Tag: Conferences

Health Care Information Privacy and Security Forum

The National Law Review is pleased to inform you of American Conference Institute’s Health Care Information Privacy and Security Forum Conference on Monday, December 05 to Tuesday, December 06, 2011 at the Union League, Philadelphia, PA.

ACI

Our Nation is poised to harness the power of information technology to improve health care. Transforming our health care system into a 21st century model is a bold agenda… [I]t is more important than ever to ensure consumer trust in theprivacy and security of their health information and in the industry’s use of new technology.

Statement on Privacy and Security, Building Trust in
Health Information Exchange, July 8, 2010.
We Have Entered the Era of Health Information Technology and Face New and Daunting Challenges in Keeping Health Information Private and Secure. Assess Your Current HIPAA Compliance Program to Ensure Best HIT Practices as You Prepare for New Privacy and Security Responsibilities in the Age of HITECH.

Privacy and security of health care information are critical concerns for HIPAA covered entities and an ever expanding circle of business associates.  Knowing the basics of the HIPAA are no longer enough in the age of HITECH when mandates giving rise to the predominance of EHRs and HIEs are taking center stage in the privacy and security challenges with which privacy, information, and security officers, and their counsel must contend every day.  The modes and modalities for storing health care information are becoming more and more complex in the age of HIT — as are the safeguards for keeping this information from unauthorized disclosure.

Now is Not the Time for Regulatory Paralysis, but for Action.

Industry stakeholders are analyzing their obligations under the draft accounting and disclosure rule and awaiting the release of the final HIPAA privacy rule. However, they know that they cannot remain paralyzed with anticipation, but must act upon the information they have and that which they are already obligated to do. Now is the time to ensure that all systems are in compliance with existing law and regulation and flexible enough for reconciliation with new requirements.

Attend ACI’s Health Care Privacy and Security Forum and Get the Critical Information that You Need to Meet Your HIPAA
and HITECH Privacy and Security Challenges Head-On. 

ACI’s Health Care Privacy and Security Forum has been designed to help you navigate the legal and business complexities associated with HIPAA, HITECH (as well as state privacy and security laws and regulations) and the ever evolving legal and regulatory privacy and security landscape. Our faculty of privacy and security experts will walk you through legal and business challenges associated with the anticipated regulations; HIT infrastructure and EHRs; HIEs; business associates; breach; encryption; and enforcement.

Benefit from Special Training and Strategy Sessions that Will Address the Essentials of HIPAA and HITECH and Critical Privacy and Security Compliance Audit Competencies.

To enhance and complete your conference experience, we are pleased to offer the following training and strategy sessions:

•    HIPAA and HITECH Boot Camp: Intensive Training in Privacy and Security Essentials for Health Care Professionals which will provide you with the legal and regulatory backdrop for the more in-depth HIPAA and HITECH controversies discussed in the main conference. This is the perfect course for attendees who are new to health care privacy and security matters or for more experienced professionals who are in need of a refresher; and

•    The Working Group on Auditing, Updating and Perfecting Your Existing HIPAA / HITECH Privacy and Security Compliance Program which will help you implement best practices to ensure that your current health care privacy and security program is in-check with current law and regulations and prepare you for HITECH-mandated HHS compliance audits applicable to both HIPAA covered-entities and business associates.

As an added bonus, your conference registration includes
your choice of one of these sessions.

Reserve Your Place Now at this Critical HIPAA and HITECH Event.
Clearly, this is the health care privacy and security conference that every legal or business advisor to a HIPAA covered entity or business associate cannot afford to miss. Register now by calling 1-888-224-2480, faxing your registration form to 1-877-927-1563 or logging on to www.AmericanConference.com/HIPAA-HITECH.

White Collar Crime

The National Law Review would like to advise you of the upcoming White Collar Crime conference sponsored by the ABA Center for CLE and Criminal Justice Section, General Practice,  &   Solo and Small Firm Division:

 

 

Event Information

When

February 29 – March 02, 2012

Where

  • Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach
  • 4525 Collins Ave
  • Miami Beach, FL, 33140-3226
  • United States of America
Primary Sponsors

  • Highlight

The faculty includes some of the leading white collar lawyers in the United States.  The keynote panels for the 2012 program will continue to focus on the role of ethics and corporate compliance in today’s business environment.

  • Program Description

Each year the National Institute brings together judges, federal, state, and local prosecutors, law enforcement officials, defense attorneys, corporate in-house counsel, and members of the academic community.  The attendees include experienced litigators, as well as attorneys new to the white collar area.  Attendees have consistently given the Institute high ratings for the exceptional quality of the Institute’s publication, its valuable updates on new developments and strategies, as well as the rare opportunity it provides to meet colleagues in this field, renew acquaintances and exchange ideas.

The faculty includes some of the leading white collar lawyers in the United States.  The keynote panels for the 2012 program will continue to focus on the role of ethics and corporate compliance in today’s business environment.  Once again, we expect excellent representation from the corporate sector.

  • CLE Information

ABA programs ordinarily receive Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit in AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, GU, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, MO, MT, NH, NM, NV, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, VI, WA, WI, WV, and WY. These states sometimes do not approve a program for credit before the program occurs. This course is expected to qualify for 11.0 CLE credit hours (including TBD ethics hours) in 60-minute-hour states, and 13.2 credit hours (including TBD ethics hours) in 50-minute-hour states. This transitional program is approved for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys in NY. Click here for more details on CLE credit for this program.

ABA Conference: Criminal Tax Fraud and Tax Controversy

The National Law Review wanted to bring your attention to the upcoming 28th Annual National Institute on Criminal Tax Fraude and the Fisrt National Institute on Tax Controversy on December 1-2, 2011 in Las Vegas:

  • Program Description

The  National Institute on Criminal Tax Fraud is the annual gathering of the criminal tax defense bar.  This year, it will be combined with the National Institute on Tax Controversy, bringing together high-level Government representatives, judges, corporate counsel, and private practitioners engaged in all aspects of tax controversy, tax litigation, and criminal tax defense.

The two Institutes will meet each morning of the conference in joint plenary sessions, addressing issues concerning international tax enforcement and ethics.  Participants will then chose break- out sessions that will focus on current civil tax controversy or criminal tax defense topics.

As in past years, these Institutes will offer the most knowledgeable panelists from the government, the judiciary, and the private bar.  Attendees will include attorneys and accountants just beginning to practice in tax controversy and tax fraud defense, as well as highly experienced practitioners.  The break-out sessions will encourage an open discussion of hot topics.  The program will provides valuable updates on new developments and strategies, along with the opportunity to meet colleagues, renew acquaintances and exchange ideas.

The IRS has focused on international enforcement, from its reorganization of its Large Business and International Division to its focus on global high wealth taxpayers and offshore activities, and both Institutes will focus on these issues, in a combined plenary session and in break-out sessions.  The break-out sessions will also include roundtable discussions with senior representatives from the IRS, and the Treasury and Justice Departments, and panels will focus on topics ranging from the nuts-and-bolts of representing clients in examination, at Appeals, at trial and in criminal investigations, to the hottest areas of civil and criminal enforcement.  It promises to be a program that no tax litigator should miss.

  • CLE Information

ABA programs ordinarily receive Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit in AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, GU, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, MO, MT, NH, NM, NV, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, VI, WA, WI, WV, and WY. These states sometimes do not approve a program for credit before the program occurs. This course is expected to qualify for TBD CLE credit hours (including TBD ethics hours) in 60-minute-hour states, and TBD credit hours (including TBD ethics hours) in 50-minute-hour states. This transitional program is approved for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys in NY. Click here for more details on CLE credit for this program.

Health Care Information Privacy and Security Forum

The National Law Review is pleased to inform you of American Conference Institute’s Health Care Information Privacy and Security Forum Conference on Monday, December 05 to Tuesday, December 06, 2011 at the Union League, Philadelphia, PA.

ACI

Our Nation is poised to harness the power of information technology to improve health care. Transforming our health care system into a 21st century model is a bold agenda… [I]t is more important than ever to ensure consumer trust in theprivacy and security of their health information and in the industry’s use of new technology.

Statement on Privacy and Security, Building Trust in
Health Information Exchange, July 8, 2010.
We Have Entered the Era of Health Information Technology and Face New and Daunting Challenges in Keeping Health Information Private and Secure. Assess Your Current HIPAA Compliance Program to Ensure Best HIT Practices as You Prepare for New Privacy and Security Responsibilities in the Age of HITECH.

Privacy and security of health care information are critical concerns for HIPAA covered entities and an ever expanding circle of business associates.  Knowing the basics of the HIPAA are no longer enough in the age of HITECH when mandates giving rise to the predominance of EHRs and HIEs are taking center stage in the privacy and security challenges with which privacy, information, and security officers, and their counsel must contend every day.  The modes and modalities for storing health care information are becoming more and more complex in the age of HIT — as are the safeguards for keeping this information from unauthorized disclosure.

Now is Not the Time for Regulatory Paralysis, but for Action.

Industry stakeholders are analyzing their obligations under the draft accounting and disclosure rule and awaiting the release of the final HIPAA privacy rule. However, they know that they cannot remain paralyzed with anticipation, but must act upon the information they have and that which they are already obligated to do. Now is the time to ensure that all systems are in compliance with existing law and regulation and flexible enough for reconciliation with new requirements.

Attend ACI’s Health Care Privacy and Security Forum and Get the Critical Information that You Need to Meet Your HIPAA
and HITECH Privacy and Security Challenges Head-On. 

ACI’s Health Care Privacy and Security Forum has been designed to help you navigate the legal and business complexities associated with HIPAA, HITECH (as well as state privacy and security laws and regulations) and the ever evolving legal and regulatory privacy and security landscape. Our faculty of privacy and security experts will walk you through legal and business challenges associated with the anticipated regulations; HIT infrastructure and EHRs; HIEs; business associates; breach; encryption; and enforcement.

Benefit from Special Training and Strategy Sessions that Will Address the Essentials of HIPAA and HITECH and Critical Privacy and Security Compliance Audit Competencies.

To enhance and complete your conference experience, we are pleased to offer the following training and strategy sessions:

•    HIPAA and HITECH Boot Camp: Intensive Training in Privacy and Security Essentials for Health Care Professionals which will provide you with the legal and regulatory backdrop for the more in-depth HIPAA and HITECH controversies discussed in the main conference. This is the perfect course for attendees who are new to health care privacy and security matters or for more experienced professionals who are in need of a refresher; and

•    The Working Group on Auditing, Updating and Perfecting Your Existing HIPAA / HITECH Privacy and Security Compliance Program which will help you implement best practices to ensure that your current health care privacy and security program is in-check with current law and regulations and prepare you for HITECH-mandated HHS compliance audits applicable to both HIPAA covered-entities and business associates.

As an added bonus, your conference registration includes
your choice of one of these sessions.

Reserve Your Place Now at this Critical HIPAA and HITECH Event.
Clearly, this is the health care privacy and security conference that every legal or business advisor to a HIPAA covered entity or business associate cannot afford to miss. Register now by calling 1-888-224-2480, faxing your registration form to 1-877-927-1563 or logging on to www.AmericanConference.com/HIPAA-HITECH.

Health Care Information Privacy and Security Forum

The National Law Review is pleased to inform you of American Conference Institute’s Health Care Information Privacy and Security Forum Conference on Monday, December 05 to Tuesday, December 06, 2011 at the Union League, Philadelphia, PA.

 

ACI

 

Our Nation is poised to harness the power of information technology to improve health care. Transforming our health care system into a 21st century model is a bold agenda… [I]t is more important than ever to ensure consumer trust in theprivacy and security of their health information and in the industry’s use of new technology.

Statement on Privacy and Security, Building Trust in
Health Information Exchange, July 8, 2010.

 

We Have Entered the Era of Health Information Technology and Face New and Daunting Challenges in Keeping Health Information Private and Secure. Assess Your Current HIPAA Compliance Program to Ensure Best HIT Practices as You Prepare for New Privacy and Security Responsibilities in the Age of HITECH.

Privacy and security of health care information are critical concerns for HIPAA covered entities and an ever expanding circle of business associates.  Knowing the basics of the HIPAA are no longer enough in the age of HITECH when mandates giving rise to the predominance of EHRs and HIEs are taking center stage in the privacy and security challenges with which privacy, information, and security officers, and their counsel must contend every day.  The modes and modalities for storing health care information are becoming more and more complex in the age of HIT — as are the safeguards for keeping this information from unauthorized disclosure.

Now is Not the Time for Regulatory Paralysis, but for Action.

Industry stakeholders are analyzing their obligations under the draft accounting and disclosure rule and awaiting the release of the final HIPAA privacy rule. However, they know that they cannot remain paralyzed with anticipation, but must act upon the information they have and that which they are already obligated to do. Now is the time to ensure that all systems are in compliance with existing law and regulation and flexible enough for reconciliation with new requirements.

Attend ACI’s Health Care Privacy and Security Forum and Get the Critical Information that You Need to Meet Your HIPAA
and HITECH Privacy and Security Challenges Head-On.

ACI’s Health Care Privacy and Security Forum has been designed to help you navigate the legal and business complexities associated with HIPAA, HITECH (as well as state privacy and security laws and regulations) and the ever evolving legal and regulatory privacy and security landscape. Our faculty of privacy and security experts will walk you through legal and business challenges associated with the anticipated regulations; HIT infrastructure and EHRs; HIEs; business associates; breach; encryption; and enforcement.

Benefit from Special Training and Strategy Sessions that Will Address the Essentials of HIPAA and HITECH and Critical Privacy and Security Compliance Audit Competencies.

To enhance and complete your conference experience, we are pleased to offer the following training and strategy sessions:

•    HIPAA and HITECH Boot Camp: Intensive Training in Privacy and Security Essentials for Health Care Professionals which will provide you with the legal and regulatory backdrop for the more in-depth HIPAA and HITECH controversies discussed in the main conference. This is the perfect course for attendees who are new to health care privacy and security matters or for more experienced professionals who are in need of a refresher; and

•    The Working Group on Auditing, Updating and Perfecting Your Existing HIPAA / HITECH Privacy and Security Compliance Program which will help you implement best practices to ensure that your current health care privacy and security program is in-check with current law and regulations and prepare you for HITECH-mandated HHS compliance audits applicable to both HIPAA covered-entities and business associates.

As an added bonus, your conference registration includes
your choice of one of these sessions.

Reserve Your Place Now at this Critical HIPAA and HITECH Event.
Clearly, this is the health care privacy and security conference that every legal or business advisor to a HIPAA covered entity or business associate cannot afford to miss. Register now by calling 1-888-224-2480, faxing your registration form to 1-877-927-1563 or logging on to www.AmericanConference.com/HIPAA-HITECH.

Turning eDiscovery Strategies into Practical Applications for Your Business

The National Law Review wants to remind you of the upcoming conference Turning eDiscovery Strategies into Practical Applications for Your Business held on December 14th-16th, 2011 in Sentry Center, New York, NY.

Navigating New eDiscovery Challenges and Achieving Records Management Excellence in a Digital Environment

eDiscovery is a maturing discipline in the legal technology field. In many respects, however, emergent technology and legal considerations in eDiscovery create uncertainty and risk more commonly found in a truly emergent field. Indeed the past year in the eDiscovery field has been distinguished by volatility and change as several key players have merged and entered this space.

Across all industries corporations are experiencing exponential growth in the data volumes that must be collected reviewed, and in some cases, produced in litigation. This broadening digital platform implicates new risks and opportunities for your organizations of all sizes in litigation and day-to-day records management. IQPC has paid particular attention to these dynamics in crafting this year’s program. You will benefit from an unparalleled mix of thought leaders and industry movers who will shape the future of eDiscovery for years to come.

This is a must attend event to keep your organization abreast of the developments and new horizons in this critical field.

eDiscovery Resource Center

video_smVideo

 

podcasts_smPodcast

 

articles_smArticles

 

articles_smQ&As

Early Confirmed Speakers:

Clinton Field
Records Management Specialist
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.

Lucas G. Paglia
Vice President-Deputy General Counsel
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.

Kathrin-D Fischer 
Legal, Risk & Capital Management
Deutsche Bank AG, Filiale New York

Andrew Stemmer
Legal Department
Deutsche Bank AG

Eric M. Albert
Director & Senior Counsel
Deutsche Bank AG, New York

Stephen Shine
Chief Regulatory Counsel
Prudential Financial

Ronald Hedges
Special eDiscovery Master

Hon. Richard Kramer
Superior Court Judge
District of California

Dave Shonka
Principal Deputy General Counsel
Federal Trade Commission

» View more speakers

National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. Annual Conference

The National Law Review would like to remind you of National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. 2011 Annual Conference on October 13-16, 2011 in Bloomington, MN:

2011 Convention

2011 Convention postcard art Metrodome with skyline

Online registration closes Friday, Sept. 30th

Walk-up registrations accepted at the door.

Hotel Information

Hilton Minneapolis St. Paul Airport (use group code NFP)
Single or Double Occupancy:  $159.00 per night

Education Sessions

This year we will be holding 24 seminars plus the Student Workshop. There will also be a cooking class offered on Wednesday featuring Hilton Chef Eric Gideon Baker.  There is limited space for the Chef’s class and it is expected to fill up quickly so sign up early! The convention brochure (PDF) has details for all of these educational opportunities.  All sessions other than F and X are approved for 1.25 hours of CLE credit each.

Casual Up! for Breast Cancer

Casual Up! logo

Support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Casual Up!
Friday, October 14, 2011

We all know someone or have heard of someone affected by breast cancer. One of the ways NFPA can help fight this disease is by using the privileges we have at our Annual Convention to make an impact in the fight against breast cancer. Friday, October 14th will be casual day to help raise money for breast cancer awareness and funding for mammograms for those in need. It’s simple, fun, and a great way for attendees to become involved in something that saves thousands of lives.

What do you wear on Friday, October 14th to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Casual Up? The dress code for donors (minimum donation $5) on this particular day will be relaxed. Be creative and inspire your friends or regions to get involved in a good cause. You can wear jeans, a pink T-Shirt or a pink ball-cap. You can even wear pink socks. The point is to be creative and help increase awareness of breast cancer.

You can also purchase Casual Up T-Shirts for $20 each…must be ordered by August 30, 2011. Shirts are designed by NFPA and available in unisex adult sizes.

Keynote Speaker

Judge Meyer

Honorable Helen Meyer
Minnesota Supreme Court Judge

Judge Helen Meyer earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Minnesota. She earned her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and then worked for 20 years as a civil trial lawyer and mediator. She co-founded Pritzker & Meyer in 1987 and established Meyer and Associates in 1996.

Judge Meyer is certified as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the Minnesota State Bar Association, is a past board member of the Minnesota State Board of Legal Certification and the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, and has held leadership positions with the Minnesota State Bar Association and Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers.

Judge Meyer served for three and one-half years on Governor Ventura’s Judicial Merit Selection Commission, assisting him in the appointment of over 60 trial court judges and 5 appellate level judges. She was appointed by Governor Ventura as an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court in June of 2002. Judge Meyer took the oath of office on August 5, 2002.

Pro Bono Conference

The 2011 Pro Bono Conference will be held on Friday, October 14, 2011, in conjunction with NFPA’s Annual Convention in Bloomington, MN.  The Conference will include presentations by paralegals working on pro bono projects across the country, as well as information on how to start or enhance your association’s pro bono efforts. Guest speakers include Erika Applebaum who is the Executive Director of the Innocence Project of Minnesota and Eric Cooperstein, chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct Committee. There will be 1.25 hours of Continuing Legal Education available for Mr. Cooperstein’s presentation – Real-Life Ethical Predicaments for Pro Bono Coordinators and Volunteers.

Registration will be held in conjunction with registration for the Annual Convention. No charge for NFPA members!

Click here for the Pro Bono Conference details.

Leadership Workshops

3:45 to 5:30 PM Friday

Topics include:

  • Strategic Planning in Tough Economic Times – presented by Debra Hindin-King
  • Use of Technology for Local Associations – presented by Jessica Swedenhjelm, RP; Dana Murphy-Love, CAE; Kim Walker

National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. Annual Conference

The National Law Review would like to remind you of National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. 2011 Annual Conference on October 13-16, 2011 in Bloomington, MN:

2011 Convention

2011 Convention postcard art Metrodome with skyline

Online registration closes Friday, Sept. 30th

Walk-up registrations accepted at the door.

Hotel Information

Hilton Minneapolis St. Paul Airport (use group code NFP)
Single or Double Occupancy:  $159.00 per night

Education Sessions

This year we will be holding 24 seminars plus the Student Workshop. There will also be a cooking class offered on Wednesday featuring Hilton Chef Eric Gideon Baker.  There is limited space for the Chef’s class and it is expected to fill up quickly so sign up early! The convention brochure (PDF) has details for all of these educational opportunities.  All sessions other than F and X are approved for 1.25 hours of CLE credit each.

Casual Up! for Breast Cancer

Casual Up! logo

Support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Casual Up!
Friday, October 14, 2011

We all know someone or have heard of someone affected by breast cancer. One of the ways NFPA can help fight this disease is by using the privileges we have at our Annual Convention to make an impact in the fight against breast cancer. Friday, October 14th will be casual day to help raise money for breast cancer awareness and funding for mammograms for those in need. It’s simple, fun, and a great way for attendees to become involved in something that saves thousands of lives.

What do you wear on Friday, October 14th to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Casual Up? The dress code for donors (minimum donation $5) on this particular day will be relaxed. Be creative and inspire your friends or regions to get involved in a good cause. You can wear jeans, a pink T-Shirt or a pink ball-cap. You can even wear pink socks. The point is to be creative and help increase awareness of breast cancer.

You can also purchase Casual Up T-Shirts for $20 each…must be ordered by August 30, 2011. Shirts are designed by NFPA and available in unisex adult sizes.

Keynote Speaker

Judge Meyer

Honorable Helen Meyer
Minnesota Supreme Court Judge

Judge Helen Meyer earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Minnesota. She earned her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and then worked for 20 years as a civil trial lawyer and mediator. She co-founded Pritzker & Meyer in 1987 and established Meyer and Associates in 1996.

Judge Meyer is certified as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the Minnesota State Bar Association, is a past board member of the Minnesota State Board of Legal Certification and the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, and has held leadership positions with the Minnesota State Bar Association and Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers.

Judge Meyer served for three and one-half years on Governor Ventura’s Judicial Merit Selection Commission, assisting him in the appointment of over 60 trial court judges and 5 appellate level judges. She was appointed by Governor Ventura as an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court in June of 2002. Judge Meyer took the oath of office on August 5, 2002.

Pro Bono Conference

The 2011 Pro Bono Conference will be held on Friday, October 14, 2011, in conjunction with NFPA’s Annual Convention in Bloomington, MN.  The Conference will include presentations by paralegals working on pro bono projects across the country, as well as information on how to start or enhance your association’s pro bono efforts. Guest speakers include Erika Applebaum who is the Executive Director of the Innocence Project of Minnesota and Eric Cooperstein, chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct Committee. There will be 1.25 hours of Continuing Legal Education available for Mr. Cooperstein’s presentation – Real-Life Ethical Predicaments for Pro Bono Coordinators and Volunteers.

Registration will be held in conjunction with registration for the Annual Convention. No charge for NFPA members!

Click here for the Pro Bono Conference details.

Leadership Workshops

3:45 to 5:30 PM Friday

Topics include:

  • Strategic Planning in Tough Economic Times – presented by Debra Hindin-King
  • Use of Technology for Local Associations – presented by Jessica Swedenhjelm, RP; Dana Murphy-Love, CAE; Kim Walker

The 16th Annual National Institute on Negotiating Business Acquisitions

The National Law Review wants to remind you to mark your calendars for the 16th Annual National Institute on Negotiating Business Acquisitions presented by the ABA’s  Business Law Section Mergers and Acquisitions Committee, General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division, and the Center for Continuing Legal Education:

Negotiating Business Acquisitions

Event Information

When:  November 10 – 11, 2011

Where:  The Ritz-Carlton Miami Beach | South Beach Miami
                 1 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, FL, 33139-2000

 

Primary Sponsors

 

 

  • Highlights

This National Institute includes an extensive mock negotiation that will give you valuable insights on negotiating key representations, warranties, closing conditions and indemnification provisions in an acquisition agreement. Advance preparation is not needed for this program.

  • Program Description

This two-day National Institute will provide you with an expert perspective on negotiating business acquisitions.

Panelists include nationally known mergers & acquisitions attorneys who will discuss all facets of the acquisition process, including techniques used in structuring and negotiating M&A deals; the tax and securities law aspects of business acquisitions; and the impact of recent legal and regulatory developments on M&A transactions.

The program will examine both fundamental and cutting-edge issues, with sessions addressing
the following:

  • The key business, financial, and legal terms of the acquisition agreement
  • Special issues in asset acquisitions
  • Tax considerations in M&A transactions
  • Acquisitions of public companies and related Delaware and securities law considerations
  • An investment banker’s perspective on M&A trends
  • Recent developments, including the role of private equity buyers
  • Ethical issues in M&A transactions

 

Mind the Gap: Reducing the Sponsorship Gap Between Men and Women in the Workplace

Recently posted in the National Law Review an interesting  article by Brande Stellings of Catalyst Inc. regarding how a mentor differs from a sponsor and compensation that women face and the gaps in career advancement and compensation that women face

While recently moderating a panel on mentors and sponsors in the workplace, I was struck when one of the panelists, a seasoned, extremely accomplished General Counsel at a prestigious institution, mused aloud that she had had many sponsors in retrospect, but did not know there was a name for it.

This is not surprising.  Everyone knows what a mentor is.  But not everyone knows how a mentor differs from a sponsor.  And recent Catalyst researchindicates it is this critical difference that helps explain the gaps in career advancement and compensation that women face right out of the gate, as well as over time, in comparison to their male peers.  

Statistics regarding women’s advancement in the legal profession are well-known.  The National Association of Women Lawyers (“NAWL”) annual survey of women in AmLaw 200 law firms shows that women’s representation in the equity partner ranks has plateaued at the 15-16% range in the five years since NAWL began the survey.  The MCCA survey of women general counsels in the Fortune500 fares a bit better, with women clocking in just under 19%.  These numbers are not dissimilar to women in US business generally. The annual Catalyst census of women’s representation of Fortune 500 Board directors and executive officers has also stalled out in the 14-15% range.

How do we move off this plateau and get closer to gender parity in our top leadership positions?

For years, many have looked to mentoring as a solution.   Yet, for all the time and resources invested in mentoring, it has not yielded dramatic results. Indeed, Catalyst research has revealed a paradox. According to Catalyst’s landmark study of high-potential MBA graduates, Mentoring: Necessary but Insufficient for Advancement, more women than men reported having mentors, but mentoring provided a much bigger pay-off for men than women.  For example, mentoring was a statistically significant predictor of promotion for men but not for women.   We also found that men with mentors made more than women with mentors in their first post-MBA job – to the tune of $9260.

Why is it that men reap much bigger rewards from mentoring than women in terms of promotion and compensation?

Mentoring: Necessary but Insufficient for Advancement found that although more women than men have mentors, women’s mentors have less clout.  In other words, men are more likely to be mentored by CEOs or other senior executives who are in a position to act on behalf of their protégés.  These powerful mentors act as sponsors.  A sponsor is someone with power and rank and significant influence on decision-making processes.  A sponsor can ensure that a high-performing woman’s work is noticed, that she is put on key projects or client engagements, and advocate for her promotion.

Take the example of a woman partner who is now a leader in her firm and in the profession.  When she first came up for partner at her firm, she and her supporters assumed she would make partner. When she did not, her supporters rallied around her, engaged the support of other partners, including, critically, a member of the partner election committee, and she made partner the following year.

In the example above, note that the most important work of the lawyer’s sponsors was done behind closed doors.  As a sponsor stated in our latest report:

A lot of decisions…are made when you’re not in the room, so you need somebody who can…advocate for you and can bring up the important things of why you should advance. You need somebody or people at that table…speaking for you….I can’t think of a person who rose without a sponsor or significant sponsors.

Catalyst research regarding differences between women and men’s mentors in the high-potential MBA population corresponds to the findings in Catalyst’sWomen of Color in US Law Firms research report.  Of all the groups of lawyers Catalyst surveyed, women of color were the most likely to say they had a mentor, and white men were the least likely to say they had a mentor.  The difference emerges in terms of access to influential mentors.  Women of color were leastlikely to feel their mentors were influential.

Sponsorship does not replace mentoring, by any means.  Mentoring is still necessary, but it is not sufficient on its own.   Good advice without the opportunity to put that advice into action will take one only so far.  As Catalyst research demonstrates, women get a lot of advice, but are not getting ahead.

To learn more about the latest research on sponsorship, and hear from women leaders in the business and legal world, join me at the Seventh Annual National Association of Women Lawyers General Counsel Institute on November 3, 2011 for a panel discussion, Beyond Mentoring: Career Advancement Strategies.  For more information on NAWL’s General Counsel Institute and to register, visit NAWL’s website.

© 2011 Catalyst Inc.