Question of the Month

I’m new to the in-house practice of law.  How do I get up to speed?

Answer: Turn to ACC for the resources, insights and advice that will help you make the most of your in-house career, from Annual Meeting materials to our new to in-house committee.

• Corporate Counsel University (in the US, Europe and Canada)
• Hallmarks of the Successful In-house Practitioner
• MemberToMember: Turn to your experienced in-house colleagues for advice on more than 100 practice areas.
• New to In-house Committee & Listserv: Connect directly with other new to in-house attorneys.
• New to In-house Practice InfoPAK
• Over 350 Things I Wish I'd Known My First Year as General Counsel
• Top 10: New to In-house Pointers

 

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Find out where you and your legal department stand among your in-house peers with just released data from ACC’s 2004 Census of In-house Counsel. The census covers a variety of in-house issues such as compensation, years of in-house experience, legal department structure and budget, and common legal research tools. Get your hands on this important practice information, now free to ACC members. Stay tuned for the release of ACC’s 2006 Census of In-house Counsel, which will be available for purchase soon.

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• Canadian Briefings: Corporate Governance in Canada
• E-data and Discovery: Protecting Your Company From Avoidable Risk: The Simple Steps That Every Executive Should Know
• Monitoring Litigation Holds in the Corporate World
• Rough Waters Ahead for Ediscovery and the New Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
• Trends in Discovery of Electronically Stored Information 

 
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Since 2000, ACC has conducted the Chief Legal Officer Survey in conjunction with the Annual Meeting in order to learn about current issues and topics that affect chief legal officers. This year’s survey showed more than 25 percent of chief legal officers say they will increase their use of outside counsel this year; the highest response to this question since 2001 and up from 16 percent in 2005. CLOs also offered their thought on emerging trends, diversity, and outside counsel management. See the full survey results.

 
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Have you recently entered a new phase in your legal career? If you are new to in-house practice, or are moving up as a manager in the law department, ACC's 5th Annual Corporate Counsel University: New Challenges, New Solutions (April 29 - May 1, 2007, St. Louis, MO), is for you. Open only to in-house counsel, Corporate Counsel University will teach you how to excel in your new role with sessions like: How to Apply Successful Management Techniques to the Law Department, Creating a Business/Legal Partnership with Your Clients and Revenue Recognition from the Lawyer's Perspective. New this year, we have added a separate track of programs for paralegals, which will provide them with skills to better serve their corporate client. Paralegal sessions include: Time Management for Busy In-house Paralegals, Rapid Document Retrieval Tips & Techniques, and Effective Project Management for the Corporate Paralegal. Registration is a steal for in-house counsel at only $700 and $650 for paralegals at ccu.acc.com. Questions? Contact the education team at education@acc.com or 202.293.4103, ext. 451.

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• Navigating Online Liability Issues
Tuesday, February 20, 12:00 PM (ET); 5:00 PM (GMT)
• The New World of Mandatory Reliability Standards: Who The Standards Apply To and What Steps Should You Be Taking
Wednesday, February 28, 11:00 AM (ET); 4:00 PM (GMT)
• Five Key Lessons to Learn from Today's Landscape of Complex Employment Litigation
 Thursday, March 1, 2:00 PM (ET)

Do the times of these webcasts conflict with your busy schedule? At your convenience, you can access both webcast replays through the online archive. Additionally, transcripts of previously aired webcasts can be found in ACC’s Virtual Library.

 
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ACC is very pleased to be working with the International Law Office (ILO) on its inaugural Global Counsel Awards. ILO is currently conducting research to identify leading in-house corporate counsel for these unique awards. We encourage you to participate by making a submission on behalf of your own team and colleagues (or others with whom you work closely). To make your submission(s), please complete our short online questionnaire. All submissions will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be disclosed to any third parties. Complete the questionnaire now.

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Are you looking for the next big step in your in-house career or are you looking for the best talent for your in-house department? Either way, ACC’s In-house Jobline, the premier career website exclusively for the in-house community, should be your first stop. With more than 900 current job positions sorted by practice area, location, job title and more, you will find what you need. Receive discounted rates on job postings, access the online career center, and post your resume for free. ACC’s In-house Jobline provides you with all of this and many more options to make your search easier.

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• Navigating the Complexities of C-Suite Relationships
•  CLOs Role in Governance and Compliance
• CLOs Role in Governance and Compliance--Canada
• Compensation and Career Advancement for In-house Lawyers

Visit the CLO homepage to see the briefing materials participants were given and to get lists of additional resources on these topics. 

Plan now to attend ACC’s 2007 Annual Meeting: Enjoying the Ride on the Track to Success (October 29-31, Hyatt Regency Chicago). We work hard to get our jobs done, and to advance in our careers, but in-house life is always full of twists and turns. No matter how well we map out our plans, each workday can present new and sometimes unexpected challenges. As always, ACC's Annual Meeting offers a variety of opportunities to meet, interact with, and learn from fellow in-house counsel along for the ride. Look for the complete 2007 Annual Meeting program schedule in your March issue of ACC Docket or register right now. Questions? The education team can help. Call 202.293.4103, ext. 451.

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ACC’s Top Ten lists provide quick overviews on hot topics for today’s in-house counsel. The newest list is Top Ten Ways to Avoid Becoming the Sales Prevention Department. For your convenience, check out some of the other achieved Top Ten lists, such as:

• Top Ten Lessons Learned by CLOs about Executive Compensation From the Stock Options Crises
• Top Ten Methods to Manage Outside Counsel
• Top Ten Tips For Corporate Counsel In Dealing With The New FRCP on e-Discovery
• Top Ten New to In-house Pointers

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Georgetown CLE Institute in cooperation with the Association of Corporate Counsel will present the 11the Annual Corporate Counsel Institute, March 8-9, 2007 in Washington DC. The agenda for this two-day program combines substantive law updates with practical tips for effective job performance.  Attendees will also have opportunities for valuable networking with in-house colleagues. Visit the website for a program schedule and registration information.

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