House Rules

In-House Counsel

House Rules: State of the Union

February 1, 2012 is a singularly important day to Rush geeks (like me). 2112, get it? I’ve been drumming for over 30 years, and was brought up on trying to play along with Mr. Peart. While I succeeded somewhat in gaining enough chops to play Moving Pictures, Side 1 (back when they had albums, which […]

In-House Counsel

House Rules: They Don’t Realize What They Have

This column will be published the day our year-end numbers are made public. Word on the street (and the Street) is that we should beat expectations. If true, that would be a very good thing. This isn’t inside information; it’s been opined and published in several national media outlets, and in any event, I am […]

In-House Counsel

House Rules: Responding to Guesty

I very much appreciate reader feedback on my columns, whether received via email or in the comments. Here’s one of the better critiques from the comments section last week, from “Guesty”: “David — you need to decide what you’re trying to accomplish with this column rather than just describing negotiating a form contract with a […]

Contracts

House Rules: Risk / Reward

I’m writing this wearing my new bifocals. They take some getting used to after years of regular glasses and contacts. But, after watching me examine small print like I was Mr. Magoo, my wife convinced me that it was time to take a symbolic plunge toward middle age. I admit to no small amount of […]

Holidays and Seasons

House Rules: Year-End Press

In-house columnist David Mowry mentioned in a past column that the year-end press can lead to some very interesting requests: field reps asking for things that they (should) know to be questionable ethically, absurd customer demands (funny thing how the customers know it’s year-end and try to use that leverage), and the like. It is times such as these, when the pressure is on to assist the Field achieve their targets, that in-house attorneys must be most vigilant in their duty to the corporation....

Crime

House Rules: Holidays, Half Empty – Half Full

Disclaimer: I know this is usually an in-house column with tips and tidbits about being a corporate attorney, but there have already been numerous columns about how to network (or not) through the holidays, how to prepare for the next billable year, and how to act at a party. I’m using today’s column to very […]

In-House Counsel

House Rules: Insurance, LoL, and Indemnity, Redux

I wrote about these contractual issues the week before Thanksgiving. I received so many emails that I thought it best to flesh these topics out a bit more. Also, some of these headings are from the anonymous “comments” section on this site, so I can’t attribute them (and I’ve also edited them for language). 1) […]

Banking Law

House Rules: HIPAA and GLBA and Indemnity, Oh My!

Caveat: I did not write the following dialogue. It is from the “comments” section of one of my columns where I mentioned I’d be writing about HIPAA and GLBA. Unfortunately, I cannot attribute the comments to the persons who wrote them, as they are anonymous; however they are quite apropos of today’s subject: 1) “I […]

Deaths

House Rules: Requiem

A close friend’s father passed away. He was 71, a retired school teacher and a great man. A man dying at 71 used to seem far off in my comprehension of time, but as I get older, it’s really not. I learned of his death the day after ATL had posted a story about a […]

Conferences / Symposia

House Rules: The Mile-High Club

I recently spent a week in Denver over two days (“ba dum bum”). The day I arrived, the temperature hit a record high of 80 degrees, and it snowed several inches the next evening. I was supposed to be attending (and enjoying) the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Annual Meeting, but instead, I was frantically trying […]

In-House Counsel

House Rules: Now What? Learning the In-House Ropes

Now what? You’re sitting in your new office, with a blank stare out the window, and like Redford in “The Candidate” you say: “Now what?” Your next move largely depends on the size of your in-house department. Departments with six or fewer attorneys make up approximately 60% of in-house legal offices. Most in-house lawyers therefore […]

In-House Counsel

House Rules: In-House for Life?

So you’ve decided to take the plunge in-house. You have likely had to accept a pay cut. Not the worst thing to have happen, given that you’re about to get your life back. But most in-house counsel do not make the mid-six figure salaries of senior associates, or junior partners....