What a Home Grown Girl Can Say about Global Legal Issues
(ACC Docket — June)
I admit it: my global travel experience is limited. I have only traveled out of the United States to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. You guessed it: two out of the three trips were for vacation. I am not the candidate of choice for anything international. And, to top it off, I only speak one language: English. When I was in school, we were not required to take a language. Hindsight tells me that this was a grave mistake in the American school system and I went right along with it.
That said, I am proud to say that my circle of friends, acquaintances and business associates are more varied than my global travel. I do not hesitate to ask them questions about their culture or country. We sometimes even discuss the dreaded no-no’s of social circles: politics and religion. But, I ask questions in such a way as not to offend or condescend, but to learn. After all, unless I travel to their countries and live within their cultures, how am I supposed to find out what it’s like? Luckily, the people I know are generous and provide me with details that I bank for further exploration. My global experiences are only just beginning and I seek as much information as possible to be prepared for future travel.
The global business relationship may not be the situation you want to walk into as a novice, as the environment can be nuanced and fraught with cultural and legal differences. This is where ACC can help. We provide not just resources, but people: other legal professionals who serve as in-house counsel in other countries. ACC’s International Legal Affairs Committee is comprised of an active group of members from various companies and stages of career development. They can show you the tools you’ll need to navigate your global journey. They offer insights you may not be able to find elsewhere. Some of their experiences are shared in this month’s ACC Docket. Six feature articles focus on some aspect of practicing law in a global setting. And, the June issue is also one of the issues in which we publish one of our three international-focused newsletters, European Briefings. Finally, if you truly can’t get enough global insight, our monthly “Going Global” and “Outsource Resource” columns are regular reminders that global business is literally a phone call or an email away. Technology has made it so that we can communicate at a much quicker pace, much to the delight of some and the chagrin of others. You never know when you might be called upon to expand your knowledge base to include global matters.
Whether your passport is covered with stamps or waiting to be filled, ACC offers you insight into international legal issues, customs and cultures. From Finland to Mexico, from Bulgaria to Quebec, from Nigeria to Hong Kong, in-house counsel must be ready to address the complexity that international business operations entail. ACC’s worldwide reach and resources provide your law department with best practices that capture a global perspective. And, this global issue of the ACC Docket will help you and your company navigate the globe — it’s a small world, after all.
