Canadian Lawyer INHOUSE has posted video coverage of the Annual Meeting, including views of the Exhibit Hall and interviews with Fred Krebs, ACC President, and several of the exhibitors. This is now the third movie Fred has starred in... who can guess the other two? (Hint: IMDB.com has one)
A few more great events took place on Tuesday evening. I'd like to believe it was because it was my birthday, and I'm sure our awesome members wouldn't stop me from thinking that :)
The International Attendees Dinner was held at Canlis, an amazing restaurant here in Seattle.
ACC couldn't be more proud of it's presence in 80 countries, as we continue to strive for global growth. Next year, we hope to be in over 100 countries.
After attending dinner, we headed to the ACC Southern California Chapter annual event- Martini's 'til Midnight, which was held in the Mayflower Park Hotel. Everyone had a great time, as they got to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. It was a fun way to wrap up the evening events at this year's Annual Meeting. Make sure you're here to enjoy these fun times next year at Annual Meeting 2009- Boston.
Just as I suspected in my last post, the event is starting to fill up. I'll be live blogging what happens from this point forward.
Take a look after the jump.
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Also prominent on the exhibition hall floor is a widespread athletics theme: lawyers crowded around a virtual golf game in one corner, a pair of young women blowing up mini soccer and footballs in the other and conversations about who lost to who are heard in passing everywhere. Among the companies offering up swag to keep their consumers fit was Stored IQ.
Who they are: An Austin-based tech company specializing in information management and IT matters and offering a variety of information classification tools.
What they brought: Bright orange frisbees for the ultimate crowd.
Why they brought it: We bring them to everything," said one of the three account executives at the booth. But have they been going quickly? "Not really," said another. "They tend to go faster at other shows, to be honest. Particularly IT shows." Does this mean the IT crowd is more physically active than the legal profession? We'll have to get back to you on that one.
A common theme among firms and companies representing themselves at the Annual Meeting this year are associating themselves with the theme of going green - biodegradable pens, reusable water bottles and other clever items have been seen all over the exhibition hall these past couple of days. Among the firms following the trend is Lindquist & Vennum.
Who they are: A 200 strong team of business attorneys, serving the country from offices in Colorado and Minnesota.
What they brought: Sturdy, reusable water bottles with a smooth finish that bear the firm's logo.
Why they brought it: "[We were looking at] because these are environmentally friendly," said a young representative at the firm's table. "And, they can be used around the office instead of plastic water bottles."
I've been uploaded photos to the ACC's Flickr stream throughout the day of some of the interesting swag I've found here at the ACC's Annual Meeting 2008 - and boy, is there a lot of it. It seems like nearly every firm or company tabling the event brought some goodies for attendees to take away. In my first of a few updates on the most unique items I've found, I focus on Chubb Group of Insurance Companies.
Who they are: With more than 100 years in the insurance business under their belt, Chubb is a global insurance provider with more than 120 offices in 28 countries.
What they brought: Candles and hand lotion.
Why they brought it: What connection does an insurance company have to candles? "We've got this zen theme going," said Product Manager Andrea J. Wysocki (pictured, left), pointing at the very zen-like stack of rocks pictured on the wall behind her. "We wanted it to feel like if you're insured with Chubb, you can rest easy."
I'm sitting here in room 615 of the Washington State Convention Center, awaiting the start of the session, "A Global Perspective on Data Security Breaches and Enforcement." Right now I'm the only person in the room...but there's still 20 minutes to showtime. And judging by the impressive panel of speakers - FTC Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour, Hunton & Williams Partner Lisa J. Sotto and Thomspon Reuters Assistant General Counsel for Global Privacy TJ Svensson - something tells me this room won't be empty for long.
I'm hoping to catch up with at least one of the panelists after they've presented to get their take on the event so far. Meanwhile, I'll be blogging the event as it happens. Check back at 2:30 p.m. PT, when that will be getting started.
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Last night, the New to In-house Committee was treated to a spectacular event at the Seattle Space Needle. Hosted by Thomson Reuters and Womble Carylye Sandridge & Rice, the NTI members enjoyed a great meal at the base of the Needle, followed by drinks and dessert in the observation tower. As I've mentioned in previous posts, NTI won the Committee of the Year award, which was only enhanced in excellence by Womble's win for Outstanding Committee Sponsor of the Year.
The most buzz-y program that I've attended so far was the panel on Crisis Management, featuring Charles Babcock, renowned courtroom lawyer; John DeGroote, a GC at BearingPoint, and Richard Levick, CEO and President, Levick Strategic Communications. It was a very full house of 200 or so and I'd be surprised if Mr. Levick didn't come away with some serious business -- his presentation was dynamic, definitive, and persuasive. (Plus, it's hard to argue with the sympathy that he his firmed as helped to create for, of all, people, Gitmo detainees.)
All the speakers agreed that when a crisis erupts -- CFO indictment, toxic leak, plant fire -- you need to walk a fine line between "no comment" and spilling your guts in public. "No comment" is old school. It certainly is what criminal defense lawyers, as well as many civil defense lawyers, has relied on as the ethical and measured response to disasters. But now, "no comment" in a sea of comments from the other side means that you lose the 13 people who are going to come from a heavily poisoned jury pool (the 13th being the judge). However, trying to tell your story from once upon a time to unhappily ever after never works out. Even if you are telling the absolute truth, SOMETHING you say will be turned against you -- either in the literal legal sense or in the court of public opinion. So, (1) know and assemble your crisis management team well in advance of any hothouse situation; (2) when the disaster strikes, have a script and stick to it; (3) provide the press with what information you can.
Richard Fuld of Lehman was used as an example of what not to do. Don't annoy the press by being arrogant and aloof; don't blame the press when your disaster strikes (he did exactly this in Congressional testimony); control your image as a likable player and it's less likely that you'll come out a villain (or that your bosses or members the board or management team will look bad).
sam
There's a lot going on here at the ACC's Annual Meeting '08, which has brought together folks representing law firms and in-house counsel from all around the world. With educational sessions covering diverse topics ranging from getting the most out of a new business to handling your first wrongful termination complaint, the information being presented this afternoon is both informative and diverse.
The exhibit hall must have covered two football fields, with law firms and legal services providers discussing their services and networking with attendees.
Tomorrow, LexBlog's Rob La Gatta will be covering the event in-depth. His updates will begin around 9 a.m. and will continue throughout the afternoon.
Housed in the largest exhibit meeting room, the hall was packed! That did not stop the panelist from breaking up the attendees into smaller groups and getting direct feedback on the presentation.
This session on negotiating terms within software contracts was very enlightening. One section focused on the clause dealing with what you might get free, an 'update' vs. something you might have to pay for, an 'upgrade'.
One note of interest:
They discussed the difference between 'updates' (maintenance releases/fix) vs. 'upgrades' (which are usually at an additional costs and considered improvement/enhancements). It is important the Licensee defines both terms in detail.
Make sure updates are not just what the Licensor wants to show you, but he/she is showing you the exact updates he/she is showing to third parties participating in the Licensor Service Program. One suggestion by the panelists to ensure you are seeing all the updates is to look into the version numbers the Licensor assigns to updates. For instance, updates might use 'y' or 'z' and upgrades might use 'x' or 'v'. Negotiate such 'letters' into the agreement as well.
Stay tuned for more.
Just got out of the Council of Committees meeting which was held this morning from 7am- 8:30am. Many topics were discussed, with great focus on the increase of committee leadership on the monthly teleconferences, as well as the addition of more roles for committee members to help in the production of more webcasts and InfoPaks. Talk of Annual Meeting 2009 (Boston) was already taking place, as well as discussion of the ACC Value Challenge.
The committee business lunches for the following committees will be taking place in the Grand Hyatt Seattle today from 12:45-2:15:
Sessions are about to start- get to class!
Greetings friends: My name is Stephanie Martz, and I am the Senior Director for White Collar Crime policy at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Back in the other Washington, I do a lot of advocacy work with ACC on issues such as the federal government's charging policies (demanding waiver of attorney-client privilege, firing "culprits," cutting off lawyers' fees, etc.), vicarious corporate criminal liability, and sentencing. So I am very happy to be here to check out this amazingly huge meeting and offer some impressions and information.
But first things first: What shwag! Well done people! I have to say that the trout hot mits from Corporate Service Company seemed to be a big hit, and they were high-visibility. I also got an LED martini glass from Protiviti (my kids will like it for ice cream -- I never touch the stuff -- at least not after last night) , a t-shirt all folded up like a starfish from Steptoe & Johnson, and I won a $50 I-Tunes certificate by spinning the wheel thingie! That's almost enough scratch to make my I-Pod hip.
Because I can't get enough attorney-client privilege, I think I'm going to check out the "How to Respond to Your Financial Services Agency" panel this morning, and maybe the crisis management panel after that (criminal defense lawyers are nothing if not crisis managers). See you there!
The Exhibit Hall was buzzing with vendors and attendees, exchanging a welcome hello. Many were visiting vendors they met last year, that now have them as a client. Some were reconnecting with old friends. Either way, you can feel the energy and excitement in the air. Especially when the event officially ended at 7pm and most stayed around until 7:30pm.
Today, we will dive into sessions, committee meetings, and dinner parties. So, come join us!
Just got back from the Leadership Dinner which was held at the Experience Music Project- a beautiful venue. A great evening all around.
Here's a shot from the event. 
Congratulations to the following award recipients recognized this evening for their great efforts and accomplishments:
COMMITTEES OF THE YEAR: Employment & Labor Law Committee and the New to In-house Committee
COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF THE YEAR: John DeGroote; Carol Rick Gibbons; and Kimberly W. White
COMMITTEE SPONSOR OF THE YEAR: Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC
OUTSTANDING CHAPTERS: Austin Chapter; Colorado Chapter; Delaware Valley Area Chapter (DELVACCA); and San Diego Chapter
CHAPTER CHALLENGE: Austin Chapter; Central Ohio Chapter; San Francisco Area Chapter; Washington Metropolitan Area Chapter (WMACCA)
Looking forward to kicking off the sessions tomorrow.
The pre-meeting buzz for the ACC Board sub-committee meetings is about providing value to the members in this economic downturn. For example, if a member is facing a 10% cut in their budget, ACC needs to provide resources to fill that 10% void. In addition, since time saving resources are paramount, ACC's resources must meet the challenge our members are facing - providing resources that save our members time in a bigger way than we have done in the past.
We will keep you posted as the economy takes a front seat at ACC's 2008 Annual Meeting.
We, the staff, have taken the 8 minute tour, done our radio check and figured out where the bathrooms are....so we are ready for the Annual Meeting. In many ways, the sessions will highlight items in-house already know but most importantly, it will bring to the forefront the many legal issues we are not focusing on and should be!
We will be taking notes, providing the highlights, but also bring you comments from your 'fellow' members on areas of law that need to be refocused upon.
In these difficult economic times, I have no doubt the conversation will surface about just how MORE important the in-house counsel will be in the upcoming years. Perhaps departments will expand and less outside counsel hiring? Perhaps the department structure will have to change? Metrics will be deemed more important?
Stay tuned and see how this all unfolds.
Who says Seattle is rainy? It's a BEAUTIFUL day here- Sunny and 48 degrees. No complaints. I got up early this morning and took a brisk walk to Pikes Place Market to have breakfast with one of my co-workers. If you get the chance, I highly recommend grabbing breakfast at Lowell's in the market. Great fresh food, friendly service, and a killer view.
Leadership Development Institute (LDI) is held every year at Annual Meeting for the incoming leaders of ACC's Chapters and Committees. Run by our Director of Member Development & Chapters, Tori Payne, and assisted by our Legal Resources Director, LDI focuses on whatr the new leaders of our chapters and committees need to know to head the most productive and active groups. Having personally worked arm and arm with two of our 17 committees (one being New to In-house, which was awarded Committee of the Year, thank you very much), I know that the leaders work at LDI pays off! The training focuses on recruiting new chapter board members, motivating staff, increasing programming best practices, and much more. This year, ACC has invited Peter Stark, a published professional with 15 years of career coaching and strategic planning experience, to speak at LDI. We couldn’t be more excited to have him share his expertise with us.
If you are attending the meeting and are interested in taking a more active role in your committee or chapter, please email Tori Payne or check with one of us at registration for more information.
Well, I’m about to head to Seattle to start the set up process for Annual Meeting. A few of the ACC staff heads to the site to prepare before our attendees join us for a CLE extravaganza. I’m particularly looking forward to our Going Green track of programs. It’s been a hot topic for awhile and it’s going to be great to hear how other in-house counsel are helping their companies comply with appropriate laws as well as be socially conscious.
In the same vein, I encourage you to check out our Green-house Counsel tip of the week. It's a weekly tidbit of environmental information, provided to us by Holland + Knight, to help you help your company and your legal department be more green. I know, I know, I've been highlighting this product a lot, but it's really something that is of great interest to me, and to us here at ACC. At Annual Meeting '07, we went coursebook-less, by preparing customized emails for attendees which contained all of their course materials. This was our answer to cutting the use of paper and creating less of a footprint on the environment. It was received so well that we decided to do it again this year. And Seattle is a great place to embrace these green initiatives, as it is a city that prides itself on being clean & green.
I'm looking forward to getting out west. If you're coming to the meeting, let's hear from you! What are you most excited about?
ACC's Green-house Counsel is something we launched on Earth Day of this year. It's a weekly web feature which delivers resources, tips and facts to help your company adopt policies that are environmentally friendly – and often cost-effective, too. If you get the chance, make sure to check it out each week at acc.com/gogreen to learn how you can make your environment a greener one!
I'd be interested to know of anything you readers have implemented in your daily routines to become more 'green'.
Also, if you are attending this year's Annual Meeting in Seattle, make sure to stop by the ACC Booth (#831) in the exhibit hall, and pick up your green gift- I promise it's a good one, and it won't take up much space in the suitcase.
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