CLANZ
PO Box 840, Whangaparaoa
Auckland, New Zealand
P 64 9 428 4783
F 64 9 428 4786
E members@clanz.org
W www.clanz.org
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PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
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CLANZ'S IP FIRM PARTNER
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CLANZ SPECIAL
INTEREST GROUPS
WORKING PARENTS GROUP
All CLANZ members lead busy lives, but many of us have the added complication of juggling childcare responsibilities as well. CLANZ is looking to set up regular forums in Auckland and Wellington, where working parents can meet and share their ideas and experiences. Anyone interested can contact Helen Mackay
SALT - SOUTH AUCKLAND LEGAL TEAMS
This group meets on the third Thursday of each month at 4pm. Current members are the legal teams of CHH, Dominion Breweries and Fisher & Paykel Appliances, Finance and Healthcare. Anyone part of an Auckland in-house legal team south of the city. Anyone interested can email Rebecca Holbrook
www.clanz.org
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Helen Mackay,
CLANZ President |
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A hot topic generating discussion at the moment is the growing number of in-house lawyers in New Zealand and the increasing scope and level of work they perform. The in-house profession has grown 40% in New Zealand in the last decade and the trend is continuing. Most general counsel and many legal counsel also have responsibility for more than the provision of legal services.
Public affairs, risk management, corporate governance, investor relations, human resources and HSE champion are all portfolios today’s general counsel might have as part of their role. Increasing numbers of chief in-house lawyers are also sitting at the leadership team table and contributing strategic advice and direction.
Click here for a recent article from Eugene Bingham in NZ Management magazine on this topic. Is this wider brief taking the focus away from our core function or is it a generally positive move? I welcome your views on these trends, at president@clanz.org. Keep an eye on the website for updates and feedback on this topic, at www.clanz.org.
Helen Mackay
CLANZ President |
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2008 CONFERENCE VENUE ANNOUNCED
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| The CLANZ conference will return to Rotorua next year, at a new venue large enough to accommodate the growing numbers of in-house counsel attending this important event in the in-house calendar. Mark your diaries now, for the Energy Events Centre, Rotorua, on 15-16 May 2008 |
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LEGAL PROFESSION CHANGES -
CLIENT CARE AND ‘IN-HOUSE LAWYER’ |
As part of the Law Society’s consultation on the proposed Rules of Conduct and Client Care, CLANZ was recently invited to make oral submissions to an NZLS panel to supplement our original written submission.
Our submissions focused on the client care aspect of the proposed Rules, which in our view would benefit from more detail in relation to in-house lawyers and a specific set of client care rules. We believe that a comprehensive and clear set of client care rules would benefit all practitioners, as well as provide a meaningful way of enhancing the image of the profession as one that cares about users of legal services and the public.
Another point discussed with the Society was the way in which “in-house lawyer” should be defined in the new Rules. This is relevant in determining just who is an “in-house” practitioner and the extent to which the Rules would apply to them. This led to CLANZ being asked by the NZLS panel to give further consideration to the definition it had formulated, and we intend presenting a supplementary written submission.
We also restated our position about how the draft Rules relate to in-house lawyers, as some Rules do not sit well with the in-house function and others might be modified or added to better reflect our members’ form of practice. Our oral submissions seemed to be received positively by the Society and there was good discussion on a number of points we raised.
Tim Whiteley
CLANZ Vice-President
For more information, click here for our original written submission.
| AJ PARK IP HOTLINE FOR CLANZ MEMBERS |
Do you need help with an IP issue?
Do you want quick, practical IP information?
Call the A J Park IP hotline for 10 minutes of free, general IP information.
The numbers to call are:
Mark Hargreaves, commercial
(04) 474 0999 |
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Alan Potter, trademarks
(09) 353 8226 |
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Simon Fogarty, copyright
(04) 498 3435 |
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Nicola Johnstone, patents
(09) 356 7668 |
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AJ Park’s experts will give you the short answer to your IP questions to set you in the right direction.
Conditions: The A J Park IP hotline is for general IP information over the phone only. Please let us know that you are using the A J Park IP hotline when you make a call. Because of potential conflicts of interest, your questions should not relate to a specific dispute. We may choose not to give you information on any issue at our discretion. We may cancel the A J Park IP hotline at any time.
A J Park treated CLANZ members to a comedy night at Danny Bhoy's Wellington and Auckland shows. We laughed about everything from Scotland, Danny's mum, his neighbour, Australians and even ourselves. Thanks to everyone who came along and helped make it a fun night.
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CAN US CLASS ACTIONS REACH COMPANIES OPERATING OUTSIDE THE US? |
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The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) filed an amicus brief in a case raising important questions about the extent to which US securities class actions can be brought by non-US investors against non-US companies concerning disclosures and trades also made outside the US.
The plaintiffs brought a class action in New York seeking damages on behalf of everyone in the world who purchased National Australia Bank shares over 2-1/2 years - a huge number of investors - even though the shares trade exclusively only in non-US exchanges, and 99.97% of these shares were held by people outside the US.
The issue presented in this amicus is of real concern to multinational companies and the lawyers who advise them. Plaintiffs predicated US jurisdiction on the alleged operations of a US subsidiary. But it is not the conduct of the subsidiary about which they complain; it is the manner in which that conduct was reported, or not adequately reported, by a non-US company in documents prepared outside the US (ie the essence of the complained-about conduct occurred outside the US and ACC argue should not be the basis for jurisdiction in the US). Click here for a copy of the amicus brief.
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CLANZ DISCOUNT -
LEXIS NEXIS 3RD ANNUAL IN-HOUSE COUNSEL FORUM |
Register now by calling 09 368 9502 and receive 20% off the standard price when you attend both days of this conference. Pay only $796 + GST for both days! Note: you must quote CLANZ at registration to qualify for your discount. |
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* To unsubscribe – and receive no more emails from your association – reply with ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject line.
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WORKING PARENTS FORUM
In-house counsel may attend the second event in the popular CLANZ-Bell Gully Working Parents Group series: a panel discussion on key issues facing working parents and ways to deal with them.
CLANZ president Helen Mackay will be joined by Toko Kapea from Tuia Legal and Jane Meares from Treasury to share their experiences and lead discussion.
Tuesday, 28 Aug 2007; 12.45pm for 1pm start;
Bell Gully, L21, HP Tower, 171 Featherston Street, Wellington
Light lunch provided
Please RSVP by 24 Aug -
phone 04-915 6949 or
email rsvp@bellgully.com
ACLA NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2007
Circles of Influence:
Inform – Involve - Inspire
1-2 Nov 2007, Melbourne (at the MCG), Australia
With a full program specifically for in-house counsel, plus pre-conference workshops on Influencing to Make a Commercial Impact, Fostering a Culture of Compliance in Your Organisation; and Electronic Discovery without the Panic Button.
For more details and registration, click here.
ANNUAL MEETING 2007
Enjoying the Ride on the Track to Success
29-31 Oct 2007, Chicago, USA
ACC's Annual Meeting is the largest annual gathering of in-house counsel in the world. You can chose from over 100 interactive programs led by international expert panels of in-house counsel, members of academia, and government agency representatives, plus hundreds of specialist companies with best practice products and tools designed to help in-house counsel stay ahead of the game.
For more details and registration, click here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
click here
list your event
Are you interested in advertising your event in the next e-clanz or on the CLANZ website? Click here
Access e-clanz online
You can now access past editions of e-clanz online. Simply log in to the CLANZ website library and select the eclanz folder.
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