Outsourcing Law & Business Journal™ – June 2012

June 29, 2012 by

OUTSOURCING LAW & BUSINESS JOURNAL™ : Strategies and rules for adding value and improving legal and regulation compliance through business process management techniques in strategic alliances, joint ventures, shared services and cost-effective, durable and flexible sourcing of services. www.outsourcing-law.com. Visit our blog at http://blog.outsourcing-law.com.

Insights by Bierce & Kenerson, P.C. Editorwww.biercekenerson.com.

Vol. 12,  No. 5,  June 2012

__________________________________________

1.   ObamaCare Survives Judicial Death Threat:  Impact Of Supreme Court Decision On Offshoring And Outsourcing.

2.  Humor.

3.  Conferences.

_________________________________________

1.   ObamaCare Survives Judicial Death Threat:  Impact Of Supreme Court Decision On Offshoring And Outsourcing. The U.S. Supreme Court’s historic 5-4 decision approved the constitutionality of the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, P.L. 111-148 (March 23, 2010) [“ObamaCare”]. Nat’l Fed. of Indep. Businesses v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. ____ (June 28, 2012).  How will this law impact the global services industry?   Will it favor offshoring?   Will it create new outsourcing business models? What opportunities arise for new forms of outsourcing services and, indeed, for global entrepreneurship?   Click here for our view on the impact, followed by a brief legal summary for those who study constitutional law in the United States.

2.  Humor.

Healthcare outsourcing,
(n). (1) management of patient care by non-medical service providers; (2) a form of nuclear medicine, for embedding low-radiation, low-cost information technology into medical treatment and for extracting exponential monetary value; (3) IT implant into a diseased organization.

Electronic Medical Record, (n). (1) patient’s medical chart, including the most personal of personal information, etiology, diagnosis and prognosis; (2) metadata for Big Data analytics; (3) litigation fodder for claims of security breach, malpractice, transborder data mismanagement, and cloudy computing.

3.  Conferences.

September 10-12, 2012, IQPC presents its 13th Annual eDiscovery West Coast Summit, San Francisco, California. Across all industries corporations are experiencing exponential growth in the ESI volumes that must be collected, reviewed, and in some cases, produced in litigation.  Requesting, preserving, collecting, processing, and reviewing social media content presents new challenges for organizations of all sizes in litigation and day-to-day records management. IQPC has paid particular attention to these dynamics in crafting this year’s program. You will benefit from an unparalleled mix of thought leaders and industry movers who will shape the future of E-Discovery for years to come.  This is a must attend event to keep your organization up to speed on the developments and new horizons in this critical field.  For more information on speakers and sessions, click heredownload the brochure here or email zachary.weiner@iqpc.com to have it sent straight to your inbox.

October 21-23, 2012, SSON 7th Annual Shared Services Exchange, , California. The Shared Services Exchange is the elite event for senior level shared services and sourcing practitioners who are evolving their service delivery strategies, capabilities and operations. The content agenda goes far beyond the typical cost cutting transaction machine to a program designed with transformation in mind and adding value to the business.  With tremendous growth and interest in Shared Services, IQPC Exchange will be continuing its ongoing tradition of offering cutting-edge, interactive learning opportunities for pre-qualified practitioners. This unique event combines topical sessions, one-on-one business meetings and strategic networking opportunities allowing you to maximize your time out of the office.  Request your invitation by emailing naexchange@iqpc.com or calling 1-800-398-1966.  Visit their website for  more info by clicking here.

Oct 25, 2012, Global Sourcing Council presents 3S Awards 2012, New York, New York. The Sustainable and Socially responsible Sourcing Awards, was conceived by the Global Sourcing Council, a non-profit organization, to honor and celebrate 3S actions taken by the sourcing industry. The GSC 3S Awards recognize exceptional achievements in the global sourcing marketplace by individuals and organizations who exhibit a combination of positive social and economic leadership. The 3S awards will bring to the forefront individuals, start-ups, and companies (e.g. suppliers, buyers and advisory organizations) that have worked to innovate, implement and improve communities/peoples and the environment through Sustainable and Socially Responsible Sourcing practices. Submissions will be accepted until September 1, 2012.  Click here for more information.

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FEEDBACK: This newsletter addresses legal issues in sourcing IT, HR, finance and accounting, procurement, logistics, manufacturing, customer relationship management including outsourcing, shared services, BOT and strategic acquisitions for sourcing. Send us your suggestions for article topics, or report a broken link at wbierce@biercekenerson.com. The information provided herein does not necessarily constitute the opinion of Bierce & Kenerson, P.C. or any author or its clients. This newsletter is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Reproductions must include our copyright notice. For reprint permission, please contact: wbierce@biercekenerson.com. Edited by Bierce & Kenerson, P.C. Copyright (c) 2012, Outsourcing Law Global, LLC. All rights reserved. Editor-in-Chief: William Bierce of Bierce & Kenerson, P.C., located at 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 2920, New York, NY 10170, 212-840-0080.

Some states designate newsletters as ATTORNEY ADVERTISING.  This communication is sent to you because you previously enrolled or approved enrollment or otherwise are actively involved in outsourcing and/or shared services. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: mling@biercekenerson.com.

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Strategies and rules for adding value and improving legal and regulation compliance through business process management techniques in strategic alliances, joint ventures, shared services and cost-effective, durable and flexible sourcing of services.   www.outsourcing-law.com.  Visit our blog at http://blog.outsourcing-law.com.

Insights by Bierce & Kenerson, P.C. Editor.   www.biercekenerson.com.

Vol. 12, No. 5, June 2012
__________________________________________

1.

2.  Humor.

3.  Conferences.

________________________________________

1. 1. ObamaCare Survives Judicial Death Threat:  Impact Of Supreme Court Decision On Offshoring And Outsourcing. The U.S. Supreme Court’s historic 5-4 decision approved the constitutionality of the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, P.L. 111-148 (March 23, 2010) [“ObamaCare”]. Nat’l Fed. of Indep. Businesses v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. ____ (June 28, 2012).  How will this law impact the global services industry?   Will it favor offshoring?   Will it create new outsourcing business models? What opportunities arise for new forms of outsourcing services and, indeed, for global entrepreneurship?   Visit http://www.outsourcing-law.com/2012/06/obamacare-survives-impact-of-supreme-court-decision-on-offshoring-and-outsourcing/ for our view on the impact, followed by a brief legal summary for those who study constitutional law in the United States

2.  Humor.

Healthcare outsourcing (n). (1) management of patient care by non-medical service providers; (2) a form of nuclear medicine, for embedding low-radiation, low-cost information technology into medical treatment and for extracting exponential monetary value; (3) IT implant into a diseased organization.

Electronic Medical Record (n).  (1) patient’s medical chart, including the most personal of personal information, etiology, diagnosis and prognosis; (2) metadata for Big Data analytics; (3) litigation fodder for claims of security breach, malpractice, transborder data mismanagement, and cloudy computing.

3.  Conferences.

September 10-12, 2012, IQPC presents its 13th Annual eDiscovery West Coast Summit, San Francisco, California. Across all industries corporations are experiencing exponential growth in the ESI volumes that must be collected, reviewed, and in some cases, produced in litigation.  Requesting, preserving, collecting, processing, and reviewing social media content presents new challenges for organizations of all sizes in litigation and day-to-day records management. IQPC has paid particular attention to these dynamics in crafting this year’s program. You will benefit from an unparalleled mix of thought leaders and industry movers who will shape the future of E-Discovery for years to come.  This is a must attend event to keep your organization up to speed on the developments and new horizons in this critical field.  For more information on speakers and sessions, visit http://www.e-discoveryevent.com/Event.aspx?id=773292,  download the brochure here http://www.e-discoveryevent.com/redForms.aspx?id=773282&pdf_form=1 or email zachary.weiner@iqpc.com to have it sent straight to your inbox.

October 21-23, 2012, SSON 7th Annual Shared Services Exchange, California. The Shared Services Exchange is the elite event for senior level shared services and sourcing practitioners who are evolving their service delivery strategies, capabilities and operations. The content agenda goes far beyond the typical cost cutting transaction machine to a program designed with transformation in mind and adding value to the business.  With tremendous growth and interest in Shared Services, IQPC Exchange will be continuing its ongoing tradition of offering cutting-edge, interactive learning opportunities for pre-qualified practitioners. This unique event combines topical sessions, one-on-one business meetings and strategic networking opportunities allowing you to maximize your time out of the office.  Request your invitation by emailing naexchange@iqpc.com or calling 1-800-398-1966. For more information, visit  http://www.sharedservicesexchange.com/Event.aspx?id=720620&utm_campaign=banner&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=outsourcing-law.com&utm_content=home&utm_term=text&MAC=7SSE_OutsourcingLaw

Oct 25, 2012, Global Sourcing Council presents 3S Awards 2012, New York, New York. The Sustainable and Socially responsible Sourcing Awards, was conceived by the Global Sourcing Council, a non-profit organization, to honor and celebrate 3S actions taken by the sourcing industry.  The GSC 3S Awards recognize exceptional achievements in the global sourcing marketplace by individuals and organizations who exhibit a combination of positive social and economic leadership. The 3S awards will bring to the forefront individuals, start-ups, and companies (e.g. suppliers, buyers and advisory organizations) that have worked to innovate, implement and improve communities/peoples and the environment through Sustainable and Socially Responsible Sourcing practices.  Submissions will be accepted until September 1, 2012.  Visit http://www.gsc3sawards.com/index.php for more information.

*************************************************************

FEEDBACK:  This newsletter addresses legal issues in sourcing IT, HR, finance and accounting, procurement, logistics, manufacturing, customer relationship management including outsourcing, shared services, BOT and strategic acquisitions for sourcing.  Send us your suggestions for article topics, or report a broken link at wbierce@biercekenerson.com.  The information provided herein does not necessarily constitute the opinion of Bierce & Kenerson, P.C. or any author or its clients.  This newsletter is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.  Reproductions must include our copyright notice.  For reprint permission, please contact:  wbierce@biercekenerson.com.   Edited by Bierce & Kenerson, P.C.  Copyright (c) 2012, Outsourcing Law Global, LLC.  All rights reserved.  Editor-in-Chief:  William Bierce of Bierce & Kenerson, P.C., located at 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 2920, New York, NY 10170, 212-840-0080.

ObamaCare Survives Judicial Death Threat: Impact Of Supreme Court Decision On Offshoring And Outsourcing

June 29, 2012 by

The U.S. Supreme Court’s historic 5-4 decision approved the constitutionality of the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, P.L. 111-148 (March 23, 2010) [“ObamaCare”]. Nat’l Fed. of Indep. Businesses v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. ____ (June 28, 2012).

How will this law impact the global services industry?   Will it favor offshoring?   Will it create new outsourcing business models? What opportunities arise for new forms of outsourcing services and, indeed, for global entrepreneurship?   Here’s our view on the impact, followed by a brief legal summary for those who study constitutional law in the United States.

Impact of the ObamaCare Decision upon Outsourcing and Offshoring.   The most important aspect of this law is its complexity (over 900 pages, with new regulations to follow).   For the outsourcing industry, the decision is highly positive for process managers seeking to develop service offerings in the administration of healthcare insurance, healthcare funding and corporate human resources.

  • In general, new consulting advisory services will develop tech-enabled decision analsyis and recommendations.  They will identify how to enable small businesses to choose whether, and how, to provide insurance plans for employees.   For large busineses, they will help direct how to manage internally, or externally, a huge healthcare bureaucracy for the employer.
  • For small businesses, new consulting advisory services (and related process automation and outsourced services) may develop to stay below the threshold of a “large” employer to avoid ObamaCare’s mandatory coverage requirements for “large” employers.
  • For insurers and health plans, the pressures for cost containment, regulatory compliance and operational efficiencies will offer opportunities for both consulting and outsourcing, and even offshored teleservices by U.S. qualified medical professionals.

U.S. Health Insurance Model. Unlike other countries, the U.S. has not nationalized healthcare. Instead, since 1965, it has provided nationalized healthcare to seniors (aged 65 and over) under Medicare.   Historically, it has also provided Medicaid to younger, but more needy persons in limited categories.

New Class Warfare; New U.S. Business Models . The ObamaCare legislation creates a “class warfare” between “small” businesses and “large” businesses. ACA exempts “small employers” from the duty to carry health insurance for their employees.   “Large employers” (with more than 200 full-time employees who perform at least 2,080 hours of service per year subject to vacations and statutory exceptions) must automatically enroll all new full-time employees in one of the plans offered and continue the enrolment of current empoloyees in a health benefits plan offered through the employer.

We offer some predictions on the future of employment in the United States.

  • Business Models.  New business models will arise, based on outsourcing, virtualization and avoidance of the 200-employee limit.
  • Accelerated Offshoring and Outsourcing.   The costs, complexity, bureaucratic burdens and overhead, and proliferation of employment litigation associated with mandatory healthcare rules will inspire entrepreneurs to outsource and offshore everything possible.  ObamaCare will accelerate the offshoring of both low-level functions (such as non-voice customer relationship management, credit card claims processing, mortgage origination and administration, and other routine business functions) and high-level functions (such as R&D, market research, accounting and tax administration, cash management, etc.).
  • “Small is Beautiful.” A wave of new incorporations and new LLC’s will be the new norm for establishing rapid-growth organizations.
  • Networked Virtual Organizations.   “Small employers” will stay under 200 FTE’s in the U.S., but will partner with other small employers in the U.S. and with outsourcing service providers wherever possible.
  • Compliance, but with Cutbacks.   Large global corporations will devote more costs and management time to compliance with new regulations. Entrepreneurial leaders at large organizations will consider leaving to form new “small employer” organizations based on a virtualized, global, partnered (outsourced, offshored and allianced) business model.

New HITO: Healthcare IT Outsourcing (New Software Platforms and Service Solutions).  Like the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), the Affordable Care Act creates complex new rules governing human resource administration.   Like ERISA, ACA delegates extensive authority to bureaucracies to review mandatory disclosure reports by employers in order to ensure employers are not discriminating in favor of highly compensated individuals and includes enforcement mechanisms.   The ACA imposes both civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance.

In addition, ACA already has adopted healthcare IT mandates including subsidies for electronic medical records (EMR).   Secretary of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) has adopted regulations for developing interoperable and secure standards and protocols that facilitate enrollment of individuals in Federal and State health and human services programs. Sec. 3021(a).   “Third party service providers” are identified as having a legislatively approved role to facilitate enrollment in covered insurance plans.

New Security and Compliance Requirements.   The outsourcing industry was born out of “boring,” repetitive “standard” business processes. ACA creates a “perfect storm” for outsourcing of many new “boring” processes in human resources administration.

IT-Enabled Healthcare. ACA also delegates authority for administrative regulations under HHS to develop standards and protocols for electronic enrollment in Federal and State healthcare programs. Sec. 3021(b).

(1)  Electronic matching against existing Federal and State data, including vital records, employment history, enrollment systems, tax records, and other data determined appropriate by the Secretary to serve as evidence of eligibility and in lieu of paper-based documentation.

(2)  Simplification and submission of electronic documentation, digitization of documents, and systems verification of eligibility.

(3)  Reuse of stored eligibility information (including documentation) to assist with retention of eligible individuals.

(4)  Capability for individuals to apply, recertify and manage their eligibility information online, including at home, at points of service, and other community-based locations.

(5)  Ability to expand the enrollment system to integrate new programs, rules, and functionalities, to operate at increased volume, and to apply streamlined verification and eligibility processes to other Federal and State programs, as appropriate.

(6)  Notification of eligibility, recertification, and other needed communication regarding eligibility, which may include communication via email and cellular phones.

(7)  Other functionalities necessary to provide eligibles with streamlined enrollment process.

New Training Mandates.  Since the law is new, it requires obligatory trainings. The corporate education markets will expand.

More Litigation under New Civil Rights and Whistleblower Protections.  ACA is good for e-discovery and Legal Practice Outsourcing. It creates new entitlements and protected classes of employees. This will result in new costly litigations. The plaintiff’s class action lawyers will reap big rewards for mistakes or disputes that need to be settled just to avoid distractions, uncertainty and costs.

First, it creates new civil rights, which can be enforced by plaintiff’s contingency-fee lawyers using class actions. Employees may not be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under, any health program or activity, any part of which is receiving Federal financial assistance, including credits, subsidies, or contracts of insurance, or under any program or activity that is administered by an Executive Agency or any entity established under ACA. Sec. 1557, extending civil rights under title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.), or section 504 of the Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794).

Second, in addition to substantive healthcare civil rights, the ACA adds a “whistleblower” protection for employees who report to their employer, the federal government or a State Attorney General, any violation of, or act or omission that the employee reasonably believes to be a violation of, the ACA. Similar protection is granted for an employee’s right to object to, or refuse to participate in, any activity, policy, practice or assigned task that is or is reasonably believed to be such a violation. ACA, Sec. 1558.

The Legal Decision on Constitutionality.

Judicial Restraint. A minority of four justices would have invalidated the entire law. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts chose to uphold the law as a “tax” (even though it is not said to be a tax) and pushed the debate back into the political arena of the November 2012 Presidential elections: “It is not our job [as a Supreme Court] to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices” of legislation enacted by an elected Congress.

Two Key Issues. The judicial decision focused on narrow constitutional principles of limited federal legislative powers as enumerated under the federal Constitution.  It addressed two technicalities: the “individual mandate” to either get health insurance coverage or pay a federal health tax, and the expansion of scope of Medicaid in such a manner that the States would have to subsidize a new class of individuals in order to continue to enjoy federal funding for a 50 year old Medicaid program with limited costs and scope.

Individual Mandate: the “Shared Responsibility Payment.” On the “individual mandate,” the decision confirmed that Congress may impose a penalty (called a “shared responsibility payment” but treated judicially as a tax) on individuals who choose not to obtain insurance coverage, even though the tax is on doing nothing. Justice Roberts, the swing vote, noted that the individual health care tax is not confiscatory or punitive, and imposes no other restraint than the payment of the tax.   The decision represents an expansion of federal legislative power to tax individuals for doing nothing by relying upon the Taxing Clause of the Constitution and not the sweeping Commerce Clause

Medicaid Expansion. The Court struck down the “Medicaid expansion” that would, if enacted, have coercively and unconstitutionally forced the States to raise taxes to cover 10% of new insurance programs covering virtually an entire subclass of individuals earning family income at 133% or less of the federal “poverty level,” far more than the pre-existing Medicaid scope and costs.  So the law was upheld, but it will have a shortfall in revenue where States choose not to “opt in” to provide such new medical coverage for that class of individuals. Hence, a State may elect to continue the existing Medicaid program (which covers the most needy: pregnant women, children, needy families, the blind, the elderly and the disabled.

Outsourcing Law & Business Journal™ – February 2012

February 6, 2012 by

OUTSOURCING LAW & BUSINESS JOURNAL™ : Strategies and rules for adding value and improving legal and regulation compliance through business process management techniques in strategic alliances, joint ventures, shared services and cost-effective, durable and flexible sourcing of services. www.outsourcing-law.com. Visit our blog at http://blog.outsourcing-law.com.

Insights by Bierce & Kenerson, P.C. Editorwww.biercekenerson.com.

Vol. 12,  No. 2, February 2012
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Last chance to sign up for another Webinar in our series on:
The Future of Law and the Impact of Outsourcing, Part 2
(Part I was presented October 26, 2011)

Date: Thursday, February 9, 2012
Time: 11:00 AM EST – 12:20 PM EST

Join our experts in the “business of the law” for Part Two of our webinar series concerning The Future of Law.  Listen in as we discuss the disruptive and creative impacts of business process outsourcing (BPO), legal process management (LPM) and legal process outsourcing (LPO) on the traditional delivery and management of legal services and legal support services.

Speakers:

William B. Bierce, President of Bierce & Kenerson, P. C. (full disclosure, also the publisher of this website)
David T. Kinnear, COO of Cerebra LPO; Partner and Co-Founder of GSSOCX
Jason Mark Anderman, President and Co-Founder of WhichDraft

Cost: Free!

Click here for more information and registration.

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1.  Robo-Calls, Call Centers and Collection Agencies:  Supreme Court Approves Federal Court Lawsuits under Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991.

2.  Humor.

3.  Conferences.

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1.   Robo-Calls, Call Centers and Collection Agencies:  Supreme Court Approves Federal Court Lawsuits under Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991. On January 18, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a case of an outbound telephone call center that contacted one individual using robo-dialers and voice recordings.  The decision reminds companies using call centers for outbound contacts that a Do-Not-Call list should be respected or federal litigation could result, and that federal procedural rules could result in high litigation costs and settlement value.  For the complete article, click here.

2.   Humor.

Call Center, n. A recording studio for “training and quality control purposes.”

3.  Conferences.

February 28, 2012, Legal Process Outsourcing, HSBC Center, New York, New York. This roundtable will provide an in-depth overview of how to capitalize on LPO strategies and techniques. We have developed this program specifically to help corporate counsel carefully examine the benefits and challenges of outsourcing certain components of their internal clients’ legal work. Specific takeaways from this roundtable will be: developing workable solutions to cut costs, improving quality and timeliness of deliverables and best practices to manage ethical concerns. As an attendee, you also earn up to 4 CLE Credits. For a copy of the program agenda, click here.

March 7-9, 2012, 16th Annual North American Shared Services & Outsourcing Week, Orlando, Florida. In 2011 we brought you the ‘revolution’ of shared services – 2012 is all about delivering The Next Level of Value by Accelerating Global Growth & Delivering Business Insights to the Board. Over 100 thought leaders and companies including AOL, Volvo, Deloitte, DHL, Monster.com, Salsesforce.com, Hyatt, Molson Coors, Philips, BAE Systems, Intel, Perason, BP, P&G, UBS, Citigroup, WPP Group, Yahoo!, DHL and HP will present their inspiring talks and roundtables to drive global growth and root shared services firmly into the boardroom agenda. If you want to challenge your captive and outsourced operations to influence business outcomes, or endorse the IMPACT shared services can have on the success and progress of a business as a whole, then this event is a must attend for you. To register, visit their website.

March 15, 2012, Global Services Conference 2012, New York, New York. Global Services Conference 2012 will focus on how to build and sustain excellence in services.
This strategy is the key to enterprise services, enterprise transformation, and aligning that transformation to drive competitive advantage to companies. Companies are looking to access data and knowledge in a better way and to leverage the maturity of the services organization that has been in place to drive better business value. For more information, visit their website.

April 23 – 25, 2012, IBC presents The Legal, Regulatory & Compliance Outsourcing Conference, Grange Tower Bridge Hotel, London, United Kingdom. Hear from 20+ international experts on The Smarter Legal Model; trends in regulation, accreditation and certification, the business case for outsourcing; service delivery models; vendor selection; ethics and compliance; case studies; LSO contracts; data protection and security; technology enablers; managing the relationship; business optimisation and the future of outsourcing in law firms. 20% discount for Outsourcing-Law, use VIP code FKW82266OTLEM

April 23 – 25, 2012, 6th Corporate Counsel Exchange, Radisson Edwardian Heathrow Hotel, London, United Kingdom. The award winning Corporate Counsel Exchange is back in London!  Our 6th Corporate Counsel Exchange, in London, United Kingdom, will be co – located with the 3rd Corporate Compliance Exchange. View co – located agenda.  In April over 150 General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officers will gather to share strategic insights, discuss the latest developments in the legal and compliance sphere and meet with a range of leading law firms and solution providers offering innovative tools and services to help you increase the efficiencies of your department.  For more information visit www.corporatecounselexchange.co.uk, call: +442079689745 or alternatively email: exchangeinfo@iqpc.com.

April 23 – 25, 2012, Corporate Compliance Exchange,Radisson Edwardian Heathrow Hotel, London, United Kingdom. Corporate Compliance Exchange will once again unite Chief Compliance Officers in senior level networking forum in London, United Kingdom.  The 3rd Corporate Compliance Exchange is co – located with our 6th Corporate Counsel Exchange. Through a series of streamed sessions, joint networking panel discussions and roundtables, the award winning Exchange format offers Chief Compliance Officers and General Counsel a unique opportunity to keep current on the most pressing compliance issues and find out what strategies your peers have put in place to safeguard their organisations against compliance risks.For more information visit www.complianceexchange.co.uk, call: +442079689745 or alternatively email: exchangeinfo@iqpc.com.

May 14, 2012, 4th eDiscovery Oil & Gas Conference,  Houston, Texas. Mark your calendar for the 4th eDiscovery Oil & Gas Conference.  Building off of the success of our 2011 event, eDiscovery Oil & Gas will return to Houston on May 14-16 for you to improve your organization’s eDiscovery capabilities and comply with the requirements of the FRCP.  Learn from industry leading experts about effective e-Discovery strategies that they employ.  This conference will leverage best practices to show how to conduct thorough, cost-effective and defensible e-Discovery. For a copy of the program agenda click here.

May 16 – 18, 2012, SSON presents the 12th Annual Shared Services Finance & Accounting, Dallas, Texas. This event covers the entire spectrum of Finance & Accounting challenges in Shared Services from Process Design, Governance, Benchmarks, Metrics, and Audits through to Training and Change Management.  Each speaker will be diving straight into the specifics of their case studies offering timelines, metrics, results and lessons learned for you to take back to your own office.  For more information, visit their website.

May 21 – 23, 2012, SSON’s 11th HR Shared Services & Outsourcing  Summit, Chicago, Illinois. Creating the foundation for strategic human capital management through HR shared services, this event will will cover HR Shared Services challenges in Process Design, IT integration, Standardization, Benchmarks, Metrics, and Harmonization through to Training and Change Management.  Topics include Globalization, Inhouse-vs. Outsourcing, Growth Opportunities and more.   To register, visit their website.

June 24 – 26, 2012, SSON 6th Annual Shared Services Exchange, Pinehurst, North Carolina. For the 6th year in a row, the Shared Services Exchange will be the elite event for shared services executives who are looking to develop new strategy, solve challenges and source partners that will allow them to create efficiency and drive more value out of their shared services centers.  Efficiency is still on the minds of these executives as they search for solutions to create consistency across multiple business functions and develop hybrid strategies that utilize outsourcing and captive centers—all while sustaining centers as a core business strategy.  This event will continue IQPC Exchange’s ongoing tradition of offering cutting-edge, strategic networking and learning opportunities for senior level shared services executives.  For more information, click here.

**********************************************

FEEDBACK: This newsletter addresses legal issues in sourcing IT, HR, finance and accounting, procurement, logistics, manufacturing, customer relationship management including outsourcing, shared services, BOT and strategic acquisitions for sourcing. Send us your suggestions for article topics, or report a broken link at wbierce@biercekenerson.com. The information provided herein does not necessarily constitute the opinion of Bierce & Kenerson, P.C. or any author or its clients. This newsletter is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Reproductions must include our copyright notice. For reprint permission, please contact: wbierce@biercekenerson.com. Edited by Bierce & Kenerson, P.C. Copyright (c) 2012, Outsourcing Law Global, LLC. All rights reserved. Editor-in-Chief: William Bierce of Bierce & Kenerson, P.C., located at 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 2920, New York, NY 10170, 212-840-0080