Below you will find the CLE schedule with materials for the 2021 Corporate Counsel College.
Under each CLE program description, CLE materials are listed. Please click each hyperlink to access that specific CLE material. If you have any issues accessing these materials, please contact Melisa Maisel Vanis, Director of Professional Development and Assistant Director of Meetings, at mmaisel@iadclaw.org or Ashley Hatfield, Director of Communications, at ahatfield@iadclaw.org.
Return to the 2021 Corporate Counsel College Attendee Page
ALL TIMES POSTED ARE IN US CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
10:00 - 10:15 a.m. CDT
Opening Remarks
Andrew Kopon Jr., Corporate Counsel College Dean, Kopon Airdo, LLC, Chicago, IL USA; Andrew S. Chamberlin, IADC President, Ellis & Winters LLP, Greensboro, NC USA
10:15 - 11:45 a.m. CDT
Issues a Mask Won’t Protect You From
Over the past year, our world has changed. COVID-19 is believed to have infected at least 103 million people and taken nearly 2.7 million lives, with twenty percent of those deaths in the U.S. alone. While substantial strides have been made in vaccine development and distribution, the pandemic, and with it the threat of new, more virulent strains, remains a global health threat. At all levels, government and business leaders struggle to reopen without undoing what progress they have made. Businesses in some states remain subject to civil authority orders. Even if Zoom has proved useful in adapting to travel restrictions, it cannot ease global supply-chain disruptions. Businesses and insurers continue to navigate myriad coverage issues resulting from these closures and disruptions. This panel will explore different approaches to the intersection of risk-management and loss-mitigation as businesses confront our new reality.
Moderator: Andrew Gendron, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, Baltimore, MD USA
Panelists: Philippa V. Ellis, Assistant General Counsel, General Liability Claims and Litigation, The Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., Atlanta, GA USA; Lisa Jordan, Associate General Counsel/Supply Chain - Water - Real Estate - Facilities at Molson Coors Beverage Company, Milwaukee, WI USA; Karen K. Karabinos, Drew Eckl & Farnham, LLP, Atlanta, Georgia USA; Sharon D. Stuart, Christian & Small LLP, Birmingham, AL USA; Fletcher C. Thomson, Associate General Counsel, Textron Inc., Providence, RI USA
Materials:
11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. CDT
Hey Coach … Where’s Our Pandemic Playbook?
“OMAHA! OMAHA!” Future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, Peyton Manning, made this audible call famous on Sundays when changing plays he called in the huddle. As he approached the line of scrimmage and recognized new hazards on the field, Peyton, as on-field CEO and Chief Risk Officer, instructed his team to adapt IMMEDIATELY. Most adjustments succeeded -- because he and his teammates were prepared to make and implement them. When news of COVID-19 rapidly spread across the globe in early 2020, most organizations were not prepared for the overwhelming uncertainty blitz to come. They did not have a pandemic playbook with audible calls to help them adjust quickly and efficiently. And that lack of preparedness led to many lessons being learned.
Moderator: Thomas W. “Trea” Southerland III, Lead Counsel, Federal Express Corporation, Memphis, TN USA
Panelists: Lisa M. Friel, Special Counsel for Investigations, National Football League, New York, NY USA; Harold H. Kim, President, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, Washington, DC USA; Alexandra Simotta, Executive Director & Head of Legal & Compliance Austria, PAYONE, Vienna, Austria
Materials:
1:00 - 1:45 p.m. CDT
Keynote Speaker: Lori E. Lightfoot, Mayor of the City of Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
Since assuming office following her historic election, Mayor Lightfoot has undertaken an ambitious agenda of expanding opportunity and inclusive economic growth across Chicago’s neighborhoods and communities, with early accomplishments including landmark ethics and good governance reforms, worker protection legislation, and closing a record $838 million budget gap, as well as key investments in education, public safety, and financial stability. Mayor Lightfoot also placed Chicago on the path to a $15 minimum wage by 2021.
In response to the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, Mayor Lightfoot has led a coordinated, citywide response across government, business, and community organizations to effectively address its spread and broader public impact, including the creation of the Racial Equity Rapid Response Team, the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, among other actions.
Prior to her election, Mayor Lightfoot most recently served as a senior equity partner in the Litigation and Conflict Resolution Group at Mayer Brown. Previously, she served as President of the Chicago Police Board, as well as the Chair of the Police Accountability Task Force.
Mayor Lightfoot also served as Chief of Staff and General Counsel of the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications, interim First Deputy of the Chicago Department of Procurement Services, Chief Administrator of the Office of Professional Standards, and as Assistant United States Attorney.
A native of Massillon, Ohio, Mayor Lightfoot has been a resident of Chicago since 1986 and lives on the Near Northwest Side with her wife Amy Eshleman and their daughter.
1:45 - 3:00 p.m. CDT
How to Put Diversity to Work
You know diversity matters but how do you put it to work? Does the why matter anymore? Is it important in your workplace? How does your company ensure (or strive to ensure) inclusion at every level on your outside counsel team? To build a diverse and inclusive culture and team, it’s time to shift from talking points to action. This panel of in-house counsel will discuss why inclusion at every level in the in-house team and among outside counsel is important to building the highest-performing teams: teams comprised of people who have different perspectives, which are usually the result of different life experiences. As these companies develop their team goals, targets, and objectives, and as they solve problems, diversity of thought ensures that they are analyzing those goals and planning for the implementation of such goals with a mindset that anticipates obstacles and challenges from various perspectives.
Moderator: Deborah K. St. Lawrence Thompson, Nelson, Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Baltimore, MD USA
Panelists: Tiffany Amlot, General Counsel/Corporate Secretary, John Crane, Inc., Chicago, IL USA; Nicole Brunson, Head of Litigation & Disputes, Arrival, Charlotte, NC USA; Veronica Lei, Assistant General Counsel – Litigation and Legal Compliance, Eli Lilly & Company, Indianapolis, IN USA; Jamey Seely, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Covetrus, Denver, CO USA
Materials:
3:00 - 4:30 p.m. CDT
Litigation in a Post-Pandemic World
Pandemic and post-pandemic trials create a new set of challenges and opportunities. This program brings seasoned professionals to address best practices and new opportunities in the post-pandemic litigation world. The panel includes IADC member Dabney Carr, who tried the first Zoom trial, and Morton Dubin, who will discuss recent Zoom jury trials and offer recommendations on how to prepare for and value cases that will be presented by Zoom. Rich Hobbs, President of Prevail Trial Consultants, will discuss electronic presentation of evidence in Zoom depositions and Zoom trials and then demonstrate trial direct and cross with a mock expert witness, as well as mock jury selection.
Moderator: Robert F. Redmond, McGuireWoods LLP, Richmond, VA USA
Panelists: Randall E. Bills, P.E., Discipline Lead, Electrical Engineering, SEA Limited, Columbus, OH USA; Dabney J. Carr, IV, Troutman Sanders LLP, Richmond, VA USA; Morton D. Dubin II, King & Spalding, New York, NY USA; Richard Hobbs, President, Prevail Trial Consultants LLC, Philadelphia, PA USA
Materials:
4:30 - 4:35 p.m. CDT
Day One Concluding Remarks
Andrew Kopon Jr., Corporate Counsel College Dean, Kopon Airdo, LLC, Chicago, IL USA
4:35 - 5:35 p.m. CDT
Networking and Breakout Reception
Grab a cocktail, grab your guest(s), and get to know your fellow attendees while discussing important issues facing both sides of the outside and in-house legal professions! Attendees will be pre-assigned to two 30-minute breakout rooms and these assignments will be sent to main registrants and their guest(s) prior to the event. Outside counsel attendees and their in-house counsel guest(s) will be paired in the same breakout rooms.
​Friday, April 16, 2021
10:00 - 11:15 a.m. CDT
Is the Tail Wagging the Dog? The Interplay Between Litigation and the Media
When a company has significant litigation exposure, it often must deal with the complexities of media coverage while simultaneously mounting its courtroom defense. The media coverage can be the tail that wags the dog; it often fuels the litigation while impacting our jury pools. Bad press for the company can be more damaging than an adverse jury verdict. Modern day cases that raise these complexities include opioids, talcum powder, oil spills, climate change, and #metoo. The plaintiffs’ attorneys are incredibly savvy in their interactions with and attempts to manipulate the media. What can companies do to fight back?
Moderator: Mollie Benedict, Tucker Ellis LLP, Los Angeles, CA USA
Panelists: William Childs, Senior Counsel, Litigation, 3M, St. Paul, MN USA; Jess Krochtengel, Assistant Managing Editor, Law360, New York, NY USA; Richard S. Levick, Levick Strategic Communications, Washington, DC USA; Sabrina H. Strong, O’Melveny & Myers LLP, Los Angeles, CA USA
Materials:
11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CDT
A New Day Each Day: The Constantly Evolving Front Line Issues Related to Employment During the Age of COVID-19
This panel includes an in-house hospital lawyer, a lawyer from an international law firm, and an in-house lawyer from a corporation that does business all over the world. This distinguished and experienced panel will provide a robust and practical perspective on the many legal issues affecting employers during the pandemic: everything from how to send your work force home to working remotely to how to bring them back safely. Should you bring them back to the physical workplace at all? If so, when? Who should be exempt from having to return? FMLA, pay practices, travel restrictions, and so much more will be covered.
This will be an informative and lively discussion about the current issues and how they have evolved since March 2020, and continue to evolve into the foreseeable future.
Moderator: Lisa M. Friel, Special Counsel for Investigations, National Football League, New York, NY USA
Panelists: Cecilia Lahaye, Bird & Bird, Brussels, Belgium; Nancy E. Paridy, Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL USA; Terrence O. Reed, Senior Attorney, FedEx Express, Memphis, TN USA
Materials:
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. CDT
The Current and Ever Changing Environment Under the New Leadership in Washington, D.C.
2020 saw unprecedented challenges for business, not the least of which in the regulatory and litigation environment. With a new Administration in Washington, and with unified political party control (albeit narrowly) in the Congress, what are the regulatory and liability challenges that businesses may face in 2021? Join our panelists as they discuss actual and anticipated changes in the legal landscape for business coming out of the Congress and the Executive Branch.
Moderator: George S. Hodges, Hodges Walsh & Burke LLP, White Plains, NY, USA
Panelists: John K. Abegg, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, Washington, DC USA; Mark A. Behrens, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, Washington, DC USA
Materials:
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. CDT
The World Has Changed – Let’s Sort It Out
The upheaval we experienced in 2020 has profound impacts on the practice of law. Whether it’s supervision in a post-COVID world, managing the ethics of remote communication, or the ethical implications from protesting, there are a host of issues for lawyers to understand. Join the CLE performer as he explores the danger zones and presents it all with his unique “New Jersey flair.”
Moderator: Jerry Kraisinger, SVP & General Counsel of Avendra, LLC, an Aramark subsidiary, Rockville, MD USA
Presenter: Stuart I. Teicher, Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Teicher Professional Growth, LLC, East New Brunswick, NJ USA
Materials:
2:30 - 4:00 p.m. CDT
The Times, They Are A-Changin’: Examining the Future of the In-House – Outside Counsel Relationship
Are face-to-face meetings a thing of the past? Should they be? Will all depositions be done virtually? Should they be? Will the picture of typical law office space change? Should it? What did in-house counsel need from their outside counsel a year ago, and what do they need now? What happens if we lean too far into this virtual world and what do we lose by doing so? This panel of in-house counsel will discuss the things they’ve learned over the past year – both good and bad – and where they see these issues moving in the future.
Moderator: Molly Jones, Senior Assistant General Counsel-Litigation, Bayer U.S., St. Louis, MO USA
Panelists: Michael L. Bell, Senior Assistant General Counsel - Litigation, Electrolux North America, Charlotte, NC USA; R. Matthew Cairns, Associate General Counsel, Textron Inc., Providence, RI USA; Jerry Kraisinger, SVP & General Counsel of Avendra, LLC, an Aramark subsidiary, Rockville, MD USA
Materials:
4:00 - 4:10 p.m. CDT
Concluding Remarks
Andrew Kopon Jr., 2021 Corporate Counsel College Dean, Kopon Airdo, LLC, Chicago, IL USA; John T. Lay, Jr., 2022 Corporate Counsel College Dean, Gallivan White & Boyd, P.A., Columbia, SC USA