|
Question of the Month
I’ve been asked by my GC to develop a training program for the
company’s managers on harassment and discrimination in general.
Where do I start?
Answer: Let ACC help get you started. Here are just a few of the available resources.
• Affirmative Action Compliance
• Religion In the Workplace: How Accommodating Must You Be?
• Investigating a Sexual Harassment Complaint: Prompt Remedial Action
• Workplace Sexual Harassment Policies: Exercising Reasonable Care In Prevention
• Sample Policies:
- Boilerplate Agreement Regarding Inter-Employee Relations
- Respect for Coworkers and Others: Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment
- Policy Against Harassment and Sexual Harassment
[ Return to Top
]
Breaking News: Congress Takes Stand on Privilege
ACC continues to defend the attorney-client privilege on behalf of our
members and their clients. Yesterday, ACC participated in Congressional
hearings on the erosion of the attorney-client privilege. ACC and
its coalition partners, including the US Chamber of Commerce and the
Business Roundtable, appeared before the House Judiciary Subcommittee
on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. To support our
position, ACC released its second survey on the decline of the
attorney-client privilege in the corporate context. Every member
of the committee present, from both parties, voiced support for our
efforts to protect the attorney-client privilege and derided the
Justice Department’s policies. The representative from DOJ was
told to voice the committee’s displeasure to the rest of the DOJ and to
respond to requests for hard empirical evidence to justify its current
practices. The members further warned the DOJ to be prepared for
the wrath of the Judiciary Committee should it fail to re-assess its
posture on demanding or coercing waivers under the Thompson and
McCallum memos.
The hearings come a few weeks after an in-person meeting with Attorney
General Gonzalez during which ACC aired our concerns and made the case
that erosion of privilege hurts corporate compliance efforts. The
results of the survey released yesterday also will support ACC’s
testimony before the US Sentencing Commission on March 15. The
USSC is considering reworking or removing language from the sentencing
guidelines that offers the DOJ discretion in making privilege waiver
demands.
See the results of ACC’s new Attorney-Client Privilege Survey, the coalition’s statement to the House subcommittee and ACC's press release. You can also check out the latest ACC advocacy activities.
[ Return to Top
]
Upcoming Webcasts
• Today: The
In-house Counsel's Playbook: Assessing Corporate Vulnerability to New
Union Organizing Tactics, Corporate Campaigns, and Two Labor Federations
Wednesday, March 8, 1:00 PM (EST); 6:00 PM (GMT)
• Hot SOX: Executive Compensation and Other Sarbanes-Oxley Developments
Tuesday, March 14, 1:00 PM (EST); 6:00 PM (GMT)
• Reputations On The Line—The Legal Remedies Available for Dealing with a Media Crisis in the UK and Europe
Thursday, March 16, 12:00 PM (EST); 5:00 PM (GMT)
• Twenty-five Basic Employment Law Questions and Answers for Managing Foreign-based Employees
Tuesday, March 21, 1:00 PM (EST); 6:00 PM (GMT)
• Spring Cleaning: Steps To Reduce Electronic Discovery Costs Under the New FRCP Amendments
Thursday, March 23, 1:00 PM (EST); 6:00 PM (GMT)
[ Return to Top
]
Advance Your Career with In-house Jobline
Have you been thinking about changing jobs? Are you having
difficulty filling an open position in your law department? Look
no further than ACC’s In-house Jobline—the destination for corporate counsel career opportunities. In 2005, Jobline delivered these results:
• 4,424 In-house jobs posted
• 5,190 Resumes open for inspections
• 12,338 Attorneys registered as job seekers
• 40,291 Job applications filed
• 444 Average times a job was viewed
Searching the job listings and posting your resume is easy and always
free. ACC members receive a 20% discount on all job posting fees and
resume searches. Right now there are 770 open corporate counsel
positions and 6,800 resumes in the system. Log on to In-house Jobline today.
[ Return to Top
]
This Month in ACC Docket
• Can Benjamin Franklin help you curb litigation costs? Find out in “Keys for Thrifty Patent Litigation: Brainstorming with Benjamin”.
• Discover how using a case manager can make your job easier in “Focusing on Litigation Results: The Role of the Case Manager”.
• Read “Employment Litigation: The Long-term Benefit of Assertive Defense” to learn how to effectively handle employment-related claims.
• Small Law: “You Can Take Advantage of Litigation! Advice for the Small Law Department”.
[ Return to Top
]
New to In-house? Don’t Miss Corporate Counsel University
Open only to in-house counsel, Corporate Counsel University teaches
attendees how to excel by providing practical tips, hands-on advice,
and plenty of opportunities to interact with faculty and other
attendees. CCU Europe was a huge success (find out more here) and you have two more opportunities to take part in this can’t-miss event:
• ACC’s 4th Annual Corporate Counsel University: New Challenges, New
Solutions takes place May 21-23 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront in
Baltimore, MD. Get more information and register.
• ACC’s Corporate Counsel University Comes to Toronto! The program will
take place on June 25-27 at the Renaissance Toronto Hotel. Find out more and register.
[ Return to Top
]
Get the Latest Resources in ACC’s Virtual Library
The Virtual Library is constantly
updated with new articles, InfoPAKs, sample forms, and other online
resources. Here are the latest additions:
• Small Law: Contract Management for Small Law Departments:
This new Leading Practice Profile will help small law departments with
issues such as file and database management, contract review and
approval processes, and the use of boilerplate contracts, among other
topics.
• Strategic Planning for In-house Counsel:
This new InfoPAK offers advice on how to focus the energy of your team
effectively and ensure that members are working toward the same goals.
[ Return to Top
]
Outstanding Educational Opportunities for In-house Counsel
• ACC Europe's 2006 Annual Conference:
Taking the Lead as In-house Counsel (14-16 May, Athenaeum
Intercontinental Hotel, Athens, Greece). Programs will feature legal
updates, management advice, and leadership thinking, and will open
opportunities to network with the best and brightest in the in-house
legal profession in Europe. Questions? Contact a staff member at
acceurope@acca.com.
• ACC’s 2006 Annual Meeting (October
23-25 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, CA), is the educational
and networking event of the year for corporate practitioners. With over
100 programs providing practical advice on a broad range of legal
specialties, the 2006 Annual Meeting has something for every in-house
attorney. Check out the March ACC Docket for the newly released program
schedule or visit the annual meeting website for more information and to register. Questions? Contact the education team at education@acca.com or 202.293.4103 x451.
• Getting to Grips with China: A Business Imperative for the 21st
Century (May 19, 8:30 AM–1:00 PM, New York, NY). This CLE program will
focus on ways a company can protect its intellectual property assets
while doing business in China. For more information or to
pre-register for the event, please visit the events page at www.kilpatrickstockton.com.
[ Return to Top
]
Get Expert Advice From Your Peers
Nearly 3,000 ACC members have volunteered to share their experience and
knowledge with other ACC members as part of the MemberToMember network.
You can get insight on substantive law issues in more than 100 practice
areas, including outside counsel management, product liability, privacy
issues, and workers’ compensation. Use this resource to make your job
easier, or sign up to offer your own insight and advice at www.acca.com/membership/search.php.
[ Return to Top
]
Microsoft Legal Department Awarded 2006 CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award
The legal department of Microsoft Corporation was honored with the 2006
Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) Pro Bono Partner Award at the Pro Bono
Institute Annual Seminar and Forum on In-house Corporate Pro Bono on
March 2-3 in Washington, DC. The award recognizes innovative team
approaches to pro bono work involving public interest groups, law
firms, and in-house legal departments. The project being
recognized, Volunteer Advocates for Immigrant Justice (VAIJ),
coordinates pro bono legal assistance for indigent immigrants and
asylum seekers detained in Washington state. VAIJ, launched by
Microsoft Corporation and the American Bar Association’s Commission on
Immigration, also represents detained unaccompanied immigrant children
in removal proceedings. Volunteers from Microsoft’s in-house
counsel and several law firms assist VAIJ’s clients.
[ Return to Top
]
WeComply Offers ACC Members Free Compliance Training
WeComply, an ACC Alliance partner, is the leading provider of
customizable web-based compliance training on a wide variety of topics,
from “Antitrust Basics” and “Code of Conduct” to “Workplace
Discrimination and Harassment.” WeComply has over 40 training programs
and allows ACC member companies to train up to 100 employees free of
charge. WeComply's programs meet the industry standard for
interoperability with the leading learning management systems. Their
programs are accessible from any computer without special hardware or
software or a fast web connection. For more information,
including program summaries and sample programs, contact WeComply’s
sales department at 866.WECOMPLY x250 or send an email to
sales@wecomply.com. When inquiring, be sure to identify yourself as an
ACC member.
[ Return to Top
]
|
