Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009
CLE Conference News
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In-house counsel seek helpful tips
on "Tools for Effective Legal Management" at the MBA's Seventh
Annual In-House Counsel Conference on Dec. 9
Over 40 attorneys attended
the MBA's Seventh Annual In-House Counsel Conference on Wednesday,
Dec. 9 in Boston. The theme of this year's conference was "Tools
for Effective Legal Management."
Topics including developments on the business litigation session,
licensing agreements, data security, enlisting outside counsel,
conflicts of interest and bankruptcy headlined the well-attended
conference held at the MBA Boston office. Conference chairs
included Peter D. McDermott, David A. Parke and James C. Donnelly
Jr.
Business litigation session judges Judith Fabricant, Stephen E.
Neel, and Margaret R. Hinkle led a panel discussing developments in
the session, including its 2010 pilot project planned to reduce
time and resources in the discovery process.
In addition, with new Massachusetts data regulations on the near
horizon, data security laws and privacy regulations were of
particular interest to conference goers. MBA's Business Law Section
Co-chair Stephen Y. Chow of Burns and Levinson led the panel
addressing risk management issues associated with the
well-publicized regulations that go into effect March 1,
2010.
Rounding out the December conference was the bankruptcy panel led
by MBA Business Law Co-chair Robert J. Kerwin of Tarlow, Breed,
Hart & Rodgers PC and Francis C. Morrissey of Morrissey &
Wilson LLC.
Kerwin summarized the day-long event. "We want to get to the
issues that are keeping people up at night. I think that Jim
Donnelly, Dave Parke and Peter McDermott did a wonderful job at
organizing an event that accomplished that goal."
According to conference attendee Kai May, in-house counsel for
Osram Sylvania, the event was worthwhile. He noted that as both an
in-house counsel and compliance officer, "the topic pertaining to
internal investigations, conflicts and fraud was very useful to me.
I was able to gain very good, practical knowledge."