ACC St. Louis September 2023 Newsletter

Monthly News & Updates

September 2023

Upcoming Events

See what's happening in the coming weeks:

9.9.23 | St. Louis University Fiesta Latina | 6-9:00 pm CDT | SLU Law: 100 North Tucker Blvd. - 12th FL - 63101 | Register

9.18.23 | ACC St. Louis Members Hit It Out of the Park! - Join us for a 1-hr. Ethics CLE: Staying Out of Trouble - Protecting the Privilege in the Corporate World and Avoiding Digital Dangers from 5-6:00 pm - at Busch Stadium - 700 Clark Ave. - 63103 - (Sponsored by Polsinelli) - and stay for the Member Appreciation Event from 6-9:00 pm to enjoy food and beverages provided in private suite | Free member attendance | *SEATING IS LIMITED! | Register

9.20.23 | VIRTUAL - ACC St. Louis: Litigation PAN: Reports from the Data Revolution: Managing Challenges & Litigation Risk | 12-1:00 pm - 1.2 MOCLE - Register

9.29.23 | ACC St. Louis: Managing Your Legal Career | Top Talent Advocates presentation |

12:00-1:00 pm | four-part virtual series | MO CLE Register

ACC STL Members Volunteered for

a Second Veteran’s Estate

Planning Clinic

On August 28, Association of Corporate Counsel – St. Louis (ACC STL) members volunteered their legal experience at the Veteran’s Estate Planning Clinic. With a mission to provide free legal counsel to veterans and their spouses, the team prepared simple wills, powers of attorney, living wills, and health care directives, all with the aim of ensuring that our nation’s heroes receive the support they deserve.

This is the second Veterans’ Estate Planning Clinic that the ACC STL members have participated in this year. Fifteen members volunteered for the clinic that was held in March.

The event was a success, thanks to the dedication of the 11 ACC STL members who went above and beyond to help underserved communities and families in the St. Louis area. Patricia Duft, Sr. Director, Legal, Medtronic, Inc., and 2023 ACC STL Pro Bono Committee Chairperson, thanked Donte Tamprateep, Pro Bono committee member, who coordinated the event for ACC STL, and the members, for giving their time and legal expertise to help veterans and their families. ACC STL volunteers assisted 24 veterans and spouses, and produced 20 wills, 15 advanced directives, 15 healthcare POAs, 18 financial POAs and 4 beneficiary deeds.

Due to the extreme weather for the August 25th Golf Spa CLE event, it was determined to not be safe for the golf event to proceed.

The ACC St. Louis Chapter is excited to host ACC in-house members and sponsors on Friday, October 13th at the Forest Park Golf Course for 18-holes of golf, lunch and prizes!

Schedule:

7:30 - 8:00 am - Check-in, Putting Green and Networking
8:00 am - 1:00 pm - 18-Hole Golf Scramble
1:00 - 2:00 pm - Lunch & Awards!

The Chapter will pair teams together.

Registration link: https://cvent.me/e45VAP

Three Key Lessons in Vendor Management

Highlighted by the MOVEit Cyber Incident

By: Casey Waughn, Armstrong Teasdale

If you are anything like me, the company “MOVEit” was not on your radar prior to the end of May 2023, but following the cyberattack experienced by the file transfer company over Memorial Day weekend, it has been hard to go a week, or even a day, without seeing “MOVEit” in a headline.

MOVEit is (or, perhaps, was) a popular file transfer system used by many organizations, and particularly by vendors to receive the information it processes on behalf of companies. Over Memorial Day weekend, a well known ransomware group, CL0P, exploited a vulnerability in the MOVEit transfer software, allowing the ransomware group to gain access to information contained in files that were transferred using MOVEit. After the incident, headlines started to break about the various organizations impacted and the scope of the incident, which by some counts, is estimated to have impacted more than 34 million individuals and 500 organizations.[1]

While there is always an opportunity to consider “lessons learned” following a cybersecurity incident, the MOVEit incident underscores the importance of having sound vendor management practices. In particular, the MOVEit incident highlights three key takeaways: 1) know your vendors (and strive to know your vendors’ vendors); 2) solid vendor contracts are crucial for managing risk and clarifying roles in the event of a security incident; and 3) incident response plans or procedures should address vendor vulnerabilities and incidents.

2023 Thirsty Thursday Gatherings Wrap Up Successfully!

Dozens of ACC St. Louis members gathered from 5-7:00 pm on the first Thursdays of June, July and August to mingle at Thirsty Thursday Happy Hours. All members were welcome to attend, and those from smaller law departments, individuals who had not recently attended an event, and new members, were encouraged to partake and reconnect.

"The planning committee held three events led by three different members in three separate parts of St. Louis," explained Chris Wittenauer, ACC St. Louis Membership Chair. "Each one had its own feel and was a reflection of the personality of the individual who planned it.

Participants we able to socialize amidst a June 1st wine tasting at Clayton Winehouse, a July 6th taco feast at Mission Taco Joint in Kirkwood, and a August 3rd burgers and cocktails gathering at The Golden Hoosier on South Kingshighway in South St. Louis.

"Our goal was to create a low-pressure event for allow people who were new to ACC to come to an event, meet other members, and hear about ACC," said Wittenauer. "We felt that the events were well-attended by people beyond just those who normally attend ACC events, so we are hopeful that this introduced them to ACC and that they will follow-up and come to more events in the future."

ChatGPT May Be Great for Efficiency,

But Don’t Leave Ethics at the Door

By: Angela Kalsi and Rini Roy, Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.

TikTok, who? ChatGPT – an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by OpenAI – is the fastest-growing app of all time, according to analysis by Swiss bank UBS[i]. A natural language processing tool that can engage in human-like conversations on an infinite number of subjects, ChatGPT is trained to follow a prompt and generate a quick and detailed response. Numerous generative AI software programs are emerging alongside it. But with this capability comes risks, limitations, and ethical considerations significant to the legal industry.

The Model Rules of Ethics require attorneys to maintain “technological competency,” meaning they must keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology. Therefore, attorneys cannot bury their heads in the sand when it comes to ChatGPT and other generative AI technology. In reality, their colleagues and clients are already using it and other programs like it, so it is essential that every attorney understand the risks and benefits.