This year has been full of change and uncertainty, but also resilience. As leaders and as humans, we have faced difficult challenges due to the global pandemic COVID-19. However challenging, I have been heartened by the ways we have all stepped up — whether it be working from home while also managing family life, or as essential workers going outside when everyone else is staying in. We have made strides personally as well, figuring out ways to stay in touch with family, friends, and colleagues.
Much of our ability to foster these connections and keep our companies operating almost at “business as usual” is a result of technological advances. In recent years, prior to the pandemic, we had already seen tremendous technical growth in an array of areas. And as general counsel, we are often called upon to address the risks associated with implementing new technologies into our organizations. Now, the need for tech to work for teams who are spread across locations (with varying connectivity) has added to the already hefty challenges associated with managing and properly implementing technology.
While the aim of technology is to make our lives easier, we know that regulations change almost as frequently as the technology itself. It’s increasingly important for us to stay up-to-date on what’s happening globally to protect our companies, customers, or members. Luckily, you are a member of ACC — your global in-house bar dedicated to providing you with the tools you need to do all of the above.
Let’s start with this Technology & IP focused issue of the ACC Docket. Topics covered include “future-proofing” privacy programs and incorporating new technologies that are transforming privacy; using legal technology and creative structuring during deal making; and implementing a data stewardship program based on ACC’s own program. The cover story, “Maximizing Intellectual Property Portfolios in Challenging Times,” explores how COVID-19 exposed many of our companies’ weaknesses (and strengths), including the management of intellectual property (IP). According to the authors, a strategically constructed IP portfolio is an asset in any economic climate — even one threatened by a global pandemic. Read on for tips on how to refocus on your company’s IP.
As leaders and as humans, we have faced difficult challenges due to the global pandemic COVID-19.
ACC has many additional resources to help you effectively manage the risks associated with an increased reliance on technology. For example, recent resources like 10 Steps to Creating Defensible Data Privacy in Your Organization (May 2020) and Roundtable: Creating an Evergreen Privacy Program (April 2020) can be found in the ACC Resource Library on ACC.com. Further, I encourage you to check out a webcast this month, Modern Document Management: How Law Departments Are Working Smarter, scheduled for Sept. 29 as well as the On Demand webcast, Cyber Risk Management Facing In-House Counsel: Prevention, Crisis Management, and Mitigating Personal Liability, for more hands-on advice from your peers.
And last, but definitely not least, is the ACC Annual Meeting — perhaps the greatest resource afforded to you as a member of this global organization. The 2020 meeting will be entirely virtual, which means we will be able to offer all the programming, dynamic speakers, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities you expect from the Annual Meeting — from the comfort of your own home and time zone!
A few things of note: the length of the Annual Meeting has been increased, now running from Oct. 12-16, and the price of the meeting has been decreased to US$499 in order to offer you and your in-house colleagues even more access to ACC’s innovative online educational programming. ACC has been hard at work on this programming since well before the pandemic hit, and we are very excited to share it with you via a new innovative online platform (speaking of advances in technology!). It is more important than ever to continue learning best practices, as well as about emerging regulations and how they affect our practice during these challenging times. It is also crucial to create and maintain our professional connections, and the Annual Meeting provides you the ability to network with the global legal community. You still have access via the virtual meeting to a vast global network of your in-house peers, as well as entry into an interactive virtual exhibit hall, filled with service providers eager to share with you many of the solutions your legal team is looking for in order to address the concerns of the day.
Although many of us have been separated during several months of this year, we have also remained incredibility connected to each other, thanks in no small part to technology, and to our global networks like ACC. I look forward to connecting once again with you all “virtually” in October!
