American Bar Association Energy and Resources Committees

In-House Counsel Committee

2010-2011 Committee Chair:

Brent Fewell, United Water, Potomac, MD

17th Section Fall Meeting - Best Papers

Click here for some papers that were presented at the 17th Section Fall Meeting in Baltimore that may be relevant to In-House Counsel. Gregory Rogers' paper "Hot Topics in Environmental Disclosure" was selected as the "Best Paper" of the meeting. It covers recent developments in disclosure of environmental liabilities, environmental risk transfer, accounting principles, and financial analysis. In addition, the papers by Anne Fitzpatrick and Bernard Reilly regarding remediation of contaminated sediment sites were part of the panel that was sponsored by the In-House Counsel Committee.

About the Committee

The In-House Counsel Committee was established to facilitate communication and networking among in-house counsel who practice in the environmental, energy and/or natural resources field. The committee serves as a conduit for the rapid distribution of news and information of particular interest to corporate counsel Committee members provide an in-house perspective at Section continuing legal education programs and in Section publications, such as the newsletter Looking Ahead. Committee interests span all substantive areas of energy, environmental, and resource practice and often focus on corporate management concerns.

Opportunities to network with fellow corporate counsel, to "benchmark" against other companies on important issues, to have an open dialogue on corporate concerns, and to evaluate local counsel and consultants are among the reasons corporate practitioners become involved in committee activities. Sensitive to budget concerns that often limit in-house counsel's ability to travel to national conferences, the Corporate Counsel Committee is actively exploring alternative vehicles to establish a dialogue and provide CLE opportunities, including informal local "brown bag" programs, an e-mail list server, and Internet CLE. If you are able to attend the Section's Fall Meeting or Spring Keystone environmental conference, the In-House Counsel Committee organizes social events for corporate counsel participants.

Committee Resource

The Federal Information Manual

Are you or a client faced with a request for information from a federal agency, or are you seeking information from an agency? If your business involves seeking, using, or sharing information in the hands of the U.S. government, The Federal Information Manual is the comprehensive guide you need to understand the maze of laws, regulations, and orders that govern this information.

The Federal Information Manual provides an easy-to-navigate and accessible explanation of the most well-known of these statues, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). It contains useful information for practitioners, including explaining how to submit a successful FOIA request and checklists to use in preparing the request.