President's Message
ACC
Europe introduces a new-edition newsletter; fitting, then, that this is
my first official membership-wide communication as ACC Europe’s
president for the fiscal year ending September 2006.
As
I write, our ACC/ACC Europe leaders and staff continue to work
diligently to ensure the numerous membership benefits remain available
to our members. This newsletter is just one of those
benefits—an alternative source for information about resources that you
may find make your job easier; activities that provide an opportunity
for you to sharpen your skills and meet other in-house professional
colleagues; and expert perspectives on important legal developments. This
edition introduces ACC Europe’s new 2006 leadership team (officers,
board members and country representatives), and provides information on
upcoming programs. In particular, it discusses ACC Europe’s
new-to-in-house program—ACC Europe’s Corporate Counsel University (a
first this year for Europe) to be held in February in Amsterdam.
This past summer, ACC Europe leaders met in Brussels prior to the
Annual Conference to develop a multi-year strategy plan. From
this exercise, we developed a long list of objectives to support the
four key association values:
- “By
in-house, for in-house”—An association of in-house legal professionals
focused solely on meeting the needs of in-house colleagues;
- “The
business of developing in-house professionals”—Providing members with
substantive resources (e.g., educational programs, sample policies,
expert analysis of evolving legal practice, form documents, and the
like) to develop professionally and succeed at all career levels from
senior legal professionals to those just starting out;
- “Promoting
the interests of European in-house professionals”—aligning with other
legal professionals in advocating on behalf of in-house legal
professionals; and
- “The in-house network”—creating diverse opportunities for maintaining an active in-house professional network.
In
addition, we conducted a member needs assessment to learn what members
wanted from their ACC Europe experience. “Hot” issues are: managing
time/workload; departmental cost constraints; and staying abreast of a
dynamic, international legal profession. From the
survey results, ACC Europe members indicated their interest in programs
that address: European legal developments and trends; board governance
and relationships; government regulation/compliance; the evolving roles
for in-house counsel; organizational value for the in-house legal
department; and controlling legal costs.
The
board and country representatives appreciate your collective feedback
and have specifically incorporated your issues and program interests
into ACC Europe’s annual programming schedule. As
well, you’ll be pleased to know that one of the many objectives for
this year is working with ACC/ACC Europe staff and leaders to develop
and make available more European-oriented content and resources—a
request many of you made in your survey responses.
ACC
Europe is an association comprised solely of in-house legal
professionals. The
collective commitment of our in-house ACC Europe leaders (as well as
the relentless efforts of a handful of staff members) ensures that
members continue to have a wide variety of opportunities to benefit
from membership. I thank all of them mentioned in this newsletter
(and many unnamed others) who continue to support their fellow
members. ACC Europe would not exist without them.
We have a full agenda for 2006, and I encourage you to get involved in our various local/regional activities. If
you have a particular topic on which you would like to speak (don’t
forget ACC Europe’s Annual Conference in May—we’re always in need of
in-house faculty!), write an article for the ACC Docket, or submit a resource for the ACC Virtual Library, don’t delay.
You may have noticed a new person responding to your inquiries. Catherine
Carton has joined the ACC Europe chapter to assist with the
coordination and execution of chapter programs, meetings and events,
communications, and membership. Contact Catherine Carton at acceurope@acca.com
(or any of the other ACC Europe leaders) for questions about how to get more involved. Opportunities to
participate in ACC Europe abound; get engaged— it’s what distinguishes
the ACC Europe membership.
Enjoy this
newsletter and upcoming editions! In
the year ahead, I very much look forward to meeting many more of you
personally, most certainly at ACC Europe’s Corporate Counsel
University, 12-14 February at the Amsterdam Marriott Hotel, and ACC
Europe’s signature Annual Conference: “Taking the Lead for
In-House Counsel,” May 14-16 2006, at the Athenian Intercontinental in
Athens.
Stephen Faciszewski
President
