ACC In-house Legal Impact Certificate Program November 2026
Includes Multiple Live Events. The next is on 10/29/2026 at 3:30 PM (EDT)
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Register
- Non-member - $1,499
- Member - $1,249
If you are an in-house counsel fairly new to the in-house practice looking to increase your impact within the business, this is the program for you. It will help you position yourself as indispensable to the corporate client — primarily designed for lawyers 1 to 4 years into their in-house career.
- ✓Build the business judgment and practical skills to become a stronger in-house partner
- ✓Learn alongside a global network of in-house peers facing similar challenges
- ✓Equip yourself with practical strategies you can apply immediately to communicate better and drive greater business impact
- ✓Earn a shareable ACC certificate and digital badge that signals credibility, commitment, and in-house legal acumen to employers and peers
ACC reserves the right to adjust or modify the program content at its discretion.
- ◆Welcome & Introductory Session: Program kickoff with faculty and fellow participants.
- ◆10 Virtual Learning Modules: Approximately 11 hrs 15 min of live instruction across four half days. Attendance at all 10 modules is required for certificate completion.
- ◆Interactive Networking Sessions: Wisdom of the crowd-style peer discussions focused on real in-house challenges you face today.
The course is designed for early-career in-house lawyers who want to become stronger business partners, build confidence in their role, and make a bigger impact day to day.
- ✓Currently working in-house, anywhere in the world
- ✓Have approximately 1–4 years of in-house experience
- ✓In transition and having previous experience as in-house counsel
The program is open to in-house lawyers who:
It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure they meet the minimum eligibility requirements prior to applying for and submitting payment to the Program. If ACC subsequently determines that any of the eligibility requirements had not been met at the time of application, the applicant may be deemed to have forfeited related fees.
This module examines key roles of in-house counsel in the business, essential functions and skills, and key characteristics to become an essential business partner for internal stakeholders. The module also addresses how in-house counsel can add value and demonstrate the impact they make on the business, taking into account reporting lines and communication channels.
This module addresses what it means for in-house counsel to have the corporation as the client, and which key stakeholders within and outside the organization in-house counsel needs to partner or interact with, with a focus on Human Resources and Finance. The module then discusses strategies for effective and adaptive communication between in-house counsel and various stakeholders, while being mindful of preserving legal privilege.
This module addresses the preservation of confidentiality and legal privilege in a globalized business environment. Taking examples from different jurisdictions, the module will examine how jurisdictions take different approaches to such concepts, and the implications for in-house counsel, whose organizations often operate across borders.
This module focuses on effective strategies to conduct an enterprise legal risk assessment, a typical essential tool for in-house counsel's mission to protect the business and mitigate risk. The module explores how to prioritize risks, and how to use the results of the assessment to inform strategic discussions with key business stakeholders.
This module discusses core characteristics of effective compliance programs, and walks attendees through key steps and phases for developing and implementing a program.
This module highlights the unique challenges of international negotiations, particularly where the negotiating parties might bring different cultural experiences and expectations. The module discusses strategies that in-house counsel can use before and during the negotiation in order to enable a more productive negotiation process toward a successful outcome, including by deploying emotional and cultural intelligence.
This module addresses key decision factors that impact how in-house counsel select, engage, and manage outside counsel and legal service providers to meet the organization's needs. Topics covered will include recognizing when to outsource work, methods to engage outside counsel and set parameters for an effective relationship, fees structure, and navigating difficult conversations with providers.
This module discusses the lifecycle of an internal investigation, from initial evaluation of the need for an investigation to corrective action and reporting. Topics covered include the key phases and decision points of an internal investigation — such as what circumstances trigger an investigation, who should conduct it, planning and implementation, interview best practices, analysis, resolution and corrective action.
This module discusses key implications of Artificial Intelligence for in-house legal professionals, including the use of AI for their own work, and their role in helping the business navigate AI governance.
This module discusses fundamentals that every in-house counsel needs to know about crisis management — from pre-incident planning to crisis response and managing the effects of a crisis on the corporate brand. It will address the connection between legal risk assessment and crisis planning, the practical challenges of navigating a crisis's lifecycle, and strategies for in-house counsel to positively impact the management and resolution of the crisis.
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LockedAmy Chai
AGC & Director of Advocacy Initiatives
Association of Corporate Counsel
Amy Chai serves as associate general counsel and director of advocacy initiatives at ACC. In this role, she oversees ACC’s global advocacy efforts on issues of concern to the in-house legal profession, such as legal professional privilege and multi-jurisdictional practice. Prior to ACC, Chai held advocacy roles at the National Association of Home Builders and the US Chamber of Commerce.
Elisabet Rojano-Vendrell
Head of Legal for Spain & Latin America
MENARINI Group
Elisabet Rojano Vendrell is Legal Director for Spain and Latin America at MENARINI Group, Board Member of A. Menarini Latin America, and Country Representative for Spain for ACC Europe. With nearly 20 years of cross-border experience—spanning top-tier firms like Freshfields and Gómez-Acebo & Pombo—she specializes in M&A, corporate governance, and international dispute resolution. Recognized by Iberian Lawyer in their Inspiralaw list and the 2026 General Counsel Champions List, Elisabet is an SIMC-certified mediator and Harvard Executive Education alumna. She combines corporate governance expertise with practical negotiation strategies to transform legal departments into strategic business drivers across EMEA and Latin America.
Fatima Correia da Silva
Global Head of Compliance
Elementis Global
Fátima, the Global Head of Compliance at Elementis and former General Counsel at Critical TechWorks (a BMW AG joint venture), brings 18 years of elite, multi-jurisdictional leadership - from government forensics in Angola to high-tech corporate governance - straight to this interactive module.
Drawing on her extensive experience managing complex stakeholder networks and her academic expertise in Corporate and Intellectual Law, Fátima bridges real-world corporate boardrooms with risk methodologies. She will share with attendees adaptive communication frameworks and strategies to partner effectively with Human Resources and Finance, protect legal privilege, influence key organizational stakeholders, and transform the in-house legal function into an impactful strategic business ally.
Justin Connor
Director, International Chief Legal Officer Engagement
ACC
Justin A. Connor is a senior legal executive with more than 25 years of experience spanning law, regulation, technology policy, and global business. He currently serves as Director of International Chief Legal Officer Engagement at the Association of Corporate Counsel, where he designs high-impact executive programs and leads global CLO initiatives, and is also an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center teaching In-House Law & Practice. His career includes senior in-house, regulatory, and international roles at legal departments, law firms, as well as prior service at the FCC’s International Bureau. A former Fulbright Scholar, he advises boards and C-suites worldwide and is admitted to practice in New York, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC.
Luciana Rodrigues
Deputy Head of Global Compliance and Risk Management
Syngenta Group
Luciana Rodrigues is Deputy Head of Global Compliance and Risk Management at Syngenta Group. With more than 25 years of international experience as an in-house counsel and compliance officer, she has advised senior executives and led legal and compliance initiatives in multinational organizations, including Volkswagen, Bosch, General Electric and now Syngenta. Her expertise spans ethics and compliance programs, internal investigations, anti-corruption, risk management, governance and whistleblowing systems. As a trusted advisor to executive leadership, she helps organizations navigate complex legal and ethical challenges across diverse jurisdictions and legal systems while building resilient cultures and leading transformational change.
Dr. Malgorzata Anna Hartwig, LL.M.
Associate General Counsel, EMEA
ADM
Dr. Małgorzata Anna Hartwig, LL.M. is the Associate General Counsel, EMEA, at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and an international legal executive who aligns legal strategy with enterprise risk management, resilience, and long-term value creation. Backed by experience in both private practice and Fortune Global 500 companies, she brings proven expertise in crisis management, incident readiness, and operational response, including in high-stakes and volatile regions. Leading a multinational team across commercial and regulatory domains, Malgorzata champions proactive change management, translating complex geopolitical and compliance risks into strategic resilience and a decisive business advantage.
Mark Wentz
Senior Vice President and Regional General Counsel
SAP
Mark Wentz is Senior Vice President and Regional General Counsel at SAP, leading the Field Legal organisation across EMEA. With more than three decades of experience in the technology sector and nearly 30 years at SAP, he has held legal and business leadership roles at country, regional, and global levels. His experience spans legal, commercial operations, risk management, pricing, contracts, and governance, partnering closely with executive leadership to support business growth and transformation. He is particularly interested in helping organisations adopt emerging technologies responsibly while enabling innovation at scale.
Mateusz Wrzesinski
VP, Head of International Legal Affairs
Barilla International B.V.
Mateusz currently serves as VP, Head of International Legal Affairs at Barilla Group, a renowned Italian food company. In this role, he oversees all international legal matters, covering a broad range of regions across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
He began his career with a decade in private practice as an M&A lawyer at leading international law firms, including Allen & Overy - a London-based Magic Circle firm - and Dentons. Driven by a desire for new challenges and a commitment to supporting highly regulated multinational corporations engaged in cross-border operations, he transitioned to in-house roles. Notably, he served as Legal Director for Central & Eastern Europe and the Middle East & Africa at Bacardi, followed by his role as Senior Legal Director at LivaNova Plc, a NASDAQ-listed medical devices company.
Mateusz brings a broad spectrum of legal expertise, including commercial and corporate law, M&A, competition law, and intellectual property. Throughout his career, he has been a trusted advisor, providing strategic counsel to clients and employers operating in over 100 countries.
Neal Sawatzke
Senior Vice President | M&A and Specialized Portfolio
Cargill
Neal Sawatzke is Senior Vice President, Law—M&A and Specialized Portfolio at Cargill. He leads legal support for Cargill’s Specialized Portfolio and its businesses, as well as global legal teams covering Trade & Capital Markets, M&A, Litigation, Competition, Sanctions, Treasury, and Procurement. He also serves as Lead Counsel to Cargill’s World Trading Group. A member of the Law Department Leadership Team since 2013, Neal has held several senior leadership roles. Throughout his career, he has advised leaders across Cargill on complex legal, commercial, and strategic risks and has served on Cargill’s Financial Risk Committee. Neal resides in Geneva, Switzerland with his family and holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan.
Nicole Olsman
Chief Legal Officer & Head of Sustainability
Linxon
Nicole Olsman is Chief Legal Officer and Head of Sustainability at Linxon, a global provider of power and energy infrastructure solutions. A member of the Executive Management Team, she leads the legal, integrity, risk and corporate secretarial functions, providing strategic counsel on complex projects and transactions across multiple jurisdictions. With nearly 20 years of international legal experience, Nicole has worked and lived across six countries on four continents. She is passionate about building sustainable businesses and driving positive environmental and social impact. Nicole was recognised on the Legal500 GC Powerlist Switzerland 2025.
Prabir Chakrabarty, ACC
Director of Corporate Membership and CLO Engagement
Association of Corporate Counsel
Russell Hunter
Compliance Counsel & Head of Compliance Outdoor
Bauer Media Group
Russell Hunter is Compliance Counsel at Bauer Media Group and Head of Compliance for its Outdoor business. He leads compliance and business ethics across nine European markets, designing and implementing risk-based programmes covering areas including economic crime, competition law, sanctions, third-party risk and whistleblowing. A key aspect of his role is turning complex legal requirements into practical policies, controls and training that work across different businesses and cultures.
He was previously Head of Compliance for Clear Channel’s European business and Senior Competition Counsel at BT Group, and qualified as a solicitor with Clifford Chance. Russell is Co-Chair of ACC Europe’s ESG Working Group, and previously served as ACC’s UK Country Representative. He is a Non-Executive Director of Outvertising, a nonprofit working to make advertising and marketing fully LGBTQIA+ inclusive.
Stephen H. Baird
Associate General Counsel
SITA
Stephen H. Baird is Associate General Counsel at SITA (www.sita.aero), the world’s leading specialist in air transport communications and information technology. SITA serves over 200 countries and territories and is headquartered in Belgium and Switzerland. Stephen graduated from the University of Western Australia’s Law School and was a Federal Court of Australia Judge’s Associate (clerk) before working in private practice for several years. He has worked as counsel for SITA for over 20 years, covering transactions, technology law, intellectual property and data matters. He is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Timo Matthias Spitzer
Executive Director & Head of Legal
Santander Corporate & Investment Banking
Timo Spitzer is Executive Director and Head of Legal for Santander Corporate & Investment Banking in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Nordic Countries. Based in Frankfurt, he advises on complex banking, financing and transactional matters and oversees the legal aspects of global transactions for wholesale clients headquartered across these markets. Timo is also an Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Law and Finance in Frankfurt and has delivered guest lectures at Harvard Law School, Fordham Law School and King's College London's Global General Counsel Academy. He has received international recognition for his work as an in-house legal leader, with a particular focus on pragmatic legal risk management, commercially focused legal advice and effective collaboration with external counsel.
Xavier Schops
Chief Legal Officer, Company Secretary, and Head of Corporate Affairs
Medmix Group
Xavier Schops is the Chief Legal Officer, Company Secretary and Head of Corporate Affairs of Medmix Group, a Swiss-listed medical devices and consumer goods company. He joined Medmix from Sonova AG (2019–2022), where he served as General Counsel, then supported Mergers & Acquisitions. Previously, he was General Counsel for Europe, Middle East and Africa at PPG Industries (2009–2016) and Vice President & Chief Counsel Europe for Mondelez International (2016– 2019). Xavier started his career at the Michelin Group, for which he worked in Europe and Asia.
Xavier holds a post-graduate degree in Corporate Law and Tax from Paris University (Pantheon-Assas) and a Master’s degree in Corporate Finance and Accounting from the Neoma Business School. He is the Vice-President of the Board of ACC Europe.
Payment is due at the time of registration. All amounts are in USD. We accept the following credit cards:
Registration cancellations must be received in writing via [email protected]. Registrations cannot be cancelled over the telephone. Registration cancellations will adhere to the policy details below:
- Cancellations received before the date of the program's scheduled start will receive a full refund, less a US$200.00 processing fee (cancellation notice must be received by ACC no later than by 11:59pm Eastern Time the day before the program's start date, i.e., no later than the day before the date of the Welcome event).
- In the event ACC determines that a registrant who has paid the registration fee is ineligible to participate in the program, ACC will issue a full refund, less a US$200 processing fee.
Refunds will not be provided under circumstances including, but not limited to, the following:
- Applicants and attendees who submit falsified or misrepresented information.
- Registrants who fail to attend whole or part of the event.
- Registrants who cancel on or after the program's start date.
ACC offers a limited number of full and partial discounts to this certificate program. Application for hardship and granting of a hardship discount is limited to individuals who meet the criteria for program registration or attendance, and who are also:
- 1Currently in-transition and actively seeking another in-house position, or
- 2Express a difficult financial situation.
All requests for discounts will be kept confidential and all such determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis. All granted requests are at least 50% of the cost of registration. Applicants should fill out the financial assistance application explaining the need for financial assistance and how attending this program will be helpful. You can email [email protected] to obtain the application form. The deadline to submit a financial assistance application for the certificate program is October 14, 2026 at 11:59pm Eastern Time.
By registering for this ACC certificate program, each participant agrees to the terms and conditions detailed below. "I" means the participant.
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1(a) I am an attorney (licensed or unlicensed, depending on the requirements of my jurisdiction) currently employed as in-house counsel, or (b) I am currently in transition (not employed) and have previously been employed as in-house counsel. An employment verification may be conducted.
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2I am an in-house counsel engaged in the active practice of law employed by an organization in either the private or public sector, and do not have regulatory, enforcement, or policymaking responsibilities, nor do I work in an institution with such authority; and I do not hold myself out to the public for the practice of law.
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3I am not currently employed in a sales, marketing, or business development capacity in the legal industry.
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4I understand that individuals whose responsibility may include selling or providing services to individuals or organizations who are not their employers are not eligible for the certificate program. This ineligible category would include individuals who work for companies that provide legal services such as headhunters, contract attorneys, law firms, and temporary agencies.
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5I understand that it is my responsibility to ensure I meet the minimum eligibility requirements before registering for and submitting payment to the certificate program. If, after paying, it is determined by ACC or ACC's affiliates that I do not meet these minimum eligibility requirements, I understand I will be refunded my registration fee minus a US$200 cancellation fee (and that I will not earn the certificate and badge for the program). For additional information regarding our cancellation policies, see here.
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6I understand that my registration may be subject to audit and that I may be required to submit supporting documentation to verify the information described above. Failure to comply with an audit, and/or falsification or misrepresentation of information submitted in connection with my registration or with an audit, will result in (i) denial or revocation of my registration, (ii) the lack of right for me to use the badge and the certificate from the program (and, if the badge or certificate have already been issued, in their revocation), and (iii) forfeiting by me of all paid fees.
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7I understand that in order to earn the digital badge and certificate from the program, I must attend in full the 10 Modules that are part of this program, and I must complete the attendance verification steps required.
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8I understand that registration for this certificate program does not include an ACC membership. I understand that if I am not an ACC member and wish to benefit from the ACC member pricing for this program, I first need to become an ACC member - subject to meeting eligibility requirements for ACC membership. See ACC membership eligibility criteria and join ACC today.
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9I understand that my professional information may be shared with other participants and people who have successfully completed the program for the purposes of networking and sharing of ideas related to the program and the practice of law. Should I want to withdraw my consent, I will need to send an email to [email protected].
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10I understand that my personal information will be collected and processed by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) (located in the United States of America), and may be shared by ACC with affiliates and third parties, in accordance with ACC's global privacy policy, including, without limitation, for the purposes of communicating with me information about ACC, including events, services and benefits provided. Should I want to withdraw my consent, I will need to send an email to [email protected].
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11I understand that ACC uses a third-party platform (operated by a vendor, EdInvent, Inc., doing business as Accredible (the "Badging Platform Vendor")) to issue and manage digital certificates and badges for its programs and to communicate with program participants. I consent to ACC sharing my personal information with the Badging Platform Vendor, and to the Badging Platform Vendor's processing of my personal information for those purposes (view ACC's global privacy policy and Accredible's privacy policy). I understand that my personal information may also be shared by the Badging Platform Vendor with third parties, for purposes such as, without limitation, the issuance, management, and/or verification of my digital badge or certificate.
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12Upon successful completion of the certificate program, I understand that my name, title, and company may be published by ACC and/or ACC's affiliates for promotional purposes such as, without limitation, congratulatory announcements. Should I want to withdraw my consent, I will need to send an email to [email protected].
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13I understand that the fact that I obtain the digital certificate and badge from the program may be publicized by ACC, ACC's affiliates, and by the Badging Platform Vendor (view Accredible's privacy policy).
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14ACC will apply for CLE/CPD credit in the attendee's jurisdiction upon request, subject to eligibility requirements.
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15In the process of registering for the ACC certificate program, I have agreed to all policies and procedures of this event without exception. These policies include code of conduct, image release, refund policies, etc. These can be found here, except for the cancellation and refund policy, which is pasted below at paragraph 16.
- Cancellations received before the date of the program's scheduled start will receive a full refund, less a US$200.00 processing fee (cancellation notice must be received by ACC no later than by 11:59pm Eastern Time the day before the program's start date).
- In the event ACC determines that a registrant who has paid the registration fee is ineligible to participate in the program, ACC will issue a full refund, less a US$200 processing fee.
Refunds will not be provided under circumstances including, but not limited to, the following:
- Applicants and attendees who submit falsified or misrepresented information.
- Registrants who fail to attend whole or part of the event.
- Registrants who cancel on or after the program's start date.
