Description— This session examines organizational fundamentals and the expectations of today’s in-house counsel. Faculty will discuss how the business units, executive suite, and legal department work in tandem to achieve the organization’s goals. As a topic that is too often overlooked, there will be a focus on understanding the revenue generation activities of your organization. From there, faculty will take a deep dive into the corporate legal department, including a discussion of generalist versus specialist roles and an analysis of reporting lines: direct versus indirect, centralized versus decentralized, and operational versus geographic.
Learning outcomes— Delegates will learn how to:
Create organizational charts and map multiple reporting lines
Navigate the corporate structure through increased emotional intelligence, leadership, and people management skills
Encourage business partners to seek the advice of in-house counsel
Managing an Indispensible Law Department
Description— Building on earlier instruction, this session offers practical tips for communicating effectively with the executive suite and board of directors. There will be an in-depth discussion of the strategic planning process, including how to align the law department’s goals with the greater organization. The discussion will cover related budgetary considerations, performance management, and the use of technology-driven solutions. Finally, faculty will introduce recurring issues around international attorney-client privilege.
Learning outcomes— Delegates will learn how to:
Develop a blueprint for running a law department based on global best practices
Implement short-term and long-term strategic plans
Approach attorney-client privilege, whether in a common law or civil code jurisdiction
Case Study: Adding Value to the Business Objectives
Team Project: Creating Effective Reporting Lines and Training the Board of Directors
During this interactive project, delegates will break into teams to work on a hypothetical situation involving a new general counsel. Delegates will address how the general counsel should educate the board of directors on their duties and responsibilities when a major violation of law occurs. This project requires delegates to examine reporting lines and determine when to update the board on developments.
Team Presentation: Telling the Board of Directors What to Do
Teams will deliver a mock presentation to the board of directors. Each presentation will be 10 minutes long. Following the presentation, faculty will provide evaluation and feedback. Each presentation will be graded.
Day 2: Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Managing Stakeholder Expectations
Description— This session addresses what it means for in-house counsel to have the corporation as the client. Faculty will return to attorney-client privilege, discussing how to manage expectations when a stakeholder—whether board member, officer, or field-based employee—views in-house counsel as their personal representative. Through this discussion, effective communication skills will be emphasized again as characteristic that distinguishes excellent in-house counsel. The second half of the session will revisit the topic of measuring and demonstrating law department value.
Learning outcomes— Delegates will learn how to:
Approach difficult conversations about who the client is
Identify the proper performance metrics while avoiding the pitfalls of "overmeasuring"
Leverage technology and other value-drivers to continuously improve performance
International Negotiations and Contract Management
Description— This session highlights the unique challenges of international negotiations, particularly where the negotiating parties might bring different cultural experiences and expectations. There will be practical strategies for interpreting signals during the negotiation, coping with cultural differences, and successfully managing the process to seal the deal. From there, the session will outline effective contract management strategies for global law departments.
Learning outcomes— Delegates will learn how to:
Acknowledge and respond effectively to the cultural norms of their counterparts at the negotiating table
Approach the challenges of localizing contracts to country-specific requirements
Implement strategies for processing high-volume transactions (sales agreements, procurement agreements, and non-disclosure agreements) more efficiently
Case Study: Contract Management and Services
Team Project: Closing the Deal
During this interactive project, delegates will break into teams to negotiate opposite sides of a deal. The project involves implementing negotiation strategies, using emotional intelligence, and taking into account cultural considerations.
Team Presentation: Explaining the Deal
Teams will deliver a mock presentation to their executive team about the outcome of their negotiations and the impact on the company. Each presentation will be 10 minutes long. Following the presentation, faculty will provide evaluation and feedback. Each presentation will be graded.
Day 3: Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Compliance, Ethics, and Legal Risk Management
Description— This session explores what an effective compliance and risk management program comprises, and how to build and maintain one. At the center of the discussion is drafting solid policies, procedures, and internal controls. The session also addresses backgrounds checks, employee training programs, auditing and reporting, and protecting intellectual property assets. There will be special attention to evaluating third-party issues on a global stage.
Learning outcomes— Delegates will learn how to:
Collaborate with other departments (e.g. sales, human resources) to proactively address risk and compliance
Respond to regulators’ requests and calibrate information disclosure
Develop synergy between the ethics and compliance components of a program
Implement an IP portfolio strategy to help protect some of your organization’s most valuable assets
Crisis Management and Crisis Audits
Description— This session presents the information that every in-house counsel needs to know about crisis management, from crisis audits and other pre-incident planning tools, to crisis response, to managing the effects of a crisis on the corporate brand. There will be an emphasis on developing flexible policies and procedures, since each crisis presents a unique set of challenges. The session will conclude with an overview of related insurance issues, including when and how to notify your insurance company of a triggering event.
Learning outcomes— Delegates will learn how to:
Conduct a crisis audit assessing the types of risk the organization might face and their likelihood of occurring
Develop tools for explaining crisis strategy to the executive suite and board of directors
Use mock incidents and other exercises to train staff on crisis response
Case Study: Project Management
Team Project: In-house Counsel’s Role in Compliance and Crisis Management
During this interactive project, delegates will break into teams to work on a hypothetical situation involving a new general counsel. Delegates will create a compliance program and a crisis management program for a company, and then apply those programs to a crisis arising from a natural disaster.
Team Presentation: Presenting the Compliance and Crisis Management Plan to Leadership
Teams will present their compliance and crisis management programs. Each presentation will be 10 minutes long. Following the presentation, faculty will provide evaluation and feedback. Each presentation will be graded.
Day 4: Thursday, September 6, 2018
Creating Internal Investigation Protocols and Reporting to Stakeholders
Description— This session outlines best practices for internal investigations. It will begin with a discussion of who might lead a given investigation, between outside counsel, in-house counsel, and other corporate departments (e.g. compliance, human resources). Next, faculty will address the steps to conducting an internal investigation, including obligations to notify and update the appropriate stakeholders. As an underlying consideration, this session will address the possibility of investigation-related materials being subject to discovery in future litigation.
Learning outcomes— Delegates will learn how to:
Guard against the most common mistakes organizations make when investigating allegations of wrongdoing
Formulate investigation protocols that account for the risk of subsequent discovery
Approach issues related to cross-border investigations, including issues around data protection, witness interviews, and cultural and language differences
Managing Outside Counsel and Other Legal Service Providers
Description— This session offers a customizable blueprint for selecting the legal service providers that best suit your organizational needs. Specific topics that will be covered include recognizing when it is time to outsource work, determining the scope of the project, and setting a budget that sticks. There will also be a discussion of using team-building skills to improve your relationships with legal service providers.
Learning outcomes— Delegates will learn how to:
Evaluate the legal and ethical implications of outsourcing work
Draft a request for proposals, including defining the project to avoid scope creep
Develop outside counsel management guidelines
Monitor progress and conduct after-action reviews to drive strong performance
Review of Program Topics; Question and Answer Session
The ACC Credentialing Institute reserves the right to modify program content at its discretion
Hotel Information
We have secured a group rate for accommodations at the ibis One Central Hotel and the Novotel World Trade Centre Dubai. Both hotels are a short walk from the training venue. Please use this booking form to ensure you receive the discounted rates.
ibis One Central Hotel Trade Center District
9914
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Phone: +971 (4) 519 5555
Single Room: AED 200
Double Room: AED 250
The above rates are inclusive of breakfast.
The above rates are inclusive of 10% service charge, 5% VAT and 10% municipality fees.
The above rates are subject to an AED 10 tourism fee, per room per night.
The above rates are inclusive of 10% service charge, 5% VAT and 10% municipality fees.
The above rates are subject to an AED 15 tourism fee, per room per night.
NOTICE: Neither the ACC Credentialing Institute nor any hotel it is affiliated with will contact you to make a hotel reservation. If you receive a call soliciting reservations on behalf of the ACC Credentialing Institute or the certification program, it is likely from a room poacher and may be fraudulent. If you have concerns or questions, please email us at certification@acc.com or call +1 (202) 285-4183.
