From the President I have just returned from the Australian Corporate Lawyers conference in Melbourne where I also participated in the international meeting of CLANZ’s co-operative organisations including Australia, Canada, South Africa, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. It was striking that in some of these other jurisdictions, in-house lawyers are not appropriately recognised as legal practitioners or even entitled to call themselves lawyers. Corporate Governance was a key topic of discussion at the conference and although New Zealand has not been hit by the wave of corporate collapses where in-house counsel as senior officers have been prosecuted, the learnings were certainly instructive. In the spirit of Trans-Tasman relations, ACLA and CLANZ agreed to allow each other’s members to access the members’ sections of their own website without charge so we will let you know when this goes live shortly. Speaking of websites, I thought I’d share a few of my favourite sites and e-zines.  I like Robyn Pearce’s time management  e-zine which you can subscribe to at www.gettingagrip.com and (sorry women only) have been really enjoying the issues raised in the Professionelle e-zine for working women – go to www.professionelle.co.nz to subscribe. A great source of legal info is www.insideoutlegal.co.nz and my favourite site for the kids is www.uptoten.com. Happy browsing. If you have a favourite site or e-zine to share we’d love to hear from you – click on my name below to email me.   Helen Mackay CLANZ President Legal privilege and in-house lawyers UK lawyer Jim McLean offers comments on the practical implications of the Akzo case for European-based in-house counsel after a European judgment recognised legal professional privilege only in relation to an “independent lawyer” and not in relation to a lawyer employed by the client. Read more (by James McLean, Burness) Law and the gender jungle Women are pouring out of law school in record numbers and into jobs in national law firms but few make it to the top of their profession. Why? Often, it's just old-fashioned sexism. Read more (by Sarah Catherall, The Press) Attracting and retaining generation Y employees Most firms are finding it increasingly challenging to attract and retain employees. One solution is to gain a better understanding of the people they are aiming to employ (Generation Y), in order to attract and retain them. Read more (by Madeleine Hawkesby-Browne, Canterbury Tales) In response to requests for objective information to help identify development and improvement opportunities, the ACLA/CLANZ Legal Department Benchmarking Report 2008 will deliver data essential to the management of the legal function, specific to New Zealand and Australian needs. For the cost of only a few hours of a law firm’s fees, this initiative provides in-house leaders with information to help improve the effectiveness of their entire legal function. Read more. The Chief Legal Officer or most senior person responsible for managing the legal function of New Zealand organisations can register interest online.   All New Zealand General Counsel participants will secure their entitlement to the full $1000 discount. UPCOMING EVENTS CLANZ LexisNexis Christmas Party 2007 For CLANZ members in Christchurch Tuesday 27 November 2007, 5.30 – 7.30pm XO Lounge (above Liquidity), 128 Oxford Tce, Christchurch Click here to RSVP by 22 November Gain key insights on key regulatory and competition issues Join leading regulators, counsel, economists and lawyers to discuss key antitrust and regulatory issues facing New Zealand industries today. Last year’s focus was on the impact of regulation on investment. This year focuses on regulatory reform and ensuring regulatory best practice, with discussion and debate of the recent Commerce Act review and its impact on various industries. 18 – 19 February 2008, Duxton Hotel, Wellington 10% discount for CLANZ members. When registering, add “CLANZ member 10% discount”. For more details and to register, click here. CLANZ Conference May 15-16 May 2008 The most important event in the in-house calendar.   Energy Events Centre, Rotorua. List your event Are you interested in advertising your event in the next e-clanz or on the CLANZ website? click here * To unsubscribe – and receive no more emails from your association - reply with 'unsubscribe' in the subject line.

Key regulatory and Government risks in the run up to the election Mai Chen of Chen & Palmer delivered an informed account for CLANZ members under ‘Chatham House rules’ about key regulatory and legislative issues leading up to the 2008 general election. The Wellington audience confirmed that the run-up to the election has been well underway for some time, reflected in the offices of all political parties, the legislative agenda, and heightened sensitivities in the Executive suites of many Wellington offices. CLE Approves AUT Law degree The New Zealand Council of Legal Education (CLE) recently approved the Auckland University of Technology’s application to offer a law degree with a commercial focus. AUT has been a major sponsor at CLANZ conferences and AUT’s Mike French addressed the CLANZ conference on the proposal last May, emphasising the focus on commercial applications in the law as one of the strengths of the programme. CLE approval represents a significant step forward for the proposed degree, there are still a few more hurdles to negotiate including demonstrating to the Tertiary Education Commission the stakeholder support for the programme. Significant endorsements have already been provided by CLANZ members but the more the better so if you would like to provide a statement of support, or get further information on the degree, can contact Mike at: mike.french@aut.ac.nz or (021) 688 865. Largest annual gathering of in-house counsel More than 3,200 people gathered in Chicago for the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Annual Meeting. In-house counsel from 34 countries attended the 25th anniversary of the founding of ACC. Over lunch with some of the in-house lawyers who started ACC, today’s increasingly global in-house association started with only a small group (just 51 attended the first meeting), and in the face of opposition from professional bodies, and some in-house counsel.   With CLANZ’s own 25th anniversary shortly, we’d be delighted to hear from members who attended New Zealand’s first meeting, in Tokaanu. Click here to send us a note.   With Canada’s Karen MacKay, CLANZ and ACLA presented a session on What Motivates Lawyers. To delegates’ surprise, interaction was quickly rewarded with bottles of New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Whether or not this helped motivate, lively discussion ensued on an important topic for legal teams.