On this special edition of In-House Legal, Susan Hackett, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), explores important issues to in-house lawyers and to the outside counsel who provide services to them with two high profile guests.  In the first segment, Susan welcomes David M. Dresden, a law department executive for McDonalds ,  to discuss the successful, global in-house management of legal services across country borders. In the second segment, Susan is joined by Jeffrey W. Carr, the Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of FMC Technologies , to discuss his innovative approach to managing in-house staff and outside counsel costs using performance metrics that reconnect value and cost. And you’ll hear about the new ACC Value Index, designed to help in-house counsel establish an online database for ACC members to share information and rate the firms they believe provide their clients with the greatest value.

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Going green has gone mainstream, and companies everywhere are trying to cash in with eco-friendly product claims.  Products labeled as green are flooding the market, but  according to consumer advocates many of these products aren’t really green.  In-House Legal host, Paul D. Boynton welcomes Attorney Eric Lane of San Diego-based Luce Forward to discuss the increase in “greenwashing” lawsuits and help us stay current on this rapidly evolving area of law.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission is aggressively probing the financial world in the wake of the meltdown on Wall Street last fall.  For the first time, the SEC filed  an insider trading lawsuit involving the purchase of a credit default swap based on confidential, nonpublic material information.  In-House Legal host, Paul D. Boynton welcomes Attorney David B. Bernsohn of Duane Morris LLP to help explain the underpinnings of the SEC’s case and the legal issues it raises.

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The concern over a global pandemic of swine flu has been easing a bit since the first couple of weeks of its outbreak–but questions about healthcare compliance linger.  In-House Legal host, Paul D. Boynton welcomes Attorney Jay Shepherd from the Shepherd Law Group to help explain what steps companies should be taking to be ready for a pandemic and what companies should be doing to ensure continued operations and to protect their employees.

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The demands and responsibilities placed on in-house legal departments are at an unprecedented level and show no signs of abating. In-House Legal host, Paul D. Boynton, Esq., welcomes Attorney Jane Sender of Sender Legal Search to discuss the notion of how many lawyers a company should have and how to balance that with spending on outside counsel legal bills – or how to “right size” the legal department.

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Earlier this year, the 1st Circuit stymied the IRS in its ongoing effort to attack aggressive corporate tax shelters. In a sharply divided 2-1 panel ruling, the court determined that internal documents of Rhode Island-based Textron didn’t have to be given to the IRS because they are protected by the attorney work-product privilege.   In-House Legal host, Paul D. Boynton, Esq., welcomes Attorney Brian Bixby of Burns & Levinson, to help assess the important issues in the Textron case, including the scope of the how much information companies need to divulge to the IRS and perhaps other government regulators.

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The Federal Circuit recently sided with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruling that the USPTO did not overstep its authority in adopting new rules that some companies and patent lawyers claim will stifle innovation and fundamentally alter patent practice. Join In-House Legal host Paul D. Boynton Esq, as he welcomes Attorney James E. Hopenfeld, a partner in Ropes & Gray’s Intellectual Property Group, to discuss the immediate impact of this federal ruling and how patent practices and industries could be affected in real-world practice.

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Join In-House Legal, host Paul D. Boynton Esq., as he welcomes two great guests. In our first segment, Paul welcomes Jim Durham, a former in-house lawyer and veteran law firm marketing consultant to discuss his book  “The Essential Little Book of Great Lawyering.” In the second segment, Paul welcomes Attorney Marty A. Mazzone, vice president and associate general counsel in the legal department of Fidelity Investments in Boston, to explore the discovery process.

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Join In-House Legal, host Paul D. Boynton Esq., as he brings two important legal topics to the table. In our first segment, Paul welcomes Maria Rodriguez, a partner with Winston & Strawn LLP in Los Angeles, to discuss the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 and how it affects employers. Paul will also talk to Richard Stout, director of the Litigation Support Division for Counsel on Call and Dennis McKinnie, executive director of Counsel on Call’s Atlanta office, about how your legal department can save money through e-discovery.

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Join In-House Legal, host Paul D. Boynton Esq., as he tackles two hot legal topics! In our first segment, Paul welcomes Rees Morrison, a consultant from Rees Morrison Associates, to discuss leading edge practice management tools for in-house law departments. In our second segment, Paul speaks with Jane Allen, President of Counsel on Call, who will explore the effect the economy is having on in-house departments and law firms with highlights for areas of greatest potential for cost savings.

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