Lawyers like to benchmark. After all, we frequently rely on precedent when we make decisions. Of course, at its simplest, precedent (like benchmarking) merely compares what someone did previously to help decide what we do today. Many law departments use this technique to see how they stand relative to their peers and recognized leaders in… Continue Reading
Category Archives: In-House Practice
Subscribe to In-House Practice RSS FeedHealth Reform: What Is a Retailer to Do?
Posted in In-House PracticeWhile many are playing the “wait and see” game, hopefully proactive companies like yours, and your Financial and HR leaders, are getting out in front. According to ACC’s Chief Legal Officer 2013 Survey, 50 percent of respondents said health care reform was a top challenge to be addressed over the next 12 months. Retail is… Continue Reading
Significant Amendments Proposed to Canadian Foreign Anti-Corruption Law
Posted in ACC Canada, In the News, In-House PracticeGuest Authors: This post was written by Justin Connor, chair, ACC’s International Legal Affairs Committee and Lucinda Low, Alexandra Baj, and Bibek Pandey of Steptoe & Johnson LLP. Earlier this month, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced proposed amendments to Canada’s foreign bribery law, the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (CFPOA)…. Continue Reading
Merging into Canada: The Risks, Rewards and Reaction of Law Firm Expansion
Posted in ACC Canada, In-House PracticeAs pressure mounts on law firms everywhere to stake claim in the global marketplace, Canadian firms continue to merge with large, internationally esteemed counterparts. This poses challenges and opportunities for in-house counsel, who are contemplating the residual impact of such acquisitions and their effect on long-lasting relationships with their outside counsel.
Where Have All the Lawyers Gone? Attracting the Next Generation
Posted in In the House, In-House Practice, Pro BonoAs law school applications decline, organizations seek alternative ways to attract the next generation of lawyers. Among the deterrents to the potential applicant pool are financial concerns and job opportunity. A recent New York Times article notes that “the number of law school applicants has decreased 20% within the past year,” based on a study… Continue Reading
Doing Business in the GCC: A Region of Competing and Contrasting Opportunities
Posted in ACC Europe, In the House, In-House Practice, On the RoadThe business opportunities opening up to international companies in the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) are fast increasing, but the six Persian Gulf countries that comprise it have different commercial attractions and potentially competing economic goals, participants learned at a recent Doing Business in the GCC conference held in London…. Continue Reading
The 2013 CLO Survey Highlights ACC’s 30th Anniversary
Posted in ACC News, In the News, In-House Practice, LeadershipAs I’m sure you’ve heard, ACC is celebrating its 30th year. It’s hard to believe that a shared lunch between distinguished members of our profession yielded an idea that has evolved into the leading, global association for in-house counsel. Well, it’s really not that hard to believe — after all, we have more than 30,000… Continue Reading
Global Compliance Concerns Carry Over Into the New Year
Posted in Around the World, In the House, In the News, In-House PracticeLast fall, the US Department of Justice and Security and Exchange Commission released new guidelines to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office unveiled revisions to the UK Bribery Act policies, giving corporate lawyers plenty to mull over within their departments. These two documents provide guidance and regulation for issues… Continue Reading
The Value Champions Strike Back
Posted in ACC News, ACC Value Challenge, Client-Firm Value, In the House, In-House PracticeSequels are quite underrated, particularly the second one in the series. Think about it. We all remember the first iterations of blockbuster movies, as if they were the gold standards, while most sequels are forgettable. Still, sometimes, the sequel outdoes the original. Lists of good sequels abound, but any such list has to include “The… Continue Reading
A [Value] Challenge for 2013: Throw Your Hat Over the Wall
Posted in Client-Firm Value, In-House PracticeWe have all seen the articles, attended the conferences or engaged in conversations that express dissatisfaction with law firm billing, the continued growth of legal costs generally, and the disconnect between cost and value received. I have heard these complaints since I first became involved with ACC over 21 years ago. Unfortunately, I think it… Continue Reading
Part II – A Discussion with Paula Boggs: Retired but Not Tired
Posted in In the House, In-House Practice, LeadershipAfter retiring from Starbucks at the age of 53, Paula Boggs journeyed to her vacation home in Santa Fe, where she suddenly found herself free of the obligations that had shaped her professional life. The phone calls, email notifications and meeting reminders were basically nonexistent. She was living the dream, so to speak, but soon… Continue Reading
ACC: A Circle of Leadership
Posted in In-House Practice, Leadership“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch “I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” – Ralph Nader These two quotes best express the dynamic, self-replicating nature… Continue Reading
Recognize and Motivate: Nominate a Colleague for ACC’s “Top 10 30-Somethings”
Posted in ACC Docket, In-House Practice, LeadershipAs an associate general counsel and vice president of the Royal Bank of Canada, I have a fairly extensive mandate that includes enterprise optimization, global capital markets and global dispute management. All of my team members are terrific, and, as is the case for many of us, I can never reward them enough for the great work that they do. As a result,… Continue Reading
Practical Tips for New GCs: Learn. Listen. Lead.
Posted in In the House, In-House PracticeLast Tuesday, ACC’s Law Department Management Committee hosted a webcast, “Practical Tips for the New General Counsel.” During the online presentation, moderators Kevin Blodgett, senior vice president and general counsel, Rockwater Energy Solutions, Inc., and Robin Snasdell, managing director, Huron Legal, outlined 10 practical tips for new GCs. “Begin with the End in Mind” was… Continue Reading
Attorney Client Privilege—Does Subject Matter Waiver Apply?
Posted in ACC News, In the House, In the News, In-House PracticeLast week, the Illinois Supreme Court answered the question of whether subject matter waivers should apply to attorney-client privilege, and subsequently, calmed the concerns of ACC and others by rejecting forced disclosure of attorney-client communications. Each day, companies and individuals seek the advice and counsel of lawyers through conversations and communications they assume are confidential… Continue Reading
Things I Wish I Learned in Law School
Posted in In the House, In-House Practice, LeadershipFor my “Introduction to the In-House Practice” class at Georgetown University Law School, I like to have experienced in-house counsel speak to my students. This exposes them to ideas they do not generally receive in other courses, with the added benefit that I always learn something as well. Recently, I asked Mike Dillon, a former… Continue Reading
A Discussion with Paula Boggs: Retired but Not Tired
Posted in In the House, In-House Practice, LeadershipFor 10 years, Paula Boggs served as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary to Starbucks Coffee Company. Earlier this year, she bid farewell to the coffee conglomerate and is now retired at the age of 53 — about 14 years ahead of schedule, according to a recent Gallup poll. For Paula Boggs, however,… Continue Reading
A Look Back at #ACCAM12
Posted in ACC News, Annual Meeting 2012, In the House, In-House Practice, On the RoadTake a look back at this year’s ACC annual meeting in sunny Orlando, Florida as attendees share their thoughts, experiences and perspective on the value of attending ACC’s annual meeting.
ACC – Weekly Review
Posted in ACC News, In the House, In-House PracticeHere at ACC, we meet the needs of global in-house counsel by providing support through information, networking, education opportunities and advocacy. Each week we update our website with resources and information to help support every level of your in-house career. Check out this week’s resources and next week’s events: Advocacy Actions Massachusetts and Minnesota go… Continue Reading
The New “Brazilian Way”: Doing Business in Brazil
Posted in Annual Meeting 2012, Around the World, In the House, In-House PracticeTiffani Alexander is managing editor of the ACC Docket, the award-winning journal of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). She earned her BA in Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park, and has a MA in Arts, Entertainment & Media Management from Columbia College Chicago. Tiffani can be contacted at Alexander@acc.com. As the sixth… Continue Reading
You Cannot Do It Alone!*
Posted in Annual Meeting 2012, In the House, In-House Practice, Leadership, On the RoadLast month, I closed my post Great Leaders Need Great Followers with a comment about the importance of “developing your own network of people whose judgment and discretion you can rely on.” Let’s expand on that thought. You should develop your own network because it is crucial to your success. You cannot do it alone!… Continue Reading
Managed Justice: Why the Trial of Gu Kailai Matters to Foreign Corporations in China
Posted in Around the World, In the House, In-House PracticeJames Zimmerman is an American lawyer living and working in China since 1998, and the author of the China Law Deskbook (American Bar Association, 3rd Ed. 2010). It came as no surprise when, on Aug. 20, 2012, Gu Kailai, the wife of ousted Communist Party official Bo Xilai was found guilty of murdering British businessman… Continue Reading
Renewing My Vows to ACC
Posted in ACC News, In the House, In-House Practice, LeadershipJoe Aronds is an Assistant Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc. in New Jersey, President of the New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association, and writer and illustrator of a monthly law-related cartoon, Overruled! When an in-house employment opportunity presented itself to me, the first thing I resolved to do was join… Continue Reading
Men Want to Have Fun, Too
Posted in In the House, In the News, In-House PracticeThat’s all they really want Some fun When the working day is done Girls – they want to have fun Oh girls just want to have fun Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about how women can achieve a better work/life balance in their careers. Starting with a provocative piece in the Atlantic Monthly,… Continue Reading