them.  Recruit a member during ACC’s “Everybody Wins”  membership drive and not only will you help us to widen the network of in-house counsel around the world, but you’ll win a prize for every member you recruit.
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Your ACC membership card is now available online at My ACC: My Membership. Simply login to view your ACC membership card.  For questions, please contact the ACC Membership Department at membership@acc.com or +1 202.293.4103, ext.360.
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Join the nearly 3,000 ACC members who have volunteered to share their knowledge on more than 100 substantive law issues with other members in the ACC Member Knowledge Network. This unique online peer-to-peer community links you in to other members seeking guidance by learning best practices from real-world applications. For questions and/or recommendations, please send an e-mail to the ACC Membership Department at membership@acc.com.
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• New to In-house Institute (formerly known as CCU)
  Atlanta, GA, May 17 – 19
•  Mini MBA for In-house Counsel                    
   Boston, MA, June 3-5
• ACC Europe's 2009 Annual Conference
  Geneva, Switzerland, June 7 – 9
• ACC's 2009 Annual Meeting
  Boston, MA, October 18 – 21


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Mark your calendar today for the following ACC educational and training programs:

• April 22 – Fundamental Changes to Canadian Regulatory Legislation – Toronto
  8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
• April 22 – Effective Media Relations in Issues and Crisis Management – Calgary
  11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
• April 23 – Averting Corporate Disaster: Ethical Decision-Making for Employees – Montreal
  4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
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ACC Desktop Learning in April and May:

• Distressed Commercial Real Estate Solutions
   Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 PM GMT
• Cost Control in the Current Economic Environment
   Wednesday, April 29 at 5:00 PM GMT
• The World Bank and its Anticorruption Sanctions System
   Thursday, May 7 at 2:00 PM GMT

If you missed a previous webcast, archived webcasts are available for viewing at http://webcasts.acc.com.   For more information our ACC programs, go to www.acc.com/education.


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Meet. Talk. Act.  Three simple steps to a better law firm-client relationship.  Let the ACC Value Challenge help you open the lines of communication to reconnect value to the cost of legal services.  Get started today - click here!

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The International Law Office (ILO), in association with ACC Europe, welcomed hundreds of senior in-house counsel from over 60 countries gathered to recognize the achievements of the profession's elite.  The ILO European Counsel Awards 2009 were presented at a black-tie ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel in London.  For a full list of the ILO European Counsel Awards 2009 winners and photographs, visit the awards Web site at www.europeancounselawards.com.
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