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Greetings ACC Charlotte! As we approach the half year mark of 2020, we can all agree it has been a year of change and uncertainty. We have been navigating a new normal in hopes of finding an old familiar as a result of COVID-19. I commend this chapter and its sponsors for remaining committed, supportive and engaged during this sponsorship year. As we embark preparations and planning for 2021, we will continue to count on our membership for feedback and participation in how we meet needs and provide value. While how we work and network has been modified, how we grow, learn and collaborate has been elevated thanks to the innovation of our members and sponsors. For that, I thank you.
This year now brings more challenges in our world. The continued civil unrest as a result of the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd has caused activation of anger, pain, frustration and hurt that lingers in the hearts and minds of Blacks and non-Blacks from the continued and unexplainable inequality, injustice, civil treatment and social regard. As the first Black president of ACC Charlotte, I would be remised and irresponsible to not pay respect to this moment in our country and our world. Veta T. Richardson, ACC President & CEO, issued a statement on the death of George Floyd stating "As an organization of in-house counsel, we rely on and uphold the laws of business, and the land, seeking to ensure equity and fairness for all." As stewards of the law, continue to work to ensure that the experiences of Black Americans are not reduced and the support, respect, value and inclusion of Black Americans is part of our industry and our world.
As we carry on through the days and weeks to come, please lean on one another. Connect with one another. Our well-being is important for this chapter to continue to thrive, for our businesses to succeed and for our communities to progress. To the ACC Charlotte staff, a heartfelt note of gratitude for all the work that goes unseen to keep this chapter strong and one to be modeled. Continue to look out for the Monday morning emails and engage with our sponsors through webinars and virtual social events. We look forward to the latter half of 2020 and gathering together soon.
Yours truly,
Nicole Brunson
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Take a Break: Local In-House Counsel Share
their COVID-19 Lifestyle Changes and Experiences
By: Dulce Plaza, Legal Counsel, SERC Reliability Corporation
Diedra Ward, Deputy Counsel, Senior Director, AvidXchange, Inc.
As attorneys, we all know how critical vacations and downtime are to maintaining both mental and physical health. After the first cases of coronavirus were reported in the U.S. in January of 2020, it wasn't long before governors across various states issued stay-at-home orders to help reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. This changed everything: work, school, shopping, play, and social interactions. The "new normal" in corona times meant moving all of these activities into our homes and onto virtual platforms.
In May of 2020, the ACC conducted a COVID-19 Lifestyle Member Survey to take a peek into what local (Charlotte chapter) in-house counsel are saying about the lifestyle changes brought about by the pandemic. We received 88 responses from local ACC members. Here are some of the things that your colleagues said.
Approximately 80% of the respondents felt that adapting to working from home in compliance with the North Carolina stay-at-home order was either as or less difficult than they anticipated. According to the written responses, reasons that contributed to the seamless or close to seamless transition were that the respondents were already remote employees, were working from home a few days a week prior to the outbreak, or had experience with working from home in the past. Per a few respondents, the use and availability of technology also made the work-from-home transition less challenging. Needless to say, adapting to a work-from-home life may have not been as easy for attorneys 10 to 15 years ago.
Additionally, 63 of the 86 respondents indicated that they presently had school age children at home. Of the 63 respondents, 50% said that transitioning to homeschooling was more difficult than they anticipated. Age of the homeschooled children appeared to affect how the respondents felt. For example, two respondents with younger children (ages not specified) noted the difficulty with homeschooling, while two respondents with high school and college age children indicated that their kids managed their own time and school work, making for an easier transition.
While parks reopened as part of North Carolina's Phase 1 and 2 of reopening, albeit with some restrictions, gyms remain closed and social distancing continues to be the norm. Given this reality, one would assume that there would be a struggle to maintain healthy exercise and diet behaviors. We are happy to report that approximately 72% of the respondents indicated that their fitness and diet either improved or remained unchanged following the pandemic. One respondent stated "My fitness level improved because I was able to work out at different times during the day...." Another respondent stated "I am definitely more physically active and find it easier to find time to exercise. It is also absolutely wonderful to be able to sit outside and get sunshine during a phone call, etc."
Furthermore, it was refreshing to see that 65% of the respondents felt that their priorities have changed in a positive direction as a result of the experience. One respondent stated "Definitely appreciate your health and family time more. Don't take either for granted." Another respondent stated "...Learning to live with what is available instead of what I want." Additionally, a third respondent expressed the following:
"Too much time spent at work before [the] pandemic meant missing out on time spent at home. Have found much more value in family relationships with time and close distance to nurture those. We no longer all leave in the morning and return in the evening, but share moments with each other throughout the day with the rush gone."
This priority shift was also noted by the fact that close to 50% of the respondents were most looking forward to returning to their normal social interactions more than anything else; especially more than their normal work routine.
Ultimately, one thing is for sure, our lives both from a work-life and home-life perspective will never be as they once were before the novel coronavirus made its way across the globe. However, while we are in the middle of unsettling times and continue to adapt to the "new normal" there have been some positive shifts in the lifestyles of local in-house attorneys as they have used this time to make improvements to work-life balance and to reflect on what is most important to them and their families.
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Welcome ACC Charlotte New Members!
March 2020 - May 2020
Nicholas Austin,
Counsel of Wells Fargo Law Department
Loryn Buckner,
Counsel of Wells Fargo Law Department
Douglas Edwards
, Assistant General Counsel of Wells Fargo Law Department
Landon Sean Eustache
, Counsel of Wells Fargo Law Department
Jonathan Lang
, In-House Counsel of Omni Healthcare
Natarsha Nesbitt
, Corporate Counsel / Privacy Officer of HealthPlan Services, Inc.
Gregory Patrell
, Counsel of Wells Fargo Law Department
Kevin Pratt
, Associate General Counsel of Movement Mortgage
Colton Sexton
, Senior Counsel of CommScope
Maya Siggers
, Counsel of Wells Fargo Law Department
Joseph Stutz
, Corporate Counsel of Greenworks Tools
Jonathan Williams
, Associate Regulatory Counsel of Movement Mo
rtgage
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Mark Your Calendars for our BIGGEST EVENTS
Casino Night
will be held at the eXtravaganza Depot on August 29, 2020.
Our Annual Gala has been rescheduled due to COVID-19 and will now be held on December 18, 2020! The event venue will still be Myers Park Country Club.
We hope you will be able to join us for our two biggest events of the year!
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ACC Docket Magazine Now Available Digitally
ACC has now made the monthly Docket publication available to all members digitally! Please click the links below to access these magazines.
Please note that the April 2020 Docket mentions our members who were honored at the Charlotte Business Journal's Ninth Annual Corporate Awards Dinner on January 30, 2020. The names and photos of these members can be found in the April issue on pages 71-72.
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"Managing Litigation for the Non-Litigator"
Sponsored by Womble Bond Dickinson (US) - 3/19/20
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Partner
Womble Bond Dickinson (US)
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Of Counsel
Womble Bond Dickinson (US)
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Attendees learned how in-house counsel can work with outside firms to control the expense of litigation and the demands it places on companies in order to efficiently achieve desired results-even if the last time you thought about litigation was the night before the civil procedure exam.
Taking a business-first approach, speakers dispelled litigation myths, identified pitfalls that run-up costs, and shared practical tips for managing litigation from start to finish-including early case assessment, developing
and sticking to
litigation budgets, maximizing insurance coverage, reducing discovery demands, defining strategic objectives, setting expectations for executives, and developing external communications strategies. Attendees left with lists of critical questions to address when engaging outside counsel, as well as materials to use when assessing claims, developing budgets, and collecting critical evidence.
Thank you to
Womble for sponsoring this webinar.
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"The Jeopardy of CCPA Compliance"
Sponsored by Fox Rothschild - 4/7/20
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Partner and Chair of GDPR Compliance & International Privacy
Fox Rothschild
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Dubbed "GDPR-light," the California Consumer Privacy Act, which went into effect on January
1, 2020, is considered a game changer for companies falling under its scope. For many, this is their first time dealing with compliance requirements such as expanded disclosure, right of access and right of erasure. This interactive jeopardy-style discussion lead by Odia Kagan of Fox Rothschild along with corporate counsel contestants, Tim Lendino of Compass Group, Jason Penninger of Nutramax Labs and Tim Nohr of Rack Room Shoes, explained what CCPA compliance means for companies in the Carolinas.
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"Supreme IP - The Supreme Court is Set to Rule on Six Copyright
& Trademark Cases in the 2020 Term"
Sponsored by Alston & Bird - 4/23/20
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Partner
Alston & Bird
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Partner
Alston & Bird
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David Cohen
AGC & Chief Trademark Counsel
Honeywell
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Scott Goode
Senior Counsel -
IP Trademarks
Lowes Co.
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In the last five years, the US Supreme Court has issued a total of three copyright rulings. At the time of this webinar, the Justices were set to issue three more and the Court to rule on three trademark cases within the next five months, as many as in the previous four terms. The presentation began with recent hot topics in Trademark (disparaging marks) and Copyright (music industry) issues and then provided an overview of the rulings we expect this year.
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"Litigation Strategies that Lower Overall Cost"
Sponsored by Nelson Mullins - 5/6/20
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Partner
Nelson Mullins
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Partner
Nelson Mullins
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Partner
Nelson Mullins
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Danielle DeCandia
Director of Risk Management
Radiator Speciality
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This panel discussed concrete litigation strategies that can be employed to lower the costs and fees associated with the litigation while not driving up settlement values. Additionally, the panel discussed how to identify cases where this strategy should be employed, develop an initial plan, identify key information needed to resolve cases early, negotiation strategies, and other practical advice on savings costs and fees through strategy. Multijurisdictional litigation and negotiation and how to avoid running afoul of state specific unauthorized practice of law regulations were also a part of the presentation.
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"Hazards, Tips, and Unknowns:
Ethical and Privilege Issues for In-House Counsel"
Sponsored by Bradley - 5/14/20
Simple in concept, the attorney-client privilege becomes complicated in the corporate setting. Privilege pitfalls multiply and courts' scrutiny increases when communications involve in-house counsel. And ethical considerations of confidentiality and privileged relationships permeate in-house lawyers' intercorporate communications. In this presentation, our members were able to listen in on a high-level discussion of privilege unknowns, ethical hazards, and tips for how to handle them, with particular attention to the requirements of Model Rule 1.6.
Thank you to
Bradley for sponsoring this webinar.
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"Tough Negotiations - Social Science and Practical Strategies
for Being More Effective"
Sponsored by Kilpatrick Townsend - 5/19/20
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Partner
Kilpatrick Townsend
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Negotiation can be challenging, even when we are not addressing a pandemic. A difficult adversary can complicate our efforts to get the result of the terms that we need. Strategies based on social science and an understanding of basic human tendencies can enhance our ability to negotiate effectively, even with unpleasant or unduly aggressive counterparts. This presentation discussed some of those strategies in a fun and informative presentation.
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MANUFACTURING AFFINITY GROUP EVENT
"COVID-19 Impact for Manufacturing Companies - Strategies
to Flatten the Curve with Customers and the Supply Chain
"
Sponsored by Shumaker- 5/21/20
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Partner, Bankruptcy Practice Administrator
Shumaker
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This webinar presentation offered practical insight on the issues that manufacturing companies will continue to encounter with their customers and supply chain as a result of COVID-19 disruption, and a practical application of strategies, rights and remedies to mitigate risk, including rights under commercial contracts and the Uniform Commercial Code, contact negotiations and navigating Chapter 11 proceedings.
Thank you to Shumaker for sponsoring this webinar.
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"2020 Employment Law Update
"
Sponsored by Parker Poe - 6/3/20
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Partner, Regulatory Department Chair
Parker Poe
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The past year has seen a number of important developments in the employment law arena. While employers have been swamped with coronavirus related employment issues in recent months, this presentation looked more broadly at the changes that have occurred over the past year. In addition to reviewing key employment law decisions from the United States Supreme Court, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the North Carolina appellate courts, the presentation examined a number of the shifts in regulatory interpretations and policies made by the various federal agencies that regulate the workplace.
Thank you to
Parker Poe for sponsoring this webinar.
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Did you miss an event? Past presentation materials are available on the ACC Charlotte home page to members only.
Please log in as a member at this
LINK.
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The contents of this newsletter are intended to convey general information only and not to provide legal advice or opinions. The contents of this newsletter should not be relied upon for, legal or tax advice in any particular circumstance or fact situation. The information presented may not reflect the most current legal developments. No action should be taken in reliance on the information and we disclaim all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all of the contents of this site to the fullest extent permitted by law. An attorney should be contacted for advice on specific legal issues.
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STAY CONNECTED:
Check out our recent and upcoming events and CLE opportunities at:
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