On November 6 and 7, attorneys from across the country will assemble in New York City for the fourth annual General Counsel Institute, a two-day program presented by the National Association of Women Lawyers® (NAWL®).

The General Counsel Institute is targeted to women in-house counsel who want to build top-tier professional and management skills as well as improve their interaction with corporate executives and the functioning of their legal departments. Attendees include in-house attorneys from public and private companies, nonprofits, educational institutions and governmental organizations.

“This program is unique in that it focuses on the particular skills and knowledge needed by women attorneys,” says Lisa Horowitz, President of NAWL and Senior Manager of Professional Development at McDermott Will & Emery LLP. “The goal of this year’s General Counsel Institute is to help women understand and prepare for the current economic and legal developments that undoubtedly will shape where their companies - and careers - are headed.”

The General Counsel Institute includes plenary and workshop sessions with general counsel, outside attorneys and business professionals. Topics covered include budgeting and finance, establishing compliance programs and leadership development.

Highlighting this year’s event are keynote addresses by Jan Crawford Greenburg, Legal Correspondent with ABC News, and Deirdre Stanley, General Counsel for Thomson Reuters. Additionally, former Senator Tim Hutchinson of Arkansas and former Representative Al Wynn of Maryland will hold a special session discussing how a new presidential administration could affect business issues.

The General Counsel Institute will take place Nov. 6-7, 2008, at the Westin New York at Times Square. Registration forms, scholarship applications and additional information can be found at www.nawl.org.

NAWL is the leading national voluntary organization devoted to the interests of women lawyers and women’s rights. Founded over 100 years ago, NAWL has members in all 50 states and engages in a variety of programs and activities to advance its mission.

The results of the 2008 Global Counsel Awards are in - head over to Legal Blog Watch for links to the results.

Legal Blog Watch

News from the blawgosphere - and the kind you like (free!):

Wired GC is launching a new series of web seminars entitled “Off The Meter” about the changing nature of law and the legal services market. Every other month, legal industry leaders will provide insight into where the smart insiders are going and how they will get there.

The first seminar is “Using Discovery as a Learning Tool,” and will be held on Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 2:30 PM EDT. There will be 45 minutes of concise content and incisive discussion, available via the web right on your desktop. The seminar features three leading discovery experts: David Galbenski, CEO of Lumen Legal, Jim Daley, partner of the firm Redgrave Daley Ragan & Wagner, and Gary Hayden, Director, Intelligent Discovery Solutions, Inc. (and former associate general counsel of Ford Motor Credit Company).

Wired GC - Off The Meter

Law firms that aren’t focused on diversity will soon find Wal-Mart focusing on them - and potentially transferring their business to other more diverse firms.

Wal-Mart Will Use Software to Monitor Diversity of Outside Counsel | ABA Journal - Law News Now

Everyone is grappling with self-reported data spills. Organizations of every size, public and private, here and abroad, are feeling the fast-paced, disruptive economic sting of an unauthorized sensitive information leak. Attorney Harry A. Valetk says in-house counsel should plan ahead and think about how to respond before an incident occurs. With this in mind, Valetk provides five key questions to test your company’s readiness to respond swiftly and effectively in case a data breach occurs.

How Ready Is Your Company to Respond to a Data Breach?

The pace and scope of global corporate expansion has the biggest impact on in-house legal departments, according to attendees at a recent Association of Corporate Counsel Greater New York Chapter event. Of more than 100 senior corporate counsel polled at the event, 38.2 percent pegged global growth as having the most impact. Other top concerns included the increasing costs of outside counsel and the economic downturn.

Global Growth Has the Greatest Impact on In-House Legal Departments

Make some room - AboveTheLaw’s recent associate life survey indicates a big jump in the number of law firm associates who want to go in-house “as soon as possible”.
Above the Law - Associate Life Survey: In-House Aspirations

Changes in the business climate have created different kinds of management challenges for chief legal officers compared with those faced by law firm leaders — in some ways putting them at odds with each other — according to consultant Doug Richardson. The increasing cost control tensions are changing the relationships, Richardson suggested. “The relationship between in-house lawyers and outside firms are becoming a lot less friendly,” he said.

Consultant: Firms, Legal Departments Are ‘At War With Each Other’

According to a recent ABA Journal article, fear is spreading at major law firms as the uncertain economy has some attorneys wondering whether they will hit their billable hour goals. Are things more secure in the in-house world? Stay tuned.

Nearly 30% of Lawyers Surveyed Fear Firing | ABA Journal - Law News Now

A recent survey does not bode well for outside counsel, as it indicates that many GCs may fire their outside counsel or decrease the amount of work that they give them. In other news, the number of GCs that say that they will hire additional in-house lawyers has increased.

Bad News for Law Firms: Half the GCs Surveyed Are in a Firing Mood | ABA Journal - Law News Now