ACC Focus on the New Jersey Chapter - January 8, 2010 (Print All Articles)

NJCCA President's Message

by Valerie Camara

To the Membership,

Happy New Year!

Well your executive officers, board of directors and committee leaders are off to a running start with plans for 2010.  As you know we will all need to comply with the NJ Supreme Court mandatory continuing legal education requirements.  NJCCA is beginning to plan CLE programs that will enable you to meet those requirements in a cost effective and efficient manner.  NJCCA anticipates we will be able to becoming an approved CLE provider, particularly since we are a NY CLE provider.

We have dates for many of our major events and we're contemplating adding a CLE component to our Spring Cocktail Reception and Annual Dinner Meeting.  As the details for these events are finalized we will be sending out the hold the dates notices.

Thank our members and sponsors for your support of NJCCA and we look forward to your participation in our upcoming events.

Valerie Camara
NJCCA President

Third Annual Holiday Outreach

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Teaser here

On December 9th, NJ Corporate Counsel Association held its Third Annual Holiday Outreach event, where members wrapped children's books to be donated to the children living in a number of domestic violence shelters in New Jersey.

NJCCA Board Profile - Bret Parker

Our ongoing series profiling NJCCA Board members.

1. Tell us a little bit about your personal background.
I was born and raised in New York City, where I live with my wife (Katharine Parker, a partner at Proskauer Rose) and our two sons.  I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Fordham Law School.

2. What was your first job? 
During high school, I had a job at Baskin & Robbins that didn’t work out well because I either put the ice cream scoops on the cones too firmly (and broke the cones) or too gently (scoops feel off).  My first job after law school was clerking for Judge K. Michael Moore in the United States District Court in Miami – it was one of the best jobs I have ever had.

3.  What motivated you to become a lawyer? 
I studied constitutional law and majored in political science in college, and was drawn to the analytical aspect of law.  At Penn, I worked on the student newspaper and for the Associated Press, writing stories about legal matters.  Some of my stories were reproduced in newspapers around the country, including The New York Times.  These experiences sparked my interest in media and intellectual property law.  After my clerkship I went to the now defunct law firm of Townley & Updike because of its well-regarded media and IP practice.  Later, I moved to Dorsey & Whitney with a group of lawyers.

4. Tell us about your in-house experience.
My first in-house job was at Colgate-Palmolive Company in 1997 where I handled trademark and copyright matters for a number of different brands.  At Wyeth, which I joined in 2004, my team and I were responsible for worldwide trademark/trade dress and copyright litigation, anti-counterfeiting enforcement, internet issues, trademark clearance and prosecution, counseling, and various intellectual property aspects of transactions. I also helped coordinate aspects of Wyeth's trade secret protection efforts and created and then ran our pro bono program.  Now that Pfizer and Wyeth have merged, I am at Pfizer for a transitional period and am looking for a new in-house opportunity.

5. What do you find most rewarding about your job?
At my law firm jobs, most of my work was litigation involving problems after they surfaced.  As in-house counsel, I get to work directly with our business people to avoid issues proactively and to help them achieve their goals while creating protectable and valuable intellectual property.  I also get to work with an amazing team of dedicated attorneys and non-lawyer staff who work hard and support each other.

6. Tell us about your position with NJCCA.
I am on the Board of Directors of NJCCA and chair the Pro Bono and Outreach Committee.  Our committee has helped to organize various events over the past few years and assisted in advocating for a rule change that expanded the ability of in-house counsel to perform pro bono work.

7. What do you find most rewarding about your association with NJCCA?
Through NJCCA, I’ve met many talented people with expertise in a variety of substantive areas and industries.  I constantly learn from other NJCCA members and believe my practice has benefitted from being involved with the organization.

8. What do you like to do in your spare time?
When I’m motivated, I enjoy running and have completed the New York City Marathon® three times.  I coach both of my sons’ soccer teams.  I enjoy music (both concerts and iTunes downloads) and watching stand-up comedy.  I’ve also been extremely involved with the International Trademark Association in various capacities over the years and currently serve as its treasurer.
 
9. What advice do you have for new to in-house counsel?
My advice is to be practical and always look to partner with the business to help it achieve its goals in a legally compliant way.  In-house lawyers must be problem solvers and place a high priority on service.  Lawyers new to the in-house world need to quickly learn the corporate lingo and provide concise advice in business language without any legalese.  If you are hired as a specialist in a particular area, be willing to get out of your comfort zone and learn other subjects.  If you are hired as a generalist, don’t be intimidated by legal matters requiring specific expertise (but always know when to bring in some help, either from other colleagues or a law firm).  Most importantly, enjoy what you do.  If you don’t, do something else.

Interested in Online Professional Networking with the NJCCA? Join Our LinkedIn and Martindale-Hubbell Connected Groups

Eugene Weitz, NJCCA Board Member

Are you new to social media?  Why not start with a focused and friendly group?

Earlier this year the NJCCA joined the world of online professional networking.  Because the success of online networking is predicated on building enough participation for ongoing conversations, we are very interested in asking you to join, participate and let us know if you see benefit in these activities.  We hope you agree with us that online professional networking is a new and compelling way for NJCCA members to discuss issues and solicit ideas inbetween NJCCA events and seminars.
 
If you are interested in joining our private group on LinkedIn, please contact NJCCA Board Member, Eugene Weitz via his LinkedIn site at http://www.linkedin.com/in/eugeneweitz or go directly to http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1590257&trk=hb_side_g and request to join.  Currently, this 163 member group is private and limited to in-house counsel in New Jersey (and in-house counsel that qualify and are or may be interested in becoming members of the NJCCA).
 
In addition to maintaining a LinkedIn presence, we have also established an NJCCA group on Martindale-Hubbell Connected (which is affiliated with LexisNexis' subsidiary Martindale-Hubbell) one of the only online professional networking sites specifically for lawyers.  In addition to creating a general NJCCA Community, we have also created Communities for each working NJCCA Committee .  Go to http://www.martindale.com/connected and sign up (see below if you are not currently a member) and then search for the NJCCA Communities.  We have structured our group for privacy so you can decide who and how you are contacted by non-NJCCA members.  
 
If you have any questions or concerns prior to joining, feel free to contact Eugene Weitz at (908) 337-1491.

Members Notes

Brief notes for and about members

NJCCA Membership increases by more than 10%

A warm welcome to the law departments of Merck & Co., Inc and Ingersoll Rand Company that have signed on with ACC.

If you would like to suggest that your company participate in the corporate membership program information is available on the ACC website. 

Coming Soon … CLE Benchmarking Surveys

As you are aware, all NJ attorneys will be need to meet NJ continuing legal education requirements beginning in 2010.  NJCCA has been a NY CLE provider and has had its CLE programs approved by PA as well. Additionally, we anticipate being able to register as a NJ provider as well.   With the advent of NJCLE requirements, we hope you will consider NJCCA for your CLE needs.  In planning for 2010 and beyond, NJCCA wants to know what you think. 
 
In the next several months we will be issuing short surveys to our members about what your interests are for continuing legal education, including topics for programs and the manner in which we deliver them (e.g., live sessions vs. webinars).  We will be sending these surveys out via e-mail soon, and we, of course, appreciate your input.

Call for Volunteers: Get Involved in NJCCA!

NJCCA is soliciting volunteers to help us with our various activities, including our major events (i.e., our Spring Cocktail Reception on 5/11; Golf Outing on 6/14; All Day Conference on 9/24; and Annual Dinner in November), fundraising activities, charitable events, and social networking initiatives, among other things. 

Becoming more involved in NJCCA will hopefully improve your membership experience, enable you to network with peers, and offer you the opportunity to help contribute to the New Jersey in-house legal community. 

If you are interested in becoming move involved with NJCCA, please contact NJCCA's Executive Director, Gail Girard, on (609) 312-7772 or at njcca@comcast.net.

Upcoming NJCCA Events

Register today for these relevant and insightful events.