ACC Northeast Chapter Is Now on Social Media!

Inside Q3 2018 2 ... Street Law Brings Together ACC Chapters and Local Schools for Legal Learning 3 ... ACC News 4 ... Welcome New and Renewing Members! 5 ... ACC National Board of Directors visits Boston and meets with ACC-Northeast Chapter Leadership 6 ... Recent Program RECAP 8 ... Upcoming Calendar of Events 11 . ACC-Northeast Chapter Broadens Geographic Range of Programming 12 . Board of Directors FOCUS WHERE LEADERSHIP COMES INTO VIEW President’s Letter Karen Higgins Valentine Dear Members and Colleagues, comfort zone and start a new time, and we lose the opportu- adventure? I chose the latter nity to share experiences with It seems like just yesterday that I was and am reinvigorated with each other in the way only a writing to you all, welcoming the spring the new sense of challenge professional association like weather and highlighting some of our ahead. I invite each of you the ACC can enable. I hope Chapter’s key initiatives. As we move to challenge yourself every to see you at up-coming ACC towards the New England fall weather, day, and to utilize the ACC resources in events, and have the chance to get to we will soon see the seasonal changes- doing so! Whether it be expanding your know each of you better. robust oranges, reds and yellows in the negotiation skills at a Practice & Career leaves falling from the trees, crisp air Management session, deepening your Communications Committee in the mornings, and yes, more traf- knowledge of a given area of law in a fic on the commute to work! Just as Communications Committee and substantive program event, or networking the seasons change, so do our profes- Newsletter Editorial Board: Stephanie with colleagues and sponsors at a social sional challenges, accomplishments, and Lambert (editor-in-chief), Brian event, there are so many opportunities for aspirations. I would like to spend a few Ciaramicoli, James Coughlin, and Patrick growth and reflection within the Chapter. moments reflecting on these aspects of Wu. Additional contributors in Q3: And if you are looking to take on more our careers, and how ACC Northeast can Helen Tsingos, Marisa Murtagh, leadership responsibilities, our commit- be a resource. Sharon Kamowitz and Melinda Burrows. tees always welcome members to join in You may recall that in the last newsletter, and become active. I provided some perspectives on run- Our ACC Headquarters is also a great ning a legal department of 8 FTEs within ACC Northeast resource for each Chapter and our collec- a precommercial public biotechnology tive membership. Please take a moment company. I had been there for nearly 15 Chapter is to visit both the Chapter and Headquarter years, and was very happy with my team, websites and refamiliarize yourself with colleagues and professional path to date. now on the resources available. The 2018 ACC Now, just a few months later, I have tran- Annual Meeting is also right around the sitioned to another precommercial bio- corner- it will be held in Austin, Texas, social media! technology company where I am the sole from Oct. 21-24, and will provide a in-house counsel, and I will begin once plethora of opportunities to network with again the rewarding challenge of estab- peers and attend sessions on virtually all lishing a new legal department. Some areas of law (with CLE/CPD credits). @ACCNortheast may ask: what made you move? It was simple. I had grown a team at my prior As the seasons change, children go back company, accomplished the goals I had to school, and we invest in the world set out, was very comfortable… and hit a around us- take a moment to self-reflect ACC-Northeast crossroad. Did I want to stay within my and invest in you. It is so easy to allow comfort zone, or push myself out of that the day-to-day demands take most of our Street Law Brings Together ACC Chapters and Local Schools for Legal Learning The lack of diversity in the legal profession students to learn about the practice of law. topics in the news today and relevant is not a new issue, but Street Law, ACC, This included discussing and practicing to the students’ daily lives. Other topics the ACC Foundation, and ACC members how to review and analyze facts in a frequently covered include: intellectual are working to put the issue behind us case, and how to present before a judge. property, contracts, torts, alternative once and for all. The volunteers also covered other public dispute resolution, employment law, and speaking skills, like delivering information environmental law. The Corporate Legal Diversity Pipeline calmly and confidently. Program, a national partnership between In addition to classroom learning on civil Street Law and ACC, encourages diverse Many of the students only knew about law and legal careers, the students truly students to pursue careers in law. The lawyers from what they’d seen on TV, so enjoy the experiential components – hope is to foster a next generation of more time with real lawyers provided them seeing what a corporate law department diverse lawyers, bringing new and needed with a more realistic understanding of looks like, observing the interactions perspectives to the legal profession. a legal career. It’s not always as exciting between business colleagues, and even Students gain exposure to the law and have as what’s on TV, but it’s also a lot more hearing about a typical “day in the life.” the opportunity to receive counseling on approachable. One student shared that he’d They come away with a stronger interest in the steps they can take to pursue a legal previously thought that all lawyers were and knowledge of the law, with many new career. Corporate law departments share always “aggressive,” but the time spent role models. their knowledge and make connections with ACC showed that lawyers don’t have One of the highlights of the Street Law with up-and-coming students. The hope to be aggressive – or at least that they are program is that many corporate law is that these connections will serve as a much more than just that! departments stay connected with the pipeline for future diverse legal leaders. Our program provided the opportunity to most promising students. In fact, these The four tenets of the Corporate teach this class of students more about the top students may return for another Legal Diversity Pipeline Program law in a few days than they’d likely learned job shadow day, be asked to apply for are: 1) training, 2) classroom visits, in their entire lives. It was a memorable, internships or scholarships, or participate 3) a conference at a corporate legal fulfilling day for both the students and all in mentoring. In many cases, it’s the department, and 4) extensions (mentoring, of the volunteer leaders. start of a strong relationship between the internships, etc.). While more than a company and the students, a true pipeline More than a dozen ACC chapters are dozen ACC chapters currently participate, for new, diverse legal talent. active in Street Law nationwide, and ACC headquarters also undertook this the program is now 17 years old. This If you’re curious about starting your initiative in the spring. As long champions year, we expect that approximately own Street Law program on behalf of of this program, it was wonderful for ACC 5,300 students will participate in the your ACC chapter, you may find further staff to interact with students directly. Corporate Legal Diversity Pipeline encouragement in these results: In In late March, students from Potomac Program through partnerships with more the post-program survey, between 67 High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland, than 70 companies, law firms, and ACC percent and 75 percent (on average) of visited the new ACC national headquarters chapters. Some companies that participate the participating students said they are office to participate in their class of the include Coca-Cola, Merck, Verizon, more interested in pursuing a legal career ACC/Street Law Corporate Legal Diversity Nationwide, HP, GE, Turner, and Capital than they were before the program. For Pipeline Program. All of the students One. It’s an opportunity for the entire law the program at ACC, the Potomac High are members of the Law, Education, and department, from attorneys, to paralegals, students were no exception. Seventy Public Service Academy at their school. to administrative staff, to collaborate percent said they were more interested in and share their knowledge with the pursuing a legal career than they had been Each of the legal volunteers spoke about next generation of legal and business prior to the Street Law/ACC program. how he or she became a lawyer. The students professionals. were able to hear first-hand that it’s truly The hope is that more ACC chapters will achievable if that is their goal. It’s certainly Volunteer leaders participate in Street participate in this worthwhile program. hard to study, prepare, and be accepted Law’s half-day training before they begin For more information, visit www.streetlaw. into college and then law school. But it is the program. Street Law helps the leaders org. We are constantly inspired by the attainable with planning, mentoring, and to select topics that will interest the in-house community’s efforts to give back access to the right role models. students and highlight the volunteers’ and we are pleased to partner with so expertise. The program at ACC focused on many of our volunteer leaders to increase Much of the day was spent on legal immigration and cyberbullying – legal the pipeline of diverse students entering simulations, interactive ways for the the legal profession.

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