Now Seeking Nominations!

By Elizabeth McKee and Francisco Morales 

The NCBA Corporate Counsel Membership Committee is seeking nominations for the 2021 recipient of the NCBA’s Corporate Counselor Award. The Corporate Counselor’s Award has been established by the Corporate Counsel Section to recognize members of the section who are the “superstars” of the North Carolina in-house community. Nominees will be considered by the Membership Committee for a single award to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the section on April 8, 2021, from 12:30 to 1 p.m., which will be held virtually this year. Please click here to register for the meeting.

Nominees for the award should: 1) have the highest ethical standards; 2) have shown great skill and ability as in-house counsel; 3) demonstrate a respect for and love of the law; 4) be dedicated to the community with a track record of pro bono or volunteer service; and 5) serve as an example of how to effectively balance both outstanding professional performance/service and other life endeavors.

Read more

/by

Looking for a Chance to Give Back? 4ALL is Coming Up!

By Benjamin R. Edwards

What’s the easiest, most fun and rewarding pro bono volunteer opportunity for in-house counsel? 4ALL! And the signature annual Statewide Service Day for the North Carolina Bar Foundation is coming up soon: Friday, March 5, 2021!

Volunteers throughout the state will provide free legal information all day. It’s a great opportunity for North Carolina lawyers to provide a valuable service and to have a good time doing it. And in case you have any lingering hesitation, just keep reading:

Read more

/by

There’s Still Time to Register for the Corporate Counsel Section’s Annual Meeting and CLE!

Can you mandate that your employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine? What will the Department of Justice be like under President-elect Biden? As in-house counsel, what can we do to support diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

For answers to these and other burning questions, please join us for the Corporate Counsel Section’s annual CLE: In-House Practice in the Age of COVID-19, which will be held in half-day increments on January 21 and 22, 2021. The program offers 6.0 MCLE hours, including 1.0 hour of Substance Abuse/Mental Health credit and 2.0 hours of Technology Training credit. This CLE was prepared by in-house counsel, for in-house counsel. Click here for more information or to register!

At the conclusion of the session on Day 1, your section is offering a Corporate Counsel Diversity Discussion event sponsored by Smith Anderson: “Where We Stand and Taking it Forward Together: How Corporate Counsel Can Move Forward and Increase Allyship and Inclusion in the Workplace,” presented by Dr. Arin Reeves (this event is not for MCLE credit and is offered free of charge to section members). We can all become a part of the solution by creating an inclusive workplace and a space for everyone to be their authentic selves. Please RSVP for the Corporate Counsel Diversity Discussion event by clicking here.

/by

Have You Registered for the Corporate Counsel Section’s Annual Meeting and CLE?

Is a pandemic classified as a “natural disaster” in your company’s force majeure clause? In your next contract negotiation, what’s your legal strategy to mitigate risk associated with ever-increasing global outbreaks?

If a force majeure is declared by your supplier, is your company prepared to handle any resulting reputational risk, increased costs or any unforeseeable ramifications due to the force majeure declaration? And what if your agreement has to be terminated due to a force majeure declaration? Did you negotiate appropriate termination assistance from the supplier in order to pivot to your alternate supplier? Overall, is your service agreement sufficient to address these contract risks and their potential consequences and liabilities?

Read more

/by

In-House Practice in the Age of COVID-19: 2021 Corporate Counsel Section Annual CLE

This program discusses the impact of COVID-19 and provides updates in critical practice areas of particular interest to in-house attorneys, including employment, contracting, cybersecurity, privacy, and legal enforcement.

With the pandemic affecting every aspect of our personal and professional lives, learn and explore how to prioritize our own well-being during this challenging time.

When:
Thursday-Friday, January 21-22, 2021

Where:
Live webcast with real-time instruction

CLE:
North Carolina 6.00 MCLE hours, including 1.00 Substance Abuse/Mental Health and 2.00 Technology Training

Don’t miss out on this informative and valuable event! Early bird registration rate ends December 31, 2020!

Register today.

/by

You’re Invited to a Conversation with the FBI!

We hope that our members will join us for a fascinating Fireside Chat on December 2, 2020, at 3 p.m. via Zoom. Supervisory Special Agent Jessica Nye will review current cyber threat trends observed by the FBI and ways you can protect yourself against these threats, along with a discussion on when and how to engage law enforcement for assistance. SSA Nye will discuss investigations into ransomware, business email compromises, cyber national security cases and other threats worked by the FBI.

Speaker

Supervisory Special Agent Jessica Nye is the current Supervisor of the FBI Cyber Squad in Raleigh, N.C. Prior to her arrival in North Carolina in 2015, Ms. Nye spent eight years working in the Baltimore Field Office on their Cyber Squad and two years at FBI Cyber Division Headquarters in Washington, D.C. She has significant experience working cyber-related matters including computer intrusion investigations, intellectual property (IP) rights violations, theft of trade secrets, economic espionage and other investigations.

Read more

/by

You’re Invited to a Corporate Counsel and Smith Anderson Thought Leadership Event!

The Corporate Counsel Section and Smith Anderson invite you to a unique thought leadership panel discussion, “In-House Counsel Career Paths: Moving Up, Moving Across, and Moving Outside.”

Our seasoned general counsel panel will discuss:

  • Advancing within your current legal department
  • Transitioning to business roles
  • Changing companies and your career
  • Challenges posed by COVID-19 to corporate counsel transitions

Read more

/by

Ketan Soni Presents “The New Community Platform”

By Ketan Soni

What You Need to Know About the New Community Platform

This year, the NCBA has switched to a new online community platform. This new community platform for Sections, Divisions and Councils offers many more features than the previous system. Below is a summary of the basics and what you need to know to utilize this platform and its features.

Read more

/by

Greetings and Welcome to the 2020-21 Bar Year

By Jay Teeter

Dear Colleagues:

I hope that this message finds you and yours safe and well.

Thank you for your membership in the NCBA’s Corporate Counsel Section—and also for the opportunity to serve as your Section Chair for the 2020-21 bar year.

While COVID-19 will no doubt present several challenges for our Section this year, I am honored to work alongside an exceptional team of council and committee chairs and members. Together with the NCBA’s dedicated staff, we pledge to continue providing first-rate programs and resources that will be valuable to you and your organizations.

Read more

/by

Message from the Chair

By Clara Cottrell 

I am writing this from my kitchen table—probably where a lot of you are reading this whether you are on your laptop or your phone! My kids just tumbled back in through the door (outside time is over, free time [aka device time] has started), and I am wishing I could go outside, too. A lot of us in the Corporate Counsel Section are busier than ever. We are dealing not only with operations, but now strategy and the fires a virus has started. Some of us are wondering if we will have a job when this is all over. Like the saying goes, “my journey is not yours.” This is a stressful and lonely time (see the recent Loneliness in the Law blog post regardless of your situation. And it is compounded by worries around family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Read more

/by