Question: I am in-house counsel for a multinational company, and we have noticed an ever- increasing level of activity among our employees on various social media sites. However, we have discovered we neither have policies governing employees’ social media use or activity, nor do we have a presence as a company in social media.  Does ACC have any resources to assist our development of a company policy regarding employee social media activities, especially activities that effect a company’s image or information?  Also, does ACC have any resources to guide us in developing our company’s presence in social media?

Answer: Yes, ACC has several resources to guide both employee and company use of social media sites.  Below are a few resources to assist you:

• Sample Blogging and Social Networking Policy
• Workplace Information Risk in the Digital Age: Monitoring Employees, Social Media Challenges, Managing Access to Data and Optimizing Flexibility
• Exploring the Risks & Rewards of Social Media: Ten Tips for Success
• Employee Confidentiality Policy
• The Regulatory Regime for Social Media (Yes, There is One--or Several): Traps for the Unwary
• Optimizing Regulatory Compliance When Using Social Media
• Workplace Challenges Associated with Employees’ Social Media Use
  Social Networking, Ethics & Discovery

For more legal resources, go to www.acc.com/legalresources.
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• **NEW** ACC’s Corporate Counsel Institute Canada (March 25–27, Toronto, ON) Specially designed for Canadian counsel in the first five years of their in-house career, this program provides a great opportunity to learn directly from some of Canada’s most accomplished general counsel and CLOs on how to build a successful in-house career by developing skills you won’t get in a law firm environment.
  Topics include:
  
  • Contracts: Drafting Indemnities & Limitations of Liability
  • Finance & Accounting for In-house Counsel
  • How to Set Up Effective Compliance Programs
  Learn more and register at www.acc.com/ccic. 
  
• Export Controls and Privacy Related Constraints to Cloud Computing and Other Cross-border IT Projects – Quebec – February 22
  
• **NEW** ACC’s Compliance & Ethics Training Program: Learn how to set up an effective compliance training program or improve your existing one with ACC’s new program — “Protecting Your Company:  Training Your Employees to Comply with the Law” (May 1–2, New Orleans, LA). For more information, visit www.acc.com/ce.
• ACC Webcasts: Earn CLE/CPD from the comfort of your home or office with online learning from ACC. For a complete list of our upcoming webcasts, click here.
• ACC’s Legal Service Management Workshops (February 28–29, Dallas, TX; or May 2–3, Minneapolis, MN): Learn more and register at www.acc.com/legalservicemanagement.
• Business Education for In-house Counsel For more information visit, www.acc.com/businessedu.
• Mini MBA for In-house Counsel (March 5–7)
• Advanced Mini MBA for In-house Counsel (March 6–8)

For more information on all of ACC’s educational programs, please visit www.acc.com/education.
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Register before March 7 for ACC’s 2012 Annual Meeting (September 30 – October 3, Orlando, FL) to secure the lowest member rate of $1,300 (USD)! Come to this premier conference to network with your peers, meet leading legal service providers, and get your legal education done by choosing from 100+ CLE/CPD programs including ethics & compliance programs. Learn more and register at am.acc.com.
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If you have implemented value-based pricing and related management practices advocated as part of the ACC Value Challenge, it is time to tell us your story. Your collaboration could be selected as an ACC Value Champion and recognized within the profession! We will celebrate your accomplishments and share your management tactics, enabling others to model your successes and drive value for clients. Nominations are due by March 15, 2012. To submit your story or for more information visit www.acc.com/valuechampions.
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Featured InfoPAK:

• Canadian Labour and Employment Law

Featured Top Ten Articles:

• Steps to Take When the FTC Investigates Your Company’s Privacy Practices
• Rules for Mergers and Acquisitions Success
• Recent Compliance Developments in Latin America
• Anti-Corruption Compliance in Brazil: Top Ten Considerations
• Action Steps to Take if You Have an Independent Contractor Compliance Issue
• Basics of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Compliance for the Small Legal Department

Featured QuickCounsels:

• Environmental Due Diligence in M&A Transactions
• Buyer Due Diligence in Government Contractor M&A Transactions
• Foreign Investment: What, Why and How?
• Cloud Computing in eDiscovery and Information Governance
• Optimizing Regulatory Compliance When Using Social Media
• Foreign corrupt practices act, and the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Public Officials in International Business Transactions

We’ve done the work for you. The ACC Alliance brings you exclusive discounts on legal services from a select set of providers, getting you the best solutions at unmatched prices. Here are three featured partners for this month:

• Applied Discovery is an established leader in ediscovery services including multinational collection, data analytics, managed review and more. ACC members qualify for complimentary consulting services, discounts on the Leverage™ technology suite, and other exclusive materials and opportunities.
• Robert Half Legal provides attorneys, paralegals and legal support professionals on a temporary, project and full-time basis. ACC members can save up to $1,000 (USD) when you hire a project attorney or $500 (USD) when you hire a project paralegal.
• WeComply offers customizable, convenient and cost-effective ethics and compliance training on 60+ topics that every organization needs. Employees can access their assigned training and periodic “refreshers” at any time and from anywhere by computer or smartphone. WeComply provides ACC members with a 20% discount on their compliance-training purchases.

Find out more about these featured ACC Alliance Partners and others at www.acc.com/alliance.
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Learn more about media coverage of ACC when you visit ACC in the News, including:

• Wrestling With the Billing Issue (Canadian Lawyer Magazine)
• Warning: If the Email You Just Read Isn't for You, Don't Read It (The Wall Street Journal)
• In-house Group to Pool Best Practices (The Daily Record)
• ACC Challenges Illinois Ruling on Attorney-Client Privilege (Corporate Counsel)
• How Effective is the Corporate Secretary? (Corporate Secretary)
• A General Counsel’s Take On LPM & Foreseeability (At the Intersection)

If you have any questions, or wish to receive additional information about items included in this month's newsletter, please contact the Legal Resources Department at legalresources@acc.com or the Membership Department at membership@acc.com.
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