 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
The following excerpt is taken from Bankruptcy Deadline Checklist, Third Edition by Norman L. Pernick,
Copyright 2006 by ABA Section of Business Law. Reprinted here with permission. The material contained herein represents the
opinions of the authors and editors and should not be construed to be the action of either the
American Bar Association or the Section of Business Law unless adopted pursuant to the bylaws of
the Association. Nothing contained herein is to be considered as the rendering of legal advice for
specific cases, and readers are responsible for obtaining such advice from their own legal counsel.
To request reprint permission, contact the Manager, Copyrights and Licensing, at (312) 988-6102.
For the complete excerpt, click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Message from the Chair, Alvin W. Thompson
"If you (the ABA) are helping lawyers be better lawyers, people are
going to have a better image of lawyers in general.
"
- 2005 "Pulse of the Profession" Participant from a small firm
in Austin, TX
While most of the programming at our Spring and Annual Meetings deals with
substantive business law topics, the Section frequently sponsors programs
that focus on practice management, client development, and career
advancement. Many members find such programs helpful as they think about
how to manage the increasing business orientation of the practice of law,
the increasing complexity and specialization of law, the use of technology,
and balancing the frequently competing demands of their personal and
professional lives. I want to highlight the materials from seven such
programs that the Section sponsored at the recent Spring Meeting in
Tampa:
- The Nuts & Bolts of Law Practice: How to Successfully Work Within
Your Organization
Panelists discussed practical things you need to work effectively at a law
firm, corporation, or law school, or in the government or public sector,
strategies for career progression, and career limiting moves you need to
avoid.
- Take Our Advice: Tricks and Tactics to Get, Keep, and Expand Your
Business with In-House Counsel
A panel of in-house counsel discussed what they really need and want from
outside counsel.
- Power Rainmaking
Panelists shared their rainmaking expertise and top rainmaking tips about
how to get clients in the door, how to keep them, and what type of
"care and feeling" is necessary to help your clients thrive and
thus benefit your practice.
- At the Intersection of Knowledge Management and Associate Development:
Using Technology to Train Business Lawyers
Panelists explored efforts by law firms and legal educators to use
technology to deliver effective training "just in time" in a
context-specific format, and cut down on the expense and time involved in
associate training.
- Breaking Down Barriers to Professional Success - Lessons from the Glass
Cutters
Panelists, all of whom have received the Jean Allard Glass Cutter Award
(awarded annually to an exceptional woman business lawyer), discussed
developing and maintaining client and mentoring relationships, and
developing and marketing your legal expertise, as well as the evolving
challenges for women lawyers.
- Teaching, Growing and Training M&A Lawyers
Panelists explored a number of innovative approaches to teaching and
training merger and acquisition lawyers, including various tools available
to law professors and practitioners.
- Extreme Career Makeovers
Panelists discussed different strategies for making "extreme"
career moves and re-engineering one's thinking and resume.
If you were not able to attend these programs, I hope you find something on
this list of offerings that is useful to you as you manage your
professional life. Materials from these sessions and all sessions are
available in the Section's Online Program Library. Access to this library
is a benefit of Section membership and I encourage you to take advantage of
this incredible resource.
| |
Alvin W. Thompson
Chair, Section of Business Law
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
Risk Management and Compliance. Increasingly senior corporate
counsel are performing functions beyond providing legal advice and assuming
overall responsibility for managing the enterprise's legal and reputational
risk, accountabile to the board of directors if problems arise.
Recent Developments in Banking Law. Basel II requires that banks adopt a
risk-based approach to capital adequacy.
| |
These requirements and their implication for financial institutions are
summarized in "Recent Developments in Banking Law", a Committee
Forum presented by the Section's Committee on Banking Law at the Section's
Spring Meeting in Tampa, Florida, April 6-9, 2006.
|
Commercial Law Developments. This progam reviews commercial law develpoments, including
secured transactions, notes, investment property, sales and securitization.
Financing Luxuries. From time-to-time lenders are asked to provide
financing for a wide variety of luxury items, including yachts, aircraft
and sport teams.
Consumer Privacy and Information Security. Information security
breaches continue to occur and receive headline attention, although in most
cases breaches result in little or no harm to consumers. Nonetheless the
potential for harm remains and many states have enacted laws to protect the
personal information of their respective citizens.
Mortgages and Disclosure. The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, adopted
in 1975, was intended to identify those lending institutions that did not
provide home mortgages in communities where they were taking deposits and
to identify neighborhoods not receiving sufficient capital to stem urban
decay. After three decades, much has changed in the lending of credit to
low-income neighborhoods, although it appears that risk-based pricing has
resulted in minorities receiving less favorable lending terms.
Recent Developments in Cyberspace Law. Recent cases on copyright protection, privacy
and the impact of Graham-Leach-Bliley are summarized.
Marketing Financial Services in a Foreign Language. An increasing
number of state laws place special requirements on financial institutions
marketing and servicing products and services to consumers whose principal
language is not English.
|
|
|
|
Committee Spotlight
To learn more about or join the committees that contributed to this month's practice points, just click on the committee name below.
Section members are eligible to join the Section's committees at no
additional cost. Become involved or simply stay in the information
flow. It's FREE!
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
The Section's pilot project "Back to Business Law" was featured in the New York Times.
Click here
to review the full article highlighting the Section's efforts to support women attorneys re-entering
the workplace after extended time away.
If you would like more information about Back to Business Law, click here.
The goal of the Program is to increase the participation
of young lawyers in Section activities. The Section is committed to
investing dollars in young lawyers who are expected to participate actively
in the substantive work of the Section and to grow into future leadership
positions within the Section. The Program is designed not only to develop
future leaders of the Section but also to enhance the image of the Section
among members of the YLD in order to attract young lawyers into Section
membership. The Section will select five Fellows and will fund their
expenses to participate in Section activities for two years. Applications
are due June 1, 2006. For more information about the program, click here.
The goal of the Program is to increase the
participation of lawyers of color in Section activities. The Section is
committed to investing dollars in lawyers of color who are expected to
participate actively in the substantive work of the Section and to grow
into future leadership positions within the Section. The Program is
designed not only to develop future leaders of the Section but also to
enhance the image of the Section among members of the national minority bar
organizations in order to attract lawyers of color into Section membership.
The Section will select five Ambassadors and will fund their expenses to
participate in Section activities for two years. Applications are due June
1, 2006. For more information about the program, click here.
The Section is committed to encouraging the
participation of lawyers with disabilities in Section activities. To do so,
the Section's Committee on Diversity has created the Business Law Diplomat
Program designed to demonstrate that commitment and in the process, develop
future Section leaders, facilitate the full participation of lawyers with
disabilities in Section activities, and draw more lawyers with disabilities
into active membership. Applications are due June 1, 2006. For more
information about the program, click here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
