Bloomberg Law reports that at least a dozen in-house lawyers were among the 2,400 layoffs last week at the parent of co-working giant WeWork.

“The WeWork layoffs followed an aborted $3.5 billion initial public offering, the departure of former CEO Adam Neumann, and a tentative $9.5 billion bailout by Japan’s SoftBank Group, which has temporarily saved the faltering company,” writes Bloomberg’s Brian Baxter.

WeWork lawyers in New York and San Francisco, along with some in outlying offices, were let go, one of the in-house lawyers told Bloomberg.

Read the Bloomberg Law article.

Image by NY Photographic

NAVEX Global is inviting participants to contribute input to its annual Corporate Compliance Benchmark Report.

“As a legal professional within the risk and compliance field, your experience and opinions are vital to helping us define what matters in this quickly evolving field,” the company says in its invitation.

Participants who take this 25-minute survey will receive a free copy of the report, as well as early and exclusive insights into survey results and analysis.

Phase5, an independent marketing research firm, will be collecting all the feedback. All responses are confidential and will be reported only in aggregate form. Individual data will never be shared with any other party, NAVEX says.

Take the survey.

Bloomberg Law reports that a former Hershey Co. intellectual property lawyer can’t proceed with a suit alleging he was discriminated against when the company terminated him by saying it was eliminating his position, but then hiring “a younger, African-American woman” for the same job, the Middle District of Pennsylvania said.

Kurt L. Ehresman, a 52-year-old white man, worked as Hershey’s senior counsel for global intellectual property until Hershey told him it was eliminating his position, writes Bloomberg’s Blake Brittain. Ehresman said Hershey soon created a “Head of Intellectual Property” position and hired a younger black woman “to promote Defendant’s goal of diversity.”

The court found his claims were barred by an agreement he signed when he left the company.

Read the Bloomberg Law article.

The National Association of Corporate Directors has published “A Field Guide to Bad Directors” from NACD Directorship magazine for a close look at the behaviors of the least effective and most distracting directors.

A copy of the article can be downloaded from the NACD website at no charge.

These bad actors suffer from inattention to detail, a narrow field of focus, entitled behavior, and inadequacy, NACD says. Among the 14 types, the “Representative” can’t see the big picture and instead focuses on one specific issue. The “Financial Stumbler” is comfortable with basic financial terminology, but becomes lost when the financial discussion turns technical. The “Questioner” claims to ask tough questions but is really hiding a lack of preparation.

Download the article.

Zapproved has published a new guide discussing nine best practices that will refine early case assessment process to make it as cost-effective and efficient as possible.

The goal, the company says, is to get the insights needed to form a powerful case strategy and drive down discovery costs.

The guide can be downloaded at no cost from Zapproved’s website.

Download the guide.

Exterro has published the 2019 In-House Legal Benchmarking Report, comparing in-house legal processes among 180 participating legal departments.

Compared to last year’s results, legal teams are choosing to coordinate services with fewer outside partners and are moving more operations in-house.

The report can be downloaded at no charge from the Exterro website.

Exterro says on its website that the report provides:

• 4 important takeaways to help improve your legal processes in 2020

• Results to 29 questions surrounding in-house legal activities

• Data to help drive change in your in-house legal department

Download the report.

The 8th annual Ethics & Compliance Virtual Conference will feature a full agenda dedicated to helping compliance programs remediate risk holistically—from preventive to reactive program components.

The NAVEX Global event, scheduled for Oct. 24, 2019, is designed to help participants understand global complexities, budget restrictions and the future of integrated risk management.

Webinar sessions will include:

• Driving Lasting Impact for Compliance Investment
• How to Impress or Underwhelm a Federal Prosecutor
• Predictive Analytics for Proactive Compliance Programs
• Correlation Between Brand Reputation Damage & Hotline Reports

Register for the event.

The National Association of Corporate Directors has published the 2019 NACD Blue Ribbon Commission Report―Fit for the Future: An Urgent Imperative for Board Leadership—an invaluable resource for board rooms across America.

The report can be downloaded from the NACD website at no charge.

NACD members receive the added advantage of a comprehensive toolkit that helps boards transform information into meaningful action. The toolkit includes case studies, sample documents, questions to inform boardroom discussions, and other resources. NACD members benefit from this additional level of support that ensures that knowledge yields results.

Download the report.

PactSafe has published a new guide that outlines different ways a legal department can foster effective cross-departmental relationships. It offers ideas that can be implemented this week, and tips that can plant the seed for more strategic, long-term change.

“Whether your goals are focused on increasing sales velocity, more efficient employee on-boarding, or mitigating risk of a new product, the legal department is often seen as an operational bottleneck and inhibitor of innovation,” PactSafe says on its website. “With 2020 on the horizon, legal needs to refresh its reputation—and understand its unique position to enable innovation—and it starts with better interdepartmental relationships.”

The guide covers:

• How legal and sales can maintain a united front when closing a deal
• Why legal and finance need to collaborate better on budget
• Ways legal and HR can limit risk of employee charges
• How legal and dev can find common ground in risk management and UX design

Download the free guide.

The annual meeting of the Association of Corporate Counsel in Phoenix in October will feature more than 140 sessions that will allow participants to earn up to a year’s worth of CLE/CPD credit in less than three days.

The event will be Oct. 27-30.

Topics at those sessions will include such subjects as contract drafting, data security, corporate sustainability, records management, and business education for in-house counsel.

Register or get more information.

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP will present a CLE program for in-house lawyers only to help attendees learn how to identify and disseminate pro bono opportunities and become familiar with special rules that apply to in-house lawyers.

The event will be Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, with registration and a hosted breakfast beginning at 8 a.m. Pacific time. The program will last from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PT. Lunch will be provided.

This program will be hosted in the firm’s Seattle office and broadcasted to each of the firm’s other locations: Anchorage, Bellevue, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

Presenters from Microsoft, Amazon, T-Mobile, Starbucks panelists about how to:

* Develop a strong and impactful pro bono program
* Build a CSR, sustainability, and community arm
* Institute pro bono policy and establish a pro bono form bank
* Form or recalibrate/energize a pro bono committee
* Identify meaningful pro bono opportunities
* Enter into corporate partnerships with PPPs
* Comply with ethical rules regarding in-house pro bono work

Attendees will receive a resource manual with sample polices, forms, briefs, templates and a menu of pro bono opportunities.

The keynote will be by Lucy Lee Helm, chief partner officer at Starbucks

For registration or questions: JoannaBoisen@dwt.com

The National Association of Corporate Directors, in partnership with Marsh & McClennan Companies, has published a report outlining a practical approach to advancing board oversight of digital transformation and emerging technologies.

The report is available by downloading from the NACD website at no charge.

“This report includes fresh, primary research and one-on-one interviews with leading directors and experts and identifies five foundational principles that will help directors navigate the complexities of artificial intelligence, blockchain, the Internet of Things, robotics process automation and more,” the organization says on its website. “Each principle includes specific recommendations to help directors avoid potential pitfalls, spot red flags, and formulate and adopt a more cohesive oversight approach.”

Download the report.

Zapproved has published “The Definitive Guide to Legal Hold Best Practices,” a guide to effectively preserving information for use in litigation.

The guide can be downloaded from Zapproved’s website at no charge.

It provides clear advice on recognizing trigger events and scoping preservation efforts; recommendations for how to issue, monitor, and release legal holds; analyses of common points of preservation failure; helpful checklists; and case law examples.

Download the guide.

ContractWorks has published a guide titled “The Contracts Checklist for M&A Due Diligence” and made it available for downloading from the company’s website at no charge.

“Reviewing the contracts and commitments of a target company is one of the most time-consuming and crucial components of a due diligence inquiry,” ContractWorks says on its website. “This guide serves as a non-exhaustive checklist of important contract types to consider during the M&A due diligence process.”

The guide covers:

• Contract due diligence pre- and post-transaction
• Categories of contracts that are important to review and understand
• Tips for getting started and ensuring success

Download the checklist.

Onit and SimpleLegal have jointly published a white paper on the benefits of disruption in the legal department.

“Driving Disruption in the Law Department” is available on Onit’s website for downloading at no charge.

“The growth of legal operations has been undeniable,” Onit says on its website. “We’re starting to see communities of strategic, business-minded individuals come together to drive disruption and influence operational change within the legal department.”

The joint white paper covers:

• Why legal department disruption is a “good” thing
• How process, technology, and data play a role in disruption
• The rise of industry organizations including CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium) and ACC (Association of Corporate Counsel)
• 7 predictions for the future of legal operations by Onit CEO and founder Eric M. Elfman and SimpleLegal CEO and co-founder Nathan Wenzel
• How the legal community and technology vendors can work together to drive change and innovation

Download the white paper.

The Washington Post reports that the National Rifle Association shook up its legal team Thursday and severed ties with its longtime outside counsel, intensifying a civil war that has upended the influential gun rights lobby.

The group dismissed prominent Washington attorney Charles Cooper, and another outside counsel, Michael Volkov, resigned, an NRA spokesman said.

The New York Times reports that Cooper had been aligned with former NRA president Oliver North in a contest with chief executive Wayne LaPierre. Cooper had been charging the group $1,350 an hour, the Times reports.

Read the Post article.

ContractWorks has published a guide to recognizing, establishing, and monitoring the most important key performance indicators for corporate agreements.

“Using KPIs to Measure Contract Management Performance” is available for downloading from ContractWorks’ website at no charge.

This publication can provide guidance on creating effective KPIs for key contracting areas, discussing steps for successfully presenting objectives and KPIs, using KPIs to actively monitor SMART objectives, and discussing tips for getting started and ensuring success.

Download the guide.

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, NAVEX Global will host a complimentary Master Class consisting of webinars discussing the topic of diversity and inclusion.

Most compliance professionals know it’s important to highlight “diversity and inclusion” when discussing corporate priorities with your board, executives and employees, NAVEX says on its website. But how do you really move the needle from making talking points to cultivating a truly diverse and inclusive workplace where employees feel a sense of belonging and value?

Attend this class to hear:

• Foundations for an Effective Diversity & Inclusion Program
• Going Beyond Ideology to Achieve Impact with Diversity & Inclusion
• Live Q&A with Instructors

Register for the webinars.

A brief published by the National Association of Corporate Directors takes a serious look at the critical interaction between the general counsel and the board during a crisis.

The information contained in the brief was captured from an in-depth discussion of Fortune 500 board leaders.

The publication, titled “Communicating in Times of Crisis: Insights From Fortune 500 Committee Chairs,” can be downloaded from the NACD website at no charge.

It addresses the question: How can the general counsel manage the timing of communications with stakeholders and balance the need for transparency with the organization’s risk appetite—amid an ongoing investigation?

Download the brief.

The Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics’ 18th Annual Compliance & Ethics Institute will feature leading industry experts who will cover real world compliance issues, emerging trends, and practical applications.

The event will be in National Harbor, MD, Sept. 15-18, 2019.

Participants will learn about current hot topics such as global antitrust compliance, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions, artificial intelligence, and preventing harassment and discrimination.

The SCCE says CEI is ideal for any professional who deals with compliance and ethics issues as part of their job duties, including compliance and ethics professionals, in-house and outside counsel, audit managers/officers, consultants, corporate executives and leaders, human resource managers, information officers, privacy officers, regulators and other government personnel, researchers and policy makers, risk managers, staff educators and trainers.

Get more information or register.