18th Annual In-House Counsel Conference: The New (Not So) Normal

When:  Jan 28, 2021 from 09:00 AM to 01:00 PM (ET)

Join the Massachusetts Bar Association for its 18th Annual In-House Counsel Conference, which will focus on the theme of “The New (Not So) Normal.” In keeping with these unusual times, this year’s conference will be offered as a Zoom webinar.

This program will provide information on current topics of significant concern to in-house and outside counsel. This year’s conference will feature:

  • A panel discussion addressing traps for the unwary in the development and administration of record retention programs as employees resort to new technologies to communicate during the pandemic.
    James C. Donnelly Jr., Esq., Mirick, O'Connell, DeMallie & Lougee LLP (moderator)
    Robert J. Kerwin, Esq., IAMERS (moderator)
    Julie Koshgarian, Esq., corporate counsel, IPG Photonics Counsel
    Simon Platt, chair, StoneTurn
  • A panel discussion regarding roles and responsibilities that contribute to an effective relationship between in-house counsel and outside counsel.
    J. Christopher Collins, Esq., Mirick, O'Connell, DeMallie & Lougee LLP (moderator)
    Doug Baker, Esq., vice president and chief legal counsel, UNUM
    Eileen Riethle, Esq., vice president, corporate compliance and regulatory affairs, Health Plans Inc.
  • A panel discussion regarding key employment law issues facing employers due to the pandemic and recent statutory developments. Discussion will include: i) employee requests to continue working remotely indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a discussion of an employer’s ability to mandate return to on-site work; ii) employers’ ability to mandate, as a condition of employment, that employees receive the flu and/or COVID-19 vaccine once ready for distribution; iii) advantages to enacting a furlough of employees instead of a layoff; and iv) the interplay of the commonwealth’s Paid Family Medical Leave Act, the Federal FMLA, the commonwealth’s Parental Leave Act, and employer paid time off policies.
    Robert Kilroy, Esq., Mirick, O’Connell, DeMallie & Lougee LLP (moderator)
    Amanda Baer, Esq., Mirick, O’Connell, DeMallie & Lougee LLP
    Brian Casaceli, Esq., Mirick, O’Connell, DeMallie & Lougee LLP
  • A presentation on doing business in multiple states.
    Peter MacDonald, Esq., general counsel, Loan Depot

The conference will also offer moderated breakout sessions, where attendees may remotely network with other counsel in a less formal setting.

Please save the date on your calendars, and plan to participate in this important conference. This remote conference will be held on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This year's conference is co-sponsored by the New England Corporate Counsel Association Inc. Members of the New England Corporate Counsel Association who are not MBA members can enjoy a special discounted rate of $25. To register, please contact the Massachusetts Bar Association Member Service Center at (617) 338-0530.

This conference will be hosted using Zoom. Registration is required by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, to participate in this program. After you register with the MBA, please look for an email from MassBar Education with the Webinar ID and Password. The email will be sent before the conference on Jan. 28.