New Corporate Counsel Committee launches strong at Annual Florida Bar Convention
The newly formed “Corporate Counsel Committee,” an initiative President-elect Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes launched earlier this year at the behest of Bar members across the state, is off to a fast start.
Chaired by Universal Property & Casualty General Counsel for Operations Michel Morgan, the committee conducts its first formal meeting on Wednesday, June 25 at the Annual Florida Bar Convention in Boca Raton.
Baker-Barnes begins her yearlong tenure as president following a swearing in ceremony at the convention. She told the Board of Governors earlier this year that the committee is needed to serve a segment of Bar membership that has been too often overlooked.
Morgan told the Bar News in April that the committee will give corporate and in-house counsel a forum for sharing ideas and generate programming that meets the practice area’s widely diverse interests.
Michel Morgan
“I can tell you, for someone who has been relatively active with the Bar, I have typically felt left out when I attend Bar events, because there’s hardly any in-house counsel who attend,” she says. “And the programming is not usually very relevant to my everyday experience.”
The committee didn’t waste time filling the relevance gap. Proof that a need exists, registration for its first CLE, which begins in the morning prior to the afternoon committee meeting, has already closed.
“So, You Want to be Corporate Counsel? Principles Guiding Best In-House Counsel Practices in Corporate Transactional, Litigation, and Boardroom Matters,” covers acres of ground.
Beginning at 8:30 a.m., the first segment, “So, You Want to Be a Corporate Counsel,” focuses on “strategies for career positioning;” “underestimated responsibilities;” and “MBA principles.”
A second segment, “Corporate Transactions Decoded,” focuses on “navigating corporate financial statements;” “loan structuring and corporate financing principles;” and “underestimated transactional risks in real estate, IP, mergers & acquisitions, and employment transactions.”
A “Policy Pulse” follows the second segment and includes a legislative update for issues shaping in-house practice.
Following a break, more segments will explore “Strategic Litigation Management,” and “Navigating Corporate Operations and Boardroom Matters.”
“Being an effective In-House Counsel requires strategic planning, effective communication, and collaboration within and outside of the organization,” notes a program guide. “It is a challenging role that requires foundational knowledge in many areas, including, but not limited to, corporate transactions, litigation, corporate finance, and other boardroom topics.”
