ABA Section of Business Law

Joint ventures

Business Law Section names Fellows for 2000-2002

Following a lengthy nomination and selection process, the Business Law Section has appointed its Fellows class for 2000-2002. They are:

La Ronda Barnes, Georgia Supreme Court staff attorney (committee assignment: International Business Law; mentor: Mike Flowers);

Joseph Beach, Merritt & Tenney LLP, Atlanta (committee assignment: Partnerships and Unincorporated Business Organizations; mentor: Bob Keatinge);

Patrick Clendenen, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, Boston (committee assignment: Business and Corporate Litigation; mentor: Judge Alvin Thompson);

David Gemunder, Fowler White, Tampa, Fla. (committee assignment: Negotiated Acquisitions; mentor: Nat Doliner); and

Dale Weppner, Danna McKitrick, St. Louis (committee assignment: Cyberspace; mentor: David Reiter).

The Fellows program, now in its third year, aims to give active members of the Young Lawyers Division an opportunity to become involved in the substantive work of the Business Law Section, to develop future leaders of the Section, and to enhance knowledge about the work of the Section among members of the Young Lawyers Division.

The fellowship appointment is for two years. Each Fellow is assigned a committee and a mentor to work with during his or her years of service. The Section leadership has committed to provide funding so that Fellows may attend Section meetings and get involved in the substantive work of their committees.

In return, the Fellows make the following commitments to the Section:

1. Attend the Spring and Annual meetings of the Section, as well as any stand-alone meetings of the committee to which the Fellow is appointed;

2. Remain involved in the activities of the Young Lawyers Division (or be aware of the activities if the Fellow has aged out of the Young Lawyers) and to identify substantive areas of common interest where members of the Young Lawyers can participate in the work of the Section;

3. Work with the Section’s liaisons from the YLD who sit on the Section Council in recruiting members of the Division to join the Section, with a specific goal for each Fellow of recruiting no fewer than five persons in each year to participate in the work of the Section;

4. Work with the YLD liaisons to expose members of the YLD to the benefits of Section membership, including the planning of joint social and substantive programs at the Annual Meeting;

5. Report to the Section Council and the YLD Executive Council on their activities within the Section;

6. Make a current commitment to continue active involvement at the committee level in the Section after the fellowship is completed; and

7. Act as a mentor to new Business Law Fellows and other YLD members recruited into the Section, and to help organize an annual Fellows alumni event to be held at the Spring meeting of the Section.

If you have any questions about the Fellows program or would like additional information concerning nominations for the 2001-2003 Fellows class, please contact Fellows Program Co-chairs Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier (602/382-6366 or hstaudenmaier@swlaw.com) or Barbara Mendel Mayden (615/742-6208 or bmayden@bassberry.com).

Venture Capital committee formed

Venture Capital and Private Equity is a new Section committee formed to address the issues faced by lawyers forming and advising private equity funds and their investors. In addition to its focus on venture capital fund organization and private venture capital investment, the committee’s scope includes LBO, MBO, White Squire and other private equity funds and the transactions in which they invest.

The committee has identified a number of topics of particular interest to the private equity bar that have not been addressed by other Section committees. These include improving the utility of business development companies as well as addressing the role of the venture capitalist as a director and eligibility for audit committee membership. It will also develop standard forms to eliminate the negotiation of nonsubstantive provisions in private placements.

The committee will address securities law, tax, corporate governance and other topics dealt with by other committees, but from the unique perspective of venture capital and private equity lawyers.

The committee will meet at the Section’s Spring Meeting in Philadelphia, but Section members interested in joining may do so before that meeting. E-mail the Section’s committee manager, Burt Blanchard, at bblanchard@staff.abanet.org.

If you have questions or would like additional information about this new committee, you may contact the committee chair, Bruce Mann, Morrison & Foerster, LLP, in San Francisco, at bmann@mofo.com. The committee expects to use e-mail extensively for "virtual meetings" in addition to in-person meetings in connection with regular Section meetings.

New ABA task force on e-commerce and ADR

With the phenomenal growth of Internet sales, both consumers and businesses dealing with other businesses now find themselves faced with the problem of where to turn to get help solving their online commercial disputes.

One way to avoid these issues would be through the use of alternative dispute resolution. The ABA sections of Business Law, Dispute Resolution, Litigation, International Law and Practice and Intellectual Property have formed a new task force on e-commerce and ADR, which is charged with drafting workable guidelines and standards that can be used by parties to online transactions and online dispute resolution providers.

Bruce Meyerson of Phoenix (vice-chair of the Dispute Resolution Section) will chair of the task force. Karol Denniston of London is vice chair of the task force, and represents the Section of Business Law.

Other task force members are: Denis T. Rice, San Francisco (Business Law Section); Terry Trantina, New York City (Business Law Section); David Larson, St. Paul, Minn. (Section of Dispute Resolution); Harry Endsley, San Francisco (Section of International Law and Practice); Paul Dubow, San Francisco (Litigation Section); Leonard B. Mackey, Sarasota, Fla. (Section of Intellectual Property); Jeremy Mishkin, Philadelphia (Litigation Section ); Sandra Sellers, a mediator, McLean, Va. (Section of Dispute Resolution); and Ellen Teitz, Bristol, R.I. (Section of International Law and Practice).

An advisory group with members from ADR providers, Internet providers, consumer representatives, government entities and other ABA sections with an interest in e-commerce issues will also be formed to provide advice and guidance.

For more information about the task force, contact Gina Viola Brown, coordinator of ADR Research, Policy Analysis and Law School Programs, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, 740 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20005, phone: 202/662-1677, or e-mail browng@staff.abanet.org.

 A Fellow speaks

Among ABA bar fanatics, and especially young lawyers, a "Big Bar" fellowship is a coveted prize. To receive one from the Section that originated the concept of welcoming current (and close-to-current) young lawyers with great mentors, choice committee assignments and funding to meetings, is somewhat akin to winning the super lotto.

Consequently, as I opened my mail on a beautiful September afternoon and saw my name listed with the new Fellows class, my anticipation turned to outright joy.

All hyperbole aside, I know that I speak for my fellow Fellows in saying that we do feel special to have been selected and to have the opportunity to serve as a valued link between the YLD and Business Law while making our transition into the "Big Bar" as part of such an accessible and dynamic Section.

— La Ronda D. Barnes

Back to Business Law Home Page