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| Question of the Month |
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Question of the Month My law department is determining how best to manage our expanding workload. Our General Counsel does not think outsourcing is efficient, as we often spend more time coordinating outside and inside resources than if we had managed the matter ourselves. Nevertheless, we are finding it difficult to quantify the cost-benefit of working with outside counsel versus hiring another attorney. We have also had difficulty coming up with a cost justification for adding another attorney, as most of our work is preventive, making it difficult to demonstrate to management that the corporation will reduce costs or increase revenue by adding the resource.
What resources does ACC have on metrics and benchmarking data used by other law departments to measure their value, financial impact and/or efficiency within the organization? Answer: ACC has several resources designed to assist in-house counsel with law department metrics, including: • The ACC Value Challenge • The 2008 ACC/Serengeti Managing Outside Counsel Survey InfoPAKs • Law Department Management • Strategic Planning for In-House Counsel • The Value and Benefits of In-House Counsel Leading Practices Profiles • Adding Value and Moving Beyond the Cost Center Model • Law Department Metrics • Strategic Outsourcing and Alternative Service Models Other Resources • Constructing Standard Metrics of Your Law Department’s Value (ACC Docket) • Do More with Less (And More Easily): Top Ten Technology Tips for 2008 (Webcast) • Metrics to Creating and Fostering a Successful Law Department (2007 Annual Meeting) • Using Litigation Metrics to Demonstrate Value to the CFO (2007 Annual Meeting) • ACC’s Law Department Executive Leadership Management Report: Developing and Implementing Law Department Metrics that Work Back to top |
| Education |
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SAVE THE DATE! - ACC’s 2009 Annual Meeting Mark your calendar now for ACC’s 2009 Annual Meeting to be held October 18-21 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA. There you will find resources that will save you time, effort and money (not to mention more than 100 CLE sessions and many networking events)! Back to top |
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European Competition Law Update 2009 ACC Europe is delighted to welcome back the annual Baker & McKenzie series of seminars and workshops on European Competition Law Update. The program consist of half-day seminars, followed by a networking lunch and interactive workshops organized in collaboration with ACC Europe, and provide an invaluable overview of the most recent competition law developments and policy initiatives at EU and national levels. Seminars are scheduled to run from February through September 2009, and the following European cities will provide the venue for the series: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, and Zurich. Please go to the ACC Europe web site at http://www.acc.com/europe for updated information for each city.
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Now Available: 2008 Annual Meeting Course Materials Access to course materials from the Annual Meeting is now available at http://am.acc.com. Access all full version program materials for only $250. You will find sample forms and contracts, outlines, articles, and many more resources, largely prepared by in-house counsel, for in-house counsel. Back to top |
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Let ACC Help You Lead the Way Save the date for ACC’s Spring 2009 Executive Leadership Institute (ELI), April 19-22 at the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta, GA. Topics to be covered include leadership styles, strategic planning and management, employee motivation, performance appraisal, and working with teams. ELI was created for CLOs, practice area managers, and others with managerial responsibility to help them assume the leadership role right for them. Visit http://www.acc.com/leadership/ for more information. Questions should be directed to ACC’s education team at education@acc.com or 202.293.4103, ext. 451.
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ACC's 2009 Corporate Counsel University®, May 17-19, Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, GA Open to in-house counsel, Corporate Counsel University® will teach you how to excel in your new role during this time of change and economic hardship. A separate track of programs will be offered this year for paralegals, which will provide the basis for acquiring knowledge and enhancing skills to serve the corporate client further. Note: This track will be separate from the corporate counsel tracks; paralegals and/or other non-legal registrants will not be eligible to register for sessions on these other tracks. Back to top |
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Upcoming ACC Webcasts ACC presents the following webcasts: • ADA Amendments Act -- Is Your Company Ready?
If you have missed a previous webcast, archived webcasts are available for viewing at http://webcasts.acc.com. Back to top |
| My Membership |
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Renew Your ACC Membership and Get a Free Online Educational Program Recently, we mailed renewal invoices for everyone with a December 31 expiration date. Remember, if you renew by December 12, you will qualify for a FREE ACC online educational program through WestLegalEdcenter. Renew online at www.acc.com/membership/renew.php or over the phone with us at 202.293.4103, ext.360.
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In-transition? Retired? Read On. Did you know that ACC offers both a retired membership (US $95 annually) and an in-transition membership (membership fees waived for the first year and reduced for a second year if needed) to ensure you can stay connected to ACC resources throughout every stage of your career? Contact us at membership@acc.com or 202.293.4103, ext.360 for the application form and additional information. Back to top |
| Resources |
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The ACC Docket Wants You! ACC offers a number of writing opportunities for would-be authors. You may write for the ACC Docket, European Briefings, and Canadian Briefings. For more information on writing for the Docket or European Briefings, contact Kim Howard at howard@acc.com or 202.293.4103 x320. If you are interested in writing for Canadian Briefings, contact Diane Rusignola at rusignola@acc.com or 202.293.4103 x348. For additional information, visit www.acc.com/docket.
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Legal Resources Now ACC members can enjoy an added global resource, access to the Practical Law Company’s (PLC) Cross-border Quarterly and Law Department Quarterly magazines, and PLC Cross-border Handbooks. These handbooks are multi-jurisdictional guides dedicated to a particular legal topic or industry, and allow you to search the Country Q&A by question and jurisdiction. Handbooks include topics such as:
• Doing Business in a Particular Country (China, Brazil, India and other countries)
Benchmarking Studies
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Green-house Counsel Read the ACC Green-house Counsel, supported by Holland + Knight, for weekly tips on how your company can easily reduce its environmental footprint, and still save money. Visit www.acc.com/GoGreen to learn more. Back to top |
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Stay in the Know. Visit In-House ACCess Read our blogger's postings, express your own opinions, or merely peruse dialogue. Visit In-House ACCess to stay connected to the news & views impacting the in-house counsel community throughout the world. Are you an in-house blogger? Do you write a blog that other in-house counsel would be interested in reading? If so, send your link to Nichole Opkins at opkins@acc.com.
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ACC Top Ten: Top Ten Technical Questions from Litigators on Collecting, Reviewing, and Processing Electronic Data These days, the wish for clients to stop putting words on paper has been fulfilled…in a way. Read this month's ACC Top Ten to learn how to formulate an efficient and effective process for collecting, reviewing and processing electronic data for a successful e-Discovery effort. Visit www.acc.com/topten. Back to top |
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Customize YOUR News with ACC Newsstand If you are a member, you are receiving the highly acclaimed ACC Newsstand, which provides updated news in over 40 practice areas in over 40 jurisdictions. ACC knows your time is limited, so we hope you take a brief moment to customize the practice areas and jurisdictions you are receiving on a daily basis. Click on “My Account” in your next ACC Newsstand email and select the practice areas and jurisdictions you are interested in. Back to top |
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ACC Alliance Partners - Working for You ACC members can benefit from partnerships with top-tier legal and business service providers with services specifically designed for the in-house practitioner at special rates.
Fios focuses on understanding your organization’s e-discovery business challenges in the context of current and anticipated litigation. Gain an objective view of current e-discovery practices by engaging Fios in a Situation Analysis. IntraLinks, recognized as the market leader in online workspace solutions, offers corporate legal departments a better way to manage the exchange and storage of their company’s most confidential and sensitive information. For more on these and the other ACC Alliance Partners, visit www.acc.com/alliance.
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| News & Announcements |
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Welcome ACC’s 25,000th Member! Recently, ACC reached 25,000 members worldwide with the addition of Ms. Mayda Prego, Chevron Corporation’s Senior Counsel, to the South Florida Chapter. ACC extends a warm welcome to Ms. Prego, and thanks her and all ACC members for playing an active role in this significant milestone.
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The 2009 ACC Board of Directors At the 2008 Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA, ACC swore in its new Chair and members to its Board of Directors. The newly elected members include:
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Expanding Our Global Community In the spirit of continued collaboration and sharing of resources, ACC and the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association (ACLA) have recently expanded their global relationship to increase the exchange of information to benefit our respective organizations including: • ACLA members may subscribe to ACC's online resources for a fee.• Guest editorials and exchange of articles between the ACC Docket and Australian Corporate Lawyer. • Leaders of ACC and ACLS will continue to attend each other’s conferences and speak on in-house issues from their respective countries. • ACC continues to work with the Corporate Lawyers Association of New Zealand (CLANZ) and the Asociación Nacional de Abogados de Empresa (ANADE) to exchange information and ideas. For more information on ACC’s global resources, please visit www.acc.com for more details. Back to top |
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International Law Office: Research on Outstanding Corporate Counsel The International Law Office, together with ACC, is conducting research to identify leading in-house corporate counsel for the third annual Global Counsel Awards. To participate, make a submission on behalf of your team and colleagues (or others with whom you work closely). To make your submission(s), please complete the short online questionnaire at www.globalcounselawards.com.*
*All submissions will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be disclosed to any third parties. Back to top |
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ACC in the News Media coverage of ACC has skyrocketed over the past months, including articles on the ACC Value Challenge, ACC/Serengeti 2008 Managing Outside Counsel Survey, and the ACC/Jackson Lewis Workplace Survey. In case you missed them on www.acc.com, the top three news placements are listed below. For a complete listing of ACC’s media coverage, visit ACC in the News. • ACC Chair Ivan Fong discusses with the New York Times the effects of the economic downturn on in-house counsel in “Even Law Firms Feel Strain of Layoffs and Cutbacks.”
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