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Corporate Counsel Connect collection

October 2013 edition

In this issue

Featured insight


NEW! Nothing's normal
A recurring column with Susan Hackett: The relevance of lawyers in the new normal

Susan HackettChallenging corporate counsel to continuously improve through every stage of their career
It's in the business interests of law departments to regularly re-equip and re-fit their lawyers – at every level of expertise and career stage. Never has this been more true than in today's challenging times, where foundational legal competency is no longer considered enough to distinguish a lawyer or allow her to deliver results-oriented services to internal clients. This article analyzes the evolution of lawyer training and provides a professional development checklist to equip "New Normal" lawyers to succeed in a changing world that requires true business prowess and not just legal answers.
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Best practices


Special focus on government surveillance

Bill HardinSnowmaggedon: Will your sensitive data make the front page news?
The high profile news stories about Edward Snowden have brought the issue of sensitive data protection to the forefront. From your company's perspective, can your valuable information walk out the door? From the C-Suite perspective, we have put together a listing of five questions related to risk items to consider in protecting your valuable information.
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Electronic SurveillanceGovernment electronic surveillance and its impact on your organization's privacy and data security commitments
Recent news reports have revealed a widespread program of U.S. government interception, monitoring, and intrusion into seemingly secure online data storage sites and data streams. This has serious implications for the legal responsibilities, and potential liabilities of American businesses.
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In-house perspectives


Maja LarsonIn-house interns: Harnessing young brainpower with Allen Institute's GC Maja Larson
What do you do when your organization has the opportunity to change the world – but you're short on the legal workforce to get all the work done? You pioneer an internship program that not only supports your nonprofit's mission but also serves to educate and support young lawyers. Corporate Counsel Connect spoke with Maja Larson, Allen Institute for Brain Science, to understand the genesis of Allen Institute's program and the differences between its interns and the traditional summer associate.
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Legal insights


Feet on the Ground Article – Court BuildingSuccessful partnering between inside and outside counsel: Trademark protection program
Among the most valuable assets of any successful business are its trademarks. In many cases, they are the most important assets of the business. The goodwill, reputation and ability of the public to recognize the company are all dependent upon, and embodied in, the company's trademarks. When litigation ensues, and these trademarks are at risk, the stakes can be very high.
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Jeremy ByellinIs the CFPB Unconstitutional?
The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau is very politically contentious and has been since its creation with the enactment of Dodd-Frank in July of 2010. The agency's primary detractors are banks and other financial institutions, who claim that the CFPB has too much authority. It's important to note, however, that no new regulatory powers were created specifically for the agency.
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Know-how corner


Data Licensing: Taking Into Account Data Ownership and Use
In today's technology-rich environment, companies increasingly recognize the value of data as a business asset that should be protected and can be exploited through licensing to third parties. Companies and their counsel therefore can encounter a range of agreements that implicate the protection and treatment of data and related intellectual property (IP) rights.
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This month's top 10


Computer ImageTop Ten Tips for Managing e-Discovery Vendors
The transformation of discovery into e-discovery has wreaked havoc on the practice and business of law. It is virtually impossible to have litigation without some amount of e-discovery. This has led to a third party in the relationship between lawyers and litigants – the e-discovery vendor.
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