San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel to Host The Executive Leadership Institute for Legal Department Leaders

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--During these turbulent economic times, it is more crucial than ever for legal departments to be helmed by attorneys who are powerful and effective leaders. On Wednesday, August 18, 2010, the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) will kick off a dynamic two-day educational program that in-house leaders will find indispensable. The Executive Leadership Institute for Chief Legal Officers and Attorney Managers will take place each day at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

“Leadership is about how you set the purpose and direction for others, and how you influence them to join together with you and with each other to move forward with competence and full commitment”

ACC’s Executive Leadership Institute, led by Professor Emeritus Stephen Chitwood, J.D., PhD., of George Washington University, is corporate law specific, practical and highly interactive. The program has been designed by in-house counsel for in-house counsel to provide participants with key managerial and leadership skills.

“Leadership is about how you set the purpose and direction for others, and how you influence them to join together with you and with each other to move forward with competence and full commitment,” said Chitwood, who has been directing a similar version of the program in other locales for five years. “The Institute will provide you with personal insights into your own leadership capacities for setting critical department objectives, motivating staff, delegating assignments, providing constructive criticism, influencing others, managing staff performance, and implementing organization change and transitions.

The Executive Leadership Institute, which has been priced well below that of other comparable leadership programs, is open to ACC members as well as non-ACC members. For non-ACC members, the cost of a one-year ACC membership is included in the course price.

ACC member Michelle Banks, General Counsel at Gap Inc., who played a central role in bringing the program to the San Francisco Bay Area, describes it as a transformative experience for attorney managers. "There are leadership training and lawyer education programs available in the market place. This program is unique though in that it is designed specifically to enhance the management and leadership skills of lawyers as they move from focusing primarily on providing legal services to running a corporate law department or team."

Please click here for a full conference agenda; attorneys wishing to attend can register here.

For more information, please contact the Chapter Executive Director, DeeDee Ford ([e-mail]).

ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION OF CORPORATE COUNSEL

The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter ("SFBA Chapter") of the Association of Corporate Counsel serves the in-house legal community in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and surrounding areas. The SFBA Chapter provides CLE courses, networking and social events, access to CLE session programming materials, and much more for its 1,700+ members. Established in 1989, the SFBA Chapter is one of the most active Chapters in the ACC.

ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

The Executive Leadership Institute is designed to be corporate law department specific, practical, and highly interactive. Participants will be asked to relate class lectures and discussions to their own personal experiences, both as managers, leaders and as individuals who have been supervised and led. Activities will include short lectures, case studies drawn from corporate law departments, self-assessments (shared with others at participants’ discretion), small and large group discussions, and individual work. Designed by in-house counsel for in-house counsel, ACC's Executive Leadership Institute provides managers and future leaders the skills and tools they need to lead effectively.