2025 In-House Counsel Seminar Insights

Practical Insights for Today’s Corporate Legal Leaders

Ward and Smith understands that in-house counsel serve as both legal advisors and strategic business partners. The role demands not only technical legal knowledge, but also practical judgment, risk management insight, and an understanding of operational realities.

To support corporate legal departments and business leaders, our team is launching a content series designed specifically for corporate counsel. These resources are written with one goal in mind: delivering actionable insight that helps in-house counsel anticipate risk, guide leadership, and support business growth with confidence.

Below is a collection of articles summarizing our 2025 In-House Counsel Seminar.

• Rapid Fire Remix: North Carolina Government Relations, Utilities, and Natural Disaster Recovery – Three Ward and Smith attorneys shared pitch-perfect insights on complex legal topics with crowd-moving implications, including the state budget and politics, utilities law, insurance readiness, and an overview of the national economy.
• The M&A Symphony for In-House Counsel: Orchestrating Successful Deals – Overview of Ward and Smith’s In-House Counsel Seminar featuring Richard J. Crow’s insights on mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, deal structures, CFIUS, cybersecurity, and best practices for in-house attorneys.
• The Critical First Hour for In-House Counsel: Why Crisis Communications Can’t Wait – In a rapidly evolving crisis situation where time is of the essence, in-house attorneys are often the first people to receive a call from company leaders.
• AI Governance: Practical AI Advice for In-House Counsel – During Ward and Smith’s annual In-House Counsel seminar, Mayukh Sircar, a cybersecurity, data privacy and technology attorney, shared comprehensive guidance on the strategic role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the modern business landscape, the key risks associated with implementation, the evolution of AI regulations, and the playbook for AI governance.
• The Greatest Hits of Employment Law for In-House Counsel: Immigration and the NLRB – In-house counsel insights on ICE enforcement, immigration changes, and key NLRB developments, with practical guidance for employer preparedness and workplace compliance.
• Creating Harmony: AI Governance Playbook – AI governance guidance from Ward and Smith’s In-House Counsel seminar covering AI risk classification, vendor due diligence, data privacy, contract negotiations, and practical policies for compliant AI adoption.
• The Greatest Hits of Employment Law for In-House Counsel: DEI and Looking Ahead for 2026 – Key insights from Ward and Smith’s In-House Counsel Seminar highlight how employers can navigate lawful DEI initiatives amid shifting federal guidance and enforcement, while preparing for upcoming changes in employment law.
• Out of Tune: Trade Secret Theft and Employment Law Case Study – Ward and Smith attorneys use an interactive case study to show how companies can respond to trade secret theft, employee poaching, restrictive covenants, and crisis management risks.

Stay Connected

We invite you to bookmark this page and check back throughout the month as additional articles are added. If there is a topic you would like to see addressed in a future installment, please reach out to a member of our team.

Ward and Smith is proud to partner with in-house counsel across North Carolina and beyond in navigating complex legal and business challenges.