NY ACCA Annual Meeting Features Ethics, Employment Panels

The June 19 Annual Meeting of the Greater New York Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (NY ACCA) featured a series of panels on employment and ethics issues, and the unanimous election of the proposed slate of directors.

The day-long program, prepared by Robin Dunlop, Zenith Media, and chaired by NY ACCA President Lisa Whitney, took place at the Pfizer headquarters in New York City, with a remote feed at Kraft Kennedy & Lesser.

Margaret Madden, vice president and assistant general counsel, Pfizer, moderated a panel on Investigation of Employees, discussing what advisories must be given and when, how to provide independent counsel to employees, and how to provide joint representation of employers and supervisors in employment discrimination litigation.

Josephine Belli, associate general counsel, Combe Inc., moderated a panel on Diversity in the Workplace. Kenneth Standard, past president of the New York State Bar Association, discussed the decline of minority students in law schools and urged lawyers to reach out to minority youth both socially and academically.

A panel led by Susan Hackett, general counsel, ACC, examined ethical issues facing general counsel in a multi-jurisdictional corporation.

Dan Karson, Kroll, moderated a panel on Lessons Learned From Hewlett Packard. Panel members included Jo Backer Laird, general counsel, Christies, who discussed independent investigations.

The keynote address by Lee Peeler, president and CEO of the National Advertising Review Board, examined the role of truth in making ethical marketing decisions.

In a panel on Ethical Issues in Doing Business Globally,moderator Ron Martin, vice president of global business practices and corporate social responsibilty, Colgate Palmolive Company, offered hypothetical problems that panelists explored. The discussion among Michael Gilbert, Dechert; Andrew Hruska, King & Spalding LLP, and Kirk G. Forrest, vice president, general counsel and secretary, Minerals Technologies, Inc., focused on competing in a global economy while complying with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Michael Kraft, Kraft Kennedy and Lesser, discussed avoiding ethics problems in creating a records retention policy. Other panelists included Patrick Burke, general counsel, Guidance Software; Adam Gilbert, Nixon Peabody, and Nick Akerman, Dorsey & Whitney.

Thomas Baxter, executive vice president and general counsel, Federal Reserve Bank, moderated a panel on practices associated with predatory lending in the subprime mortgage market, and ethical issues for lawyers representing borrowers and market participants. Participants included David Berenbaum, executive vice president, National Community Reinvestment Coalition; Andrew L. Sandler, Skadden Arps, Slate Meager and Flom, LLP; Michael S. Helfer, general counsel and corporate secretary, Citigroup, and Greg Walker, managing director and managing attorney, UBS, AG.

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