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Corporate Counsel
The Federation Of Defense & Corporate Counsel’s Value Proposition
Editor: Describe your background and role in FDCC. Pratt: For nearly 30 years, I practiced law with Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Kansas City, MO. Six years ago, I became General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Boston Scientific, a multinational medical device company. Over time, I picked up...
Read MoreCorporate Counsel
A Profession On The Verge Of A Paradigm Shift?
Law school enrollment is tanking, threatening the viability of some law schools. A continuing stream of announcements of law firm layoffs fills the legal periodicals. Client expectations about what they will pay for and what they expect to receive in return are changing dramatically. Are these...
Read MoreIntellectual Property
Mississippi Burning II: Eaton v. Frisby And The Ruin Of Best Intentions
General counsel and defense counsel know all too well that corporations are under stress in a world marked by erupting economic, political, and social media crises. A corporate enterprise can be brought to its knees by events beyond its control. A company’s plan to stabilize itself in the...
Read MoreTechnology
An Employer’s Introduction: Basic Risk Management And Social Media
In recent weeks, Internet giant Yahoo! received embarrassing publicity when an internal memo was published on social media. In other news, the Associated Press lost control of its Twitter account, which had a dramatic, albeit temporary, effect on the New York Stock Exchange. These events...
Read MoreDiscovery
Are Courts Beginning To Take Proportionality Seriously In E-Discovery?
Proportionality was expressly enshrined into the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure nearly thirty years ago with the 1983 amendments. Indeed, that principle has always been there. Rule 1 begins with a goal and a promise – the “just, speedy and inexpensive determination of every...
Read MoreAlternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
FDCC Training Video Advances ADR Practitioner Knowledge
Editor: We understand that the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC) has created a training video for counsel engaged in alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Please tell our readers about the topics covered and why FDCC chose to create this valuable resource. Pratt: Many years...
Read MoreFinance
D&O Insurance In The Dodd-Frank Era: What You Need To Know To Protect Your Directors And Officers
It's 5:00 p.m. on a Friday, and one of your company’s directors informs you that he and your company were just sued. What are the obligations of the company and its insurer to the director? What if the defendant is you? The last decade has seen increased liability exposure for...
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