5th Annual Corporate Counsel Institute

Registration deadline: 02/22/18

Join us for the 5th Annual Corporate Counsel Institute!  The Institute was designed by the MSBA Corporate Counsel Section for corporate attorneys looking for quality CLE courses with topics meaningful to their practice at a reasonable cost. Come for the practical education and the opportunity to connect with friends and colleagues.

Registration includes breakfast, lunch and social hour drinks and appetizers. We look forward to seeing you!

8:00 a.m. Breakfast and Registration

8:45 a.m.  How to Partner with the FBI to Mitigate Organizational Risk

The presentation is titled, "How to Partner with the FBI to Mitigate Organizational Risk." Many companies work closely with the FBI to mitigate risk from a wide variety of domestic and international threats every day. Through this presentation, you will learn about the FBI’s mission, organization, structure, and how to best position your organization to collaborate with the FBI to protect your company.

Jeff Van Nest | Chief Division Counsel, Federal Bureau of Investigation

10:00 a.m.  The Basics of Business Immigration Law

This program will provide an overview of the employment-based immigration system, temporary work visas and permanent residence “green card” sponsorship, and immigration compliance strategies. Sandra will also discuss recent trends in business immigration. 

Sandra Feist | Partner, Grell Feist PLC

11:00 a.m.  Data is the New Oil: What Companies Need to Know about Existing and Proposed Legislation and How to Build a Privacy Program

This program will provide an overview of privacy law, how GDPR has influenced companies and legislators, new legislation and proposals for a federal privacy law, and a high-level discussion of how to build a privacy program.

Tracy Lechner | Founder and Attorney, Law Offices of Tracy L. Lechner LLC

12:00 p.m.  Lunch

12:15 p.m.  Why Recruiting and Retaining Foreign-Trained Lawyers Matters in Minnesota

Minnesota does not allow foreign-trained lawyers with a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from an ABA-accredited school to sit for the Bar Exam. That needs to change. Jurisdictions like the state of Washington, Wisconsin or Vermont, with similar demographics or economic landscape, have more welcoming admission rules—not to speak of more cosmopolitan jurisdictions like New York, DC or California.

If Minnesota bar admission rules were more immigrant-friendly, corporations in this state would benefit extensively. For example, instead of hiring a Mexican or Chinese law firm thousands of miles away, Minnesota corporations could hire local Minnesota lawyers who are licensed in that foreign nation, licensed in Minnesota, AND who have knowledge of the US legal system. The benefits would be noticeable.

Currently in the global scene, a Minnesota law license is not highly regarded or even known. That could change with more open admission rules. Minnesota would be coveted as one of the select jurisdictions allowing foreign-trained lawyers with an LLM degree from an ABA-accredited school to sit for the Bar Exam. That would give greater value to all of our law licenses worldwide.

Inti Martínez-Alemán | Attorney, Ceiba Fôrte Law Firm

1:15 p.m.  Chevron Deference: Past, Present, and Future

The Supreme Court's 1984 decision in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. established that courts should defer to agency interpretations of ambiguities in the statutes they administer, unless those interpretations are unreasonable.  The Chevron standard has evolved and become more complex over time.  Judicial opinions and commentary have called for it to be curtailed or even overturned.  Professor Hickman will review the Chevron standard's myriad nuances and provide an update on recent developments around the doctrine. 

Professor Kristin E. Hickman | University of Minnesota Law School

3:30 p.m.  General Counsel Roundtable

The General Counsel roundtable will be a discussion of how each panelist made his/her way to the GC position, specific challenges and rewarding aspects of the GC role, what they expect from the lawyers in their departments, and what some of their "pet peeves" are with respect to running the department, as well as discussions of what they consider to be their top challenges for 2019.

Gretchen Cepek | Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America
Mike Kolar | Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Prime Therapeutics
Amanda Rusin | Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Regis Corporation
Tom Ting | General Counsel, Starkey Hearing Technologies
Moderator:Tom Lynch | General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Secretary, CHF Solutions, Inc.

4:30 p.m. Networking Social Hour

CLE Credits:

7.0 Standard credits approved | Event Code: 269340

Cost:

Section Member:  $80
MSBA Member not in the section: $150 OR join the CCS and attend for $100 (must contact Kayla Erbach)
Non-MSBA Member: $200
Law Student: $25

Remote Participation: 

Remote participation is not available.

Want more information about the Corporate Counsel Section? 
To register with a check, please mail in this registration form.
Need to cancel? Please see our cancellation policy.
Questions? Contact Kayla Erbach | 612-278-6325

The MSBA is committed to creating an inclusive environment in which all members can participate fully. If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in this event, please notify Kayla Erbach. Please provide notification at least 72 hours prior to the meeting to allow sufficient time to make arrangements for accommodations.