Message from the Chairs

Welcome to the Committee on Corporate Counsel’s webpage. Our committee is made up of both in-house and outside counsel, and our focus is on the unique needs of these lawyers who represent corporations. The Committee’s mission is to keep our members abreast of the changes in law and regulations and trends that affect our in-house clients, to provide a forum where in-house and outside lawyers can have an open dialogue that would result in best practices for litigation management, and to lead the profession in finding solutions to various professional issues. The committee has been active for over 25 years and is unique in that it provides a forum where these issues and potential solutions can be discussed candidly among in-house and outside counsel.

To that end, the committee puts on an annual CLE seminar in February where we present two very exciting programs: the General Counsel Forum and the Litigation Roundtable. At the General Counsel Forum, general counsel share issues and concerns, explore innovative methods for controlling costs and risks, and discuss what they expect (but sometimes do not get) from their outside lawyers. The Litigation Roundtable provides an opportunity for in-house and outside lawyers to interact and brainstorm about best practices and how they can best work together. These two programs are just a part of the Corporate Counsel CLE Seminar. Materials from the 2010 seminar will be posted under the Program Materials section of this website. The 2011 seminar will be held February 17–20 in Naples, Florida. Attending this seminar is a great way to become involved with the committee and will provide a great networking opportunity with in-house and outside counsel from all over the country.

In the meantime, we invite you to join us at the Section Annual Conference in New York City, which will be held April 21–23, 2010. Our committee will be presenting two programs. On April 23 from 2:30–3:45 p.m. we will present the program "Leveraging the In-House/Outside Counsel Relationship," and from 4:00–5:15 pm we will present "Chief Litigation Counsel: What Keeps Them Up at Night?" Please also join us for a Committee Practice and Networking Luncheon on April 22 from 11:45 am–12:45 pm. You can also learn more about our Committee by attending the Committee Expo on April 22 from 5:30–6:30 pm. Please visit www.abanet.org/litigation/sectionannual to register for the conference, for hotel information, and to sign up for the programming and networking events.

Members can also become active in our committee by participating in one of our subcommittees and the many projects we have in the works. One of the easiest and most fulfilling ways to get started is to submit content for our newsletter or website. The committee also has subcommittees in the following areas: ADR/Settlement, Billing and Budgeting, Complex Toxic Torts, Corporate Governance, Insurance Coverage, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Legal Ethics, Litigation Management, Litigation Technology, Pro Bono, and Special Programming. If you are interested in joining any of our subcommittees or submitting program proposals, newsletter articles, or website content, or if you have ideas on ways we can meet your needs, please contact any of the committee cochairs.

We look forward to meeting you, hearing from you, and actively addressing your professional needs and the needs of your in-house clients.

Rich Horwitz, Tracey Salmon-Smith, and Countess Price
Committee on Corporate Counsel cochairs