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The Massachusetts Bar Association held its 10th Annual In-House
Conference on Friday, Nov. 30. The program, which focused on best
practices for in-house counsel, featured opening remarks by
attorney Lauren Stiller Rikleen.
Keynote speaker Rikleen kicked-off the event with a focus on
strengthening multigenerational relationships. The presentation
highlighted key differences between generations and concluded with
recommendations for ways in which to bridge the gap in the
workplace.
"There is just a voice that this [Millennial] generation has
been given that was recognized quite early on," Rikleen said. "We
[older generations] look at respect more as deference …
[Millennials] view respect as being heard."
Rikleen emphasized the benefit of increased orientations in the
workplace as well as team-building programs, like reverse
mentoring, to assimilate different generations. Rikleen ended her
keynote address by quoting Abraham Lincoln, "I do not like this
person. I must get to know him better."
Other conference panelists discussed current areas of interest,
such as cybersecurity, insurance planning and independent
investigations. The conference also featured two brief "lightning
round" presentations on current intellectual property issues.
The conference wrapped-up with an update from the Business
Litigation Session of the Superior Court Department. A panel of BLS
justices discussed the BLS Pilot Project, which was designed to
lessen the burdens of litigation and to emphasize that discovery
ought to be proportional to what is at stake.
"This year's conference was well received by the audience," said
David A. Parke, who co-chaired the conference.