ACC-NYC   BOARD   CONTACT   JOIN   IN THIS ISSUE President's Message Featured Articles Past Presentations Upcoming ACC-NYC Events Online Photo Albums Membership News Thank You to Our Sponsors Platinum Sponsors Click here for a complete list of sponsors We are Social Follow ACC-NYC on Social Media! Join the conversation in person at our events, and also online!   One of ACC-NYC's goals is to use LinkedIn to better engage with our community, so please follow our chapter page here. Plan to get access to all our events, content from our sponsors, ACC HQ, and in-house job opportunities. FOCUS ON THE NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER ~ AUTUMN 2024 NEWSLETTER Happy Fall! I always welcome Fall as it signals a new transition. After two years as President of the Associate of Corporate Counsel – New York City (“ACC-NYC”) Chapter Board, I am stepping down and moving into the position of Immediate Past President.  As I write my last newsletter, I reflect on my journey to President that includes 8 years of board service. I began my service to this chapter as a Co-Chair of the Digital, Technology, Ecommerce & Privacy (“DTEP”) Practice Group. After that, I became a board member and was appointed the Co-Chair of the Women’s Group, Board Secretary, VP, Programming, and then VP, Pro Bono & Cultural Outreach before becoming the President.  When I joined the board, I had not aspired to become President. I would like to thank Past Presidents, Penny Williams and Ashley Miller for not only encouraging me to step up to the President role, but for leaving a strong foundation from which I was able to continue to build.  I would like to thank my former General Counsel and ACC-NYC Past President, Reginald Rasch, for introducing me to the ACC when I was a new in-house attorney and Pauline Arnakis for recommending me to Co-Chair the DTEP Practice Group and for nominating me for the board. During the past 2 years, I have had the privilege to work with some amazing board members and chapter volunteers.  As I assumed the role of President in October of 2022, we were still emerging from the pandemic and having to plan events for a new normal and hybrid work.  I challenged the board to think “out of the box” to plan interesting and compelling events focused on current legal issues and on member engagement.  I would like to celebrate some chapter wins:  Received the 2023 Best Partnership Award for an event hosted in partnership with CHANEL, Inc and the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law School at the ACC Annual Meeting Recipient of the Silver Chapter of Distinction Award in 2023 at the ACC Annual Meeting Applied for and awarded an ACC Foundation Diversity Grant and hosted our first Pride Event, hosted at Meta in partnership with Meta’s Pride@Legal Employee Resource Group Restored pre-pandemic attendance at the 2023 and 2024 Full Day Events, which provided engaging CLE sessions and ample networking opportunities for chapter members  Held a pro bono clinic offering advice to small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs on a wide range of intellectual property matters, including trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets, and licensing Engaged the next generation of in-house counsel through career panel programming at NYC law schools, including Brooklyn Law and Fordham Law School  Facilitated an engaging panel of career experts for members in transition, strategically pairing volunteer mentors with mentees to foster valuable connections and support professional growth Served as the first African-American female President, leading a diverse board reflecting the diversity of New York City Some of my most cherished memories have been networking with chapter members and sponsors at our events.  Please mark your calendars to join us on November 13 for our Gala at the Yale Club.  I also want to highlight some upcoming CLE events:  October 10 – Strategic Approaches to 2025 Labor & Employment Issues; October 16 – Content Monetization; October 22 (via webinar) - Ethical Considerations in Government Investigations; and October 29 – DEI Push and Pull.  We frequently update our event calendar so please check it regularly as we add CLE programs and social events as they become available.  It has been a great honor to serve as your Chapter President. My board service has always been inspired and rooted in our mission to build our in-house counsel community through information, education, networking opportunities and advocacy initiatives.  As I pass the baton to the new President, Kate McMenamy, and President-Elect, James Farnsworth, I am confident that I leave the chapter in good hands and that they will continue to build on our mission.  As I step into the position of Immediate Past President, I look forward to continuing to support the board in an advisory capacity and seeing you at our upcoming events.  I encourage you to get more involved in our chapter as it has truly been a rewarding experience for me. Respectfully, Tia L. Gilford ACC-NYC President FEATURED ARTICLES Final Rule for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Takes Effect as Scheduled for Most Employers, Despite Legal Challenges By: Michelle T. Olson & Ellen M. Hemminger On June 18, 2024, the Final Rule implementing and interpreting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA” or the “Act”) took effect as scheduled for most employers, despite several legal challenges that sought to block it. The PWFA requires employers with 15 or more employees to make reasonable accommodations (absent undue hardship) for qualified employees and applicants with known limitations due to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.  The PWFA further prohibits employers from retaliating against employees or applicants because they have requested an accommodation, opposed discrimination or participated in an investigation or proceeding under the Act. For more information, check out this article from our friends at Vedder Price. Read More Political Speech in the Workplace: How Employers Can Manage Legal Risks in 6 Steps By: Evan B. Citron The national and global hyperpolitical atmosphere inevitably touches the workplace, where employers and employees must remain productive while navigating the intersection of political expression, workplace culture and policies, and the law. The rapidly approaching 2024 presidential election further highlights the importance of employers understanding the legal and practical considerations at play and managing the risks. The First Amendment’s protection against government regulation of speech does not extend to private employers, giving employers significant flexibility in regulating political expression in the workplace. That flexibility is tempered, however, by a host of other laws bearing on employees’ political speech, including: National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)  Anti-discrimination laws Laws concerning off-duty conduct For more, check out this article from our friends at Jackson Lewis. Read More Leveraging Legal Expertise in M&A Transactions to Drive Business Success By: Russell Franklin & Jeanette Kernizan Adelson Given the significance of strategic transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, or dispositions, it is likely that in-house counsel has competent external counsel that it can leverage to do much of the heavy lifting regarding drafting and general project management. While external counsel may be more experienced from a procedural standpoint, and generally is more than capable of drafting, there are things that directly impact the transaction that external counsel cannot do at all, or cannot do as well as in-house counsel, given that external counsel is not integrated into the business. This Insight highlights some of the ways in-house counsel can leverage their institutional knowledge to help everyone, including external counsel, ensure that the company is protected throughout the process, and that the business team achieves its stated goals for the transaction. To continue reading this insight, check out this article from our friends at Morgan Lewis. Read More NOTES FROM ACC-GLOBAL Artificial Intelligence Insights Microsite AI is changing legal departments and businesses. To keep ACC members ahead of the latest change, ACC’s Research team has created the Artificial Intelligence Insights Microsite to share the latest on AI-related topics and tools. Check out all the articles and resources curated especially for you! Learn more PAST PRESENTATIONS Did you know ACC-NYC curates a webpage of all our past presentations exclusively for our members? Whether you’re looking to reference a particular topic that was raised or you’re curious what you may have missed at an event, make sure to bookmark this important resource, which includes some video recordings of past events! ACC-NYC PAST PRESENTATION MATERIALS   UPCOMING ACC-NYC EVENTS Be sure to check our Events Page frequently for a listing of our upcoming virtual and in-person events! ONLINE PHOTO ALBUMS View photo galleries from recent ACC-NYC events! PHOTO GALLERY   MEMBERSHIP NEWS Are you looking to learn more about the full suite of benefits of your ACC Membership? ACC has created a helpful 20-minute membership demonstration video to provide insights into many of the features of ACC.com. We encourage you to watch the video and learn more about all the resources your ACC Membership offers! GO TO MEMBERSHIP VIDEO   If you no longer want to receive emails from ACC NYC, please Opt-Out.