Association
of Corporate Counsel
1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW,
Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036-5425
p: 202/293-4103
www.acc.com
f: 202/293-4701
President’s Message
New Board Members
Because three of our
chapter Board members
resigned this summer due
to job and life changes, the
Board recently voted to fill
these vacancies. Creighton
Frommer was elected
Vice-President, Membership
2012 and Sheri McGaughy
was elected Vice-President,
Martha McMillin Communications 2012.
Chapter President Sheri will continue to serve
the remainder of 2012 as
Chapter Secretary. Kali Beyah was elected to fill the
remainder of Keith Henderson’s one year term at large
and Sloan Perras to fill the remainder of Creighton
Frommer’s two year term at large. We appreciate that
Creighton and Sheri are taking on these new duties
and welcome Kali and Sloan to the Board.
with the goals of education, networking, and effective
representation of in-house counsel. ACC has grown to
become an international organization of over 30,000
members, with over 800 in our Georgia chapter alone.
ACC is celebrating this milestone event all year,
culminating in an Anniversary Gala on June 30, 2013 in
Washington, D.C. Each chapter will receive champagne
flutes from National, so we expect to receive ours in the
next month or so. There is a contest for chapters having
the best activity to celebrate the anniversary. This can
be videotapes, membership drives, parties, articles, and
any other creative activities a chapter might conceive.
We need a volunteer from our chapter to lead this effort
in Georgia. Please contact me (contact information is
below) if you would like to head this special committee.
It is a great opportunity to create some fun and special
events throughout the year for our chapter members.
October 3 from 1-4pm. Afterwards we will gather for
socializing at the nearby Westside 5 Seasons Brewing
Company. We need 25 volunteers for this event, which
will consist of an afternoon packing food that will
later be delivered to Atlantans in need. Contact Rachel
Gervin, Vice-President, Outreach, if you would like to
volunteer for this worthy cause.
Day of Service at the Atlanta Community
Food Bank
Member Spotlight
In conjunction with the Atlanta Bar Association
Corporate Counsel Section, our chapter’s annual Day
of Service will be at the Atlanta Community Food
Bank, 732 Joseph Lowery Boulevard, on Wednesday,
30th Anniversary of ACC National
This is the 30th anniversary of the Association
of Corporate Counsel, founded on March 11, 1982,
ACC Georgia Chapter 2012
Board Members & Contacts
President
Ms. Martha McMillin
VP & Managing General Counsel
The Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta
230 John Wesley Dobbs Avenue, NE
Atlanta, GA 30303-2421
martha.mcmillin@atlantahousing.org
President Elect
Mr. Joseph Freeman
Assistant General Counsel
Cox Communications, Inc.
1400 Lake Hearn Drive
Atlanta, GA 30319
Joe.Freeman@cox.com
VP- Sponsorships & Programs
Ms. Wanda M. Morris
Counsel
The Home Depot, Inc.
2455 West Paces Ferry Rd, NW
Atlanta, GA 30339
wanda_m_morris@homedepot.com
VP- Outreach Initiatives
Ms. Rachel Gervin
VP & Deputy General Counsel
Sage North America
1715 North Brown Road
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Rachel.Gervin@sage.com
VP- Membership
Mr. Creighton K. Frommer
Corporate Counsel
Reed Elsevier
1000 Alderman Drive
Alpharetta, Georgia 30005
Creighton.frommer@reedelsevier.com
VP- Special Programs
Mr. Paul Marcela
VP, General Counsel & Secretary
North American Bus Industries, Inc.
P.O. Box 671
Alpharetta, GA 30009-0671
paul.marcela@nabiusa.com
VP- Communications
Ms. Sheri Gates McGaughy
Vice President, Legal
The Weather Channel
300 Interstate North Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30339
smcgaughy@weather.com
Secretary
Ms. Sheri Gates McGaughy
Vice President, Legal
The Weather Channel
300 Interstate North Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30339
smcgaughy@weather.com
Treasurer
Mr. Neil J. Ginn
Corporate Counsel
WEG Electric Corp.
6655 Sugarloaf Parkway
Duluth, Georgia 30097
nginn@weg.net
At-Large Directors Term of Office
Ms. Virginia Wadsworth One year as Past President
General Counsel-APCO
Automobile Protection Corporation
6010 Atlantic Blvd.
Norcross, GA 30071
vwadsworth@easycare.com
Sponsor of Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers
Foundation fundraiser
ACC-Georgia is pleased to support the Atlanta
Volunteer Lawyers Foundation as a First Growth
sponsor at its annual Wine Tasting fundraiser on
November 1. The event will be held at the SunTrust
Plaza Atrium from 5:30-8:30pm. We encourage our
individual members to also support this worthy cause,
whether by donating, volunteering your time or both.
Anu Seam, AT&T General Attorney – Sales
Operations and Customer Service Experience, is our
member spotlighted for September. Anu has been an
P r e s i d e n t ’ s M e s s ag e , P g 2 B
Kali Beyah
General Attorney 1
Delta Airlines
PO Box 20574
Atlanta, GA 30320
Kali.W.Beyah@delta.com
2nd year of a two year term
Mr. Seth Bruckner One year to fill the term of Rachel Gervin
Attorney United Parcel Service
55 Glenlake Parkway NE
sbruckner@ups.com
Ms. Kelly Wilcove
Senior Counsel Assurant, Inc.
260 Interstate North Circle SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30339
Kelly.wilcove@assurant.com
Two year term
Mr. H. Eric Hilton Two year term
SVP, Secretary and General Counsel
H.J. Russell & Company
504 Fair Street SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30313
ehilton@hjrussell.com
Ms. Sloane Perras
Senior Managing Counsel
Aaron’s Inc.
309 E. Paces Ferry Rd. NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
sloane.perras@aarons.com
Chapter Administrator
Two year term
Lisa King Smith
PO Box 2008
Carrollton, GA 30112
404-375-2036
laotsu@bellsouth.net
The views expressed in the American Corporate Counsel Newsletter do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Report or American Lawyer Media.
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daily report tuesday, September 4, 2012
p r e s i d e n t ’ s m e s s ag e c o n t .
active member of our chapter in the four years she has been
in Atlanta, serving as a member of the Career Enhancement
Committee chaired by Anne Whitaker. She has a strong
interest in helping her fellow in-house attorneys succeed
in their careers, not just in her role at AT&T but also in
our chapter. She thought of a creative topic for a workshop
on a successful in-house job search and is working with
Anne to plan this event. Anu’s positive, energetic spirit and
innovative ideas are an asset to our chapter so it is a pleasure
to highlight her this month.
ac c n e w s l e t t e r
Programs Past and Future
Many thanks to Kilpatrick Townsent for sponsoring our
August luncheon. Wab Kadaba, Managing Partner of the
firm’s Atlanta office, gave an informative presentation
on current patent issues, as detailed in the accompanying
article from the firm.
The ACC-Georgia luncheon for September will be
held on Tuesday, September 11, the second Tuesday
of the month, at Maggiano’s Little Italy, Cumberland
Mall. Sponsored by Fisher & Phillips, LLP, this will be
our annual employment law update. The topic is “Labor
& Employment Law Update: Adapting to A Rapidly
Changing Legal Landscape”.
Mark your calendars for the popular all day CLE
Jamboree on October 25, hosted again by King & Spalding
at their office in Midtown.
I hope to see you at these events!
ACC-Georgia Member Spotlight: Anu Seam
1. Where do you work?
AT&T Mobility headquarters
in the Lenox Park area. The
address is 1025 Lenox Park
Blvd., Atlanta, GA-30319.
2. What is your job title and
what are your duties?
General Attorney – Sales
Operations and Customer
Service Experience. I am
responsible for the legal
support of our wireless retail
sales and customer service
experience organizations. This includes providing advice
and counsel on a variety of legal issues including consumer
protection, privacy, contracts, social media, and regulatory
requirements.
3. Please describe the legal department at your company.
AT&T has a global law department. We currently have four
hundred and thirty attorneys working from ten international
locations and seventy-two offices in the United States. We work
on all legal matters affecting the company, including wireless
and wireline operations, international operations, mergers and
acquisitions, strategic planning, and general corporate matters.
4. How did your career path lead to an in-house role?
I was with the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division,
when an old colleague from the DOJ asked me to interview
with SBC, the regional Bell company that later acquired
AT&T Corp. SBC’s legal offices were across the street and
the meeting was at lunch hour so it was an easy way to
explore another option. The next thing I knew I had changed
career paths and was in-house counsel at SBC.
5. What do you most enjoy about your work?
The variety and the sophistication of the practice. It is
fascinating to address legal issues in the context of a fast
paced ever-changing industry. On any given day we are
dealing with issues that range from basic telephone services
to mobile broadband, apps, and emerging devices. It is a
fascinating environment of business and technology and as
attorneys we are exposed to all of it.
6. What is most challenging about your work?
What’s most rewarding is also the most challenging. We need
to keep abreast of the changes and apply the law to a new set
of realities ever so often.
7. What has been your biggest accomplishment at your
company?
If history is a guide the biggest accomplishment is yet to
come. My major accomplishments to date, however, have
been related to my “merger integration” responsibilities. I’ve
worked on several high profile acquisitions from the “SBC/
AT&T” one to the more recent Alltel transaction where
we bought certain Alltel markets from Verizon. The work
required in-depth knowledge of new business and product
lines, analysis of novel legal issues, and significant briefings
for regulators – all of which we accomplished successfully
and in record time.
8. How long have you been a member of ACC-Georgia?
I joined ACC-Georgia soon after I moved to Atlanta 4 years
ago and have been a member since. Before that I was
involved with the ACC-Texas chapter in San Antonio.
9. What are the best benefits of ACC-Georgia membership?
I value the camaraderie with other corporate in-house attorneys
and the informative seminars. The ACC is focused on in house
counsel issues and the topics and issues invariably are relevant
and timely. I also enjoy reading the ACC Docket which is
packed with useful and interesting information.
Now for some personal questions:
• Your favorite burger is from: the Varsity? Or Flip?
Can I go with spicy Thai Basil from Thai Lanna instead?
• Dog person or cat person?
Dog person
• Morning person or evening person?
8 hour sleep person. I can go either way as long as I get my
zzzz’s.
• Krispy Kreme or Dunkin’ Donuts?
Krispy Kreme in Washington DC where the aroma of freshly
baked donuts greeted us every morning at the metro station.
Dunkin Donuts in Atlanta where they have a great store right
in our Midtown office building.
• Boiled peanuts: thumbs up or thumbs down?
Thumbs down. I grew up eating freshly roasted peanuts on
cool winter days.
• Favorite non-profit?
Junior Achievement and Everybody Wins! Atlanta.
• Favorite hobby?
Travelling and hiking.
• Name the actor or actress whose appearance in a movie
guarantees you will go to see it.
Meryl Streep. My next jaunt to the movies is to see “Hope
Springs”.
• If you could go anywhere in the world for free for two
weeks, where would that be?
I’ve been poring over the pages of countrywalkers.com for
a while now because I’m fascinated by their worldwide
walking tours. If you’re paying for a two week vacation I’ll
pick the walking tour of Turkey.
• If you were not a lawyer, what would be your alternate
career path?
I am a lawyer twice over. The first time was in India when I
gravitated to the legal field because that’s just what we all did
in my family. The second time was after I moved to the U.S.
when I was excited to have a second shot at my career. After a
great deal of thought (and money), however, I came full circle to
what I knew and loved the most. All this to say that my choice of
alternate career path is the same as my main career path.
Kilpatrick Townsend Provides Timely Patent Law Updates
On August 18, Kilpatrick Townsend hosted an
informative seminar for the in-house counsel members of
the ACC-Georgia Chapter. Wab Kadaba, a patent attorney
and the Managing Partner of the Atlanta office, presented
to the membership on Tuesday, August 18, 2012. This
was a timely and informative presentation because of the
upcoming changes for both patent owners and businesses
operating in the market who may be vulnerable to the
assertion of competitor patents. The Leahy-Smith America
Invents Act was passed on September 16, 2011. The Act
rewrites major sections of existing U.S. patent laws and
harmonizes U.S. patent laws with International standards by
moving to a first-to-file novelty / non-obviousness standard.
The Act has wide-reaching and often immediate impact
on virtually all areas of patent practice. The Act created,
among other new proceedings, an inter partes review
(“IPR”) procedure for challenging patent validity. On Sept.
16, 2012, IPR will eventually replace current inter partes
re-examination.
As a result of these sweeping changes to patent law,
new battlefields have been created on which patent validity
can be contested. The America Invents Act’s new inter
partes review and post grant review proceedings have
enabled businesses to preempt assertion of competitor
patents and force reconsideration of validity before costly
court litigation begins. Savvy innovators will also use
these proceedings to burnish patent strength by disposing
of certain validity issues before they reach the courts.
Proceedings before the newly formed Patent Trial and
Appeal Board promise more control, greater likelihood of
success, lower risk, lower cost and less delay.
The presentation reviewed both the old and new tools
of the USPTO. The new tools include timing, strategic
considerations and costs. In addition, Mr. Kadaba
compared and reviewed ex parte reexaminations, inter
partes reexaminations and post grant reviews, as well
as the strategic pros and cons of each. The presentation
summarized the major areas of change with this new Act
and offered case studies for various scenarios. Throughout
the presentation, Mr. Kadaba informed the audience exactly
what a patent owner should expect during this process, as
well as how these changes impact fees.
The presentation offered patent owners and challengers
practical approaches to make the most of these new
alternatives and adapt to the new world in which they operate.
Any ACC-Georgia member who would like a copy of the
presentation materials should contact Lee Watts (404-7452422; lwatts@kilpatricktownsend.com) or Wab Kadaba
(404-532-6959; wkadaba@kilpatricktownsend.com).
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ac c n e w s l e t t e r
Reflections on my Summer Internship
by Courtney Mauge
They say if you can get through the first year of law
school, you can probably make it through anything. It is
an experience that will challenge you and push you to
limits you never thought you could reach. And when it’s all
said and done, you will feel on top of the world. You will
feel ready to stand in any court room and take on the next
Johnny Cochran. Why stop there? You will feel like you
could probably write a better dissent than Justice Scalia.
In fact, you’ll probably feel pretty cocky about the fact
that you can point out all the flaws in a “Law and Order”
episode. That is, of course, until the day you set foot in your
first legal job and realize you don’t know much about the
actual practice of law. Needless to say, after learning about
the ACC Internship, I immediately seized the opportunity to
begin my new learning curve.
The first five weeks of my internship were spent at
Macy’s, and the experience flew by (but I guess that’s what
happens when you’re having fun). In five weeks, I was
exposed to the many different facets of what it is like to be
a lawyer in a retail company. Further, I was immersed in
everything Macy’s. The attorneys and staff continuously
provided me with meaningful work that not only enhanced
my knowledge of the law but further developed the research
and analytical skills I had learned in school. I was also
presented with opportunities to network and even met a
few federal judges. When the five weeks came to an end, I
felt like a kid leaving for college. At Macy’s, I had grown
accustomed to being a part of a team and mentored by
attorneys who worked hard to ensure I got the most out of
my internship experience. However, I knew that a new and
exciting opportunity awaited me that would further enhance
my knowledge of law.
Next, it was on to becoming a member of the Internap
team, and I still felt like that kid who just left for college.
Joining the Internap team meant being introduced to
a completely different type of in-house legal life and
constantly learning about the legal arenas in the fast paced
world of technology. The projects exposed me to both
contracts and business negotiations. Much of my time was
spent revising contracts (based on input and feedback from
attorneys), benchmarking various agreements, drafting
cease and desist and DCMA letters, and learning what a
commercial attorney really does, not only in-house but also
if I was in private practice. I knew the mentorship I would
gain was more than I could ever ask for when one of the
attorneys put the Atlanta Business Chronicle on my desk
and encouraged me to become familiar with the Atlanta
corporate world. It is safe to say that I gained knowledge
and experience that will set me apart from my peers.
Overall, my internship experience was wonderful. To
say that the 10 weeks I spent as an ACC summer intern
was fulfilling would be an understatement. Not only have
Courtney Mauge enjoyed her Internap internship.
I gained work experience that will set me apart, but I
have added two great friends to my network of upcoming
attorneys (Adam and Deven), and an amazing support
team of attorneys. I know what I have learned will help
me achieve success and will continue to aid me in my
endeavors in the legal field.
Courtney Mauge has now returned to the University of
Georgia School of Law for her second year of studies.
Photo Gallery: Thanks to Nelson Mullins for the 8/2 CLE at Turner Field
From l to r: Paul Marcela, VP-Special Programs, ACC-GA; Bruce Manno, Asst. GM & Director of Player Development, Atlanta Braves; Donna Lewis and Jason Epstein of Nelson
Mullins; Martha McMillin, President, ACC-GA; Greg Heller, General Counsel, Atlanta Braves
Bruce Manno explains “the Braves way”.
Jon Neiditz of Nelson Mullins addresses a sellout crowd.
Cocktail reception at the 755 Club.
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ac c n e w s l e t t e r
“Labor & Employment Law Update: Adapting to A
Rapidly Changing Legal Landscape”
September 11, 2012
11:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Maggiano’s Little Italy at Cumberland Mall
1601 Cumberland Mall SE
The Georgia Chapter of Association of Corporate Counsel and Fisher & Phillips LLP will present: “Labor & Employment Law
Update: Adapting to A Rapidly Changing Legal Landscape”. This fast-paced, interactive presentation will cover some of the
most important developments in labor and employment law impacting the workplace today. Get practical advice on how to
maximize the protection of your company’s valuable assets in light of Georgia’s new law on restrictive covenants; learn how to
comply with the EEOC’s and OFCCP’s increased enforcement in the areas of discrimination and Affirmative Action; understand
how the National Labor Relations Act and the NLRB’s more active role affect even employers in non-union settings. Attendees
will also receive a comprehensive Summary of Major Federal Labor and Employment Laws.
Panelists:
Jennifer Sandberg, Partner
Joseph Shelton, Partner
Andria Lure Ryan, Partner, Chair of the Hospitality Industry Practice Group
D. Albert Brannen, Partner
Attendance is limited to ACC members and their invited guests, as well as prospective ACC members. ACC membership
is open to attorneys who practice law as in-house counsel employees of organizations and who do not hold themselves out
to the public for the practice of law.
Thanks to Fisher & Phillips, the CLE lunch program is complimentary for the first 120 ACC members who register their
intention to attend on-line. Thereafter, the fee for current ACC members is $25, and, in all circumstances, $35 for non-members,
including prospective members. A general CLE credit of one and half (1.5) hours is available and will be submitted to the
Georgia State Bar for attendees licensed to practice in Georgia.
To register go to: http://www.acteva.com//booking.cfm?bevaid=232906. Please be sure to register under the first member
registration to take advantage of the complimentary attendance. After the 120 free spaces have been filled, you will be asked
for credit card information. No refunds will be provided for cancellations but credit can be applied to a future 2012 ACCGeorgia program. Walk-ins are accommodated subject to space availability and must pay by check at the door. If you
have registered and are unable to attend, please notify Lisa Smith by e-mail at laotsu@bellsouth.net as soon as possible
so that your space is available for another member.