In-House Counsel

3 Of My Favorite Things About The ACC Annual Meeting

The networking with other in-house counsel is excellent. Almost everyone you meet is someone who uniquely understands your perspective and pain points.

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in-house counsel teamEven though I have been in-house for over seven years, last week, I attended my first Association of Corporate Counsel Annual Meeting. I had always heard that it was a not-to-be-missed conference for in-house counsel, but as someone who is naturally skeptical, I felt the claim was suspect, despite how many in-house colleagues told me so. Now that I have attended, I can admit that my skepticism was misplaced. Although I am still recovering from the experience, I now understand its value.

Networking

First, the networking with other in-house counsel is excellent. Almost everyone you meet is someone who uniquely understands your perspective and pain points. While people may be at companies of different sizes and have responsibilities and experiences that also differ, they all intimately understand that the in-house counsel struggle is real. I loved how friendly and open everyone was. Admittedly, it was a bit overwhelming for this introvert, but the conference organizers created unique and fun opportunities to meet others and have authentic conversations.

Although I had to miss a speed networking opportunity that was intriguing at the very first day of the conference, I thought that it was a great opener because, through the experience, you would have had the opportunity to make connections early on, and you could find a “buddy” with whom to navigate the conference, if you wanted. It was also fun to meet people I have only met on LinkedIn in real life.

Lastly, every night, I was invited to happy hours, receptions, dinners and after parties by generous law firms and vendors. Having to choose where to go was also overwhelming — but admittedly, is a first-world problem. Confession: as a big nerd growing up, suddenly being “cool” and getting invited to everything was a bit disconcerting but definitely something I could get used to.

CLE

As someone who doesn’t need any continuing legal education until 2025, I don’t need any more CLE. But what I loved about the sessions at this conference was that the content was extremely relevant because it was planned, organized, and given mostly by in-house counsel just like me. Legal education aside, there were great sessions about career exploration and personal and professional development. A session — about being a law professor — that I was really interested in, I had to miss because of work. A session I attended and loved was how to read financial statements. I have never seen such unique offerings as the ones at this conference before.

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Swag

Although I have recently embarked on a self-imposed journey of minimalism, this conference and all the generous vendors made it very difficult not to bring anything home. Some colleagues I met joked that attendees should bring an extra piece of luggage to tote all the goodies back home. Beyond the usual pens, hats, and notepads, I was especially tempted by a boot-shaped plastic beer stein that lit up, a light-up cowboy hat the kids would have loved (and fought over), a mini Yeti cooler, and a portable speaker. I am very pleased that the only thing I brought home was a small utility bag that I could wear across my shoulder and chest that was the perfect size for my essentials, especially because I don’t carry a purse.

If I had to choose, the one conference that is still the most valuable to me is the Littler Employer because I am an employment lawyer, but the Association of Corporate Counsel Annual Meeting is a close second. If you are in-house counsel, it is worth checking out, hopefully sooner than your seventh year as in-house counsel.

Meyling Mey Ly OrtizMeyling “Mey” Ly Ortiz is in-house at Toyota Motor North America. Her passions include mentoring, championing belonging, and a personal blog: TheMeybe.com. At home, you can find her doing her best to be a “fun” mom to a toddler and preschooler and chasing her best self on her Peloton. You can follow her on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/meybe/). And you knew this was coming: her opinions are hers alone.

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