TIPS Corporate Counsel Committee: An Intersection of In-House and Law Firm Lawyers

The TIPS Corporate Counsel Committee is a mix of in-house corporate counsel from small businesses and large corporations, including insurance companies and a variety of retail, manufacturing, and even defense contractors. It also includes attorneys in private practice who work closely with the in-house attorneys. The members of the committee engage in a dialogue about issues affecting their organizations and firms. As set forth on the committee’s webpage, available at http://apps.americanbar.org/dch/committee.cfm?com=IL205600, the committee lists a number of goals for the 2015–2016 bar year:

• Provide a trusted resource for corporate counsel in gaining outstanding subject matter expertise across a wide range of tort, trial, and insurance matters that will directly impact your company’s bottom line.
• Engender a collaborative, collegial, and inclusive environment in which corporate counsel and outside lawyers can exchange ideas and seek solutions involving important issues of mutual interest.
• Give in-house counsel access to a network of leading corporate counsel, outside counsel, government lawyers, and plaintiffs counsel throughout the United States.
• Provide a unique opportunity for corporate counsel to become leaders in the organization, enhance their reputations and professional development, and bring back value to their companies.
• Offer corporate counsel excellent opportunities to serve on the faculty of national CLE programs and webinars, attend and participate in TIPS meetings, and publish articles.

Our committee held informative sessions at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago in August 2015, including a number of opportunities to network with fellow attendees. Those who participated had a great time interacting and discussing issues of the day. In October 2015, the committee conducted focused and productive meetings during the TIPS Fall Leadership Meeting at the beautiful Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Corporate Counsel Committee also will present exciting programming at the ABA Midyear Meeting in February in San Diego, California. Mark your calendars and join your fellow committee members for opportunities to keep abreast of issues affecting corporate counsel and enjoy more networking events.

The committee launched its inaugural mentoring program in 2015, designed to help young lawyer committee members obtain a mentor from the committee. The program is starting its second year, following a successful launch year that offered great benefits for the young lawyer mentees. Only a few mentor spots remain, so please visit the committee website if you are interested in making a real impact in the life of a young, in-house lawyer.

In May 2016, the Corporate Counsel Committee will be part of the Second Annual TIPS Section Conference. Join us in Atlanta, Georgia, for great programming. Finally, the committee is in the early stages of planning an excellent discussion on the effective management of international supply chains, which it plans to present at the ABA Annual Meeting in August in San Francisco, California. Updates will be posted on the committee webpage.

Committee members who are interested in getting involved in the committee’s work are encouraged to participate by joining the monthly committee calls. The committee holds monthly telephone conferences on the last Tuesday of each month to discuss substantive legal issues—typically with a guest speaker—and to learn about upcoming activities of the committee. Each call occurs at 4:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. CT/2:00 p.m. MT/1:00 p.m. PT, and dial-in information is circulated in advance.

The committee also invites members to submit articles for its newsletter. Here is your chance to be published and enhance your credentials. Contact the newsletter’s editor, Zascha Abbott, at zbabbott@mdwcg.com. Finally, if you wish to propose ideas for programming, ask questions, or offer comments for the committee, please contact the committee’s chair, William Kruse, at bill_kruse@gallup.com. The more input the committee’s leadership receives about the issues and programs that are relevant to you, the stronger the Corporate Counsel Committee will be. We look forward to working with you and hearing from you. n