ACC Annual Meeting 2026: Daily Highlights

SATURDAY | SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY

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Wednesday, October 7

See You Next Year (AM27) 

And that’s a wrap for this 2026 ACC Annual Meeting! Thank you to our in-house professionals who joined us in Boston for insightful sessions, valuable networking, and plenty of memorable moments. Come and join your peers next year in Minneapolis for our 2027 ACC Annual Meeting, and check out the important insights, exciting moments, and major takeaways from each day below.

Thank You to Our Attendees 

Your energy, insights, and engagement made this year's Meeting a tremendous success, from thought-provoking sessions to valuable connections with peers from around the world.

A special thank you to our speakers, who brought practical insights, fresh perspectives, and real-world strategies to every session. Your expertise is what makes the Annual Meeting such a valuable experience for in-house counsel at every stage of their careers.

We're also grateful to our sponsors and exhibitors for their generous support and to the ACC staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring it all together.

The best part of the ACC Annual Meeting? The people. Every conversation brought fresh perspectives and new connections, and that's what keeps this community strong. #ACCAM26

We Want to Hear From You

Your feedback helps shape the future of the ACC Annual Meeting. If you attended the 2026 ACC Annual Meeting in Boston, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts on the sessions you attended and your overall experience. Your input helps us continue delivering the practical education, inspiring speakers, and meaningful networking opportunities you expect, and ensures next year's Meeting in Minneapolis is even better.

Tuesday, October 6

Honoring ACC Network Award Winners

Outstanding Small Network of the Year

Outstanding Mid-Sized Network of the Year

Outstanding Large Network of the Year

Outstanding Network Sponsors of the Year

ACC Network Member of the Year

Congratulations to Theresa Chikwendu, Principal Consultant, Legal & M&A at MTN Group, on being named the Jonathan S. Silber Network Member of the Year at the AM26 Excellence in Leadership Awards. The award recognizes Chikwendu's leadership, dedication, and contributions to the in-house legal profession, including her work with ACC's Financial Services and Small Law Department Networks. It honors the kind of member who inspires, connects, and strengthens the in-house legal community.

Opening Keynote Speaker — Briana Scurry, Hall of Fame Goalkeeper, Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist, and FIFA World Cup Champion

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Fame goalkeeper Briana Scurry took the stage with her gold medals in hand. She also brought a backstory that fit the room. Since she was in eighth grade, her mother wanted her to be a lawyer: chase the dream first, and law school would be Plan B. Scurry never took that path, but her story spoke to anyone who has had to perform under pressure, recover from a fall, or find the courage to keep going.

She traced her career from the only girl on a Minnesota boys' rec team to the U.S. starting keeper. In 1996 she won the first-ever Olympic gold in women's soccer, exactly as she had planned on a poster she made at age 12.

She shared the lessons she learned along the way:

Embrace the One-of-One Role. Communicate constantly, and position your teammates so you never have to make the emergency save.

Scurry described the keeper as the lone defender of a goal 24 feet wide, unable to control the outcome alone. "I can't say I can help us necessarily win a game, but I can keep you from winning." When Pepper asked whether that sounded like any general counsel in the room, Scurry agreed the two roles have a lot in common.

Seek Out the Competitive Cauldron. Put yourself in the most competitive environment possible.

She chose UMass knowing the nation's top goalkeeper was already there. The two rivals pushed each other daily, and both became All-Americans. "Pressure creates diamonds," she said.

Do Your Job. Focus on the part of the outcome that's yours.

In the 1999 World Cup final shootout, Scurry's rule was simple: "My job is to save. My job is not to make." Her save against China, in front of 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl, set up Brandi Chastain's winning kick.

Own Your Setbacks. Stop looking out the window and start looking in the mirror.

After the 1999 win, Scurry admits she started to "drink her own Kool-Aid," gained 25 pounds, and lost her starting spot before the 2000 Olympics. That pain became her fire. She rebuilt her training and her diet, then won gold again in Athens in 2004, playing for her father, who had died that Father's Day.

Treat Obsession as a Superpower. Go deep when something is truly your thing.

Scurry shared her advice to her stepson when he threw himself into debate team: you can only become extraordinary if you are obsessive. "That's your superpower."

Ask for Help. It's OK not to feel OK.

A 2010 concussion ended her career and led to memory loss, isolation, depression, and suicidal thoughts. She credits her wife with helping her climb back. Noting the legal profession's high rates of mental health struggles, Scurry said she tells her story for the one person in the room who needs permission to ask for help.

Looking back, Scurry sees her career as a mountain range, with the valleys making the peaks possible. "When you win a lot, you party. When you fail or lose, you ponder." In 2017, she became the first Black woman and first female goalkeeper elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Her mother's Plan B has also come full circle. Her stepdaughter, Sydney, is now attending Columbia Law School, and Scurry's advice to her about AI was to embrace the change.

For in-house counsel, the takeaway was clear: resilience isn't avoiding the fall, it's what you build from it. Scurry tells the full story in her book, "My Greatest Save."

AI, Ethics, and the In-house Lawyer: Guardrails, Governance, and What Comes Next | Sponsor: Galloway

Panelists provided concrete strategies and advice for in-house lawyers grappling with the ethical challenges of AI use in their organizations. These strategies include having a robust and regularly updated AI governance policy; cooperating with other key departments, including IT and compliance functions; and developing a playbook before an AI-related incident occurs.

Anthony Begon, VP, Legal Enterprise Risk & Compliance at Trellix, acknowledged that the landscape of AI usage is continually changing. Nonetheless, companies are best positioned for success when they develop an AI governance now, rather than waiting, and seek internal alignment over perfection.

Panelists concluded by sharing a five-step action plan to achieve foster a culture of AI ethics, and shared valuable checklists and other resources in the conference materials.

ACC's Smart After Dark: A Night at the Museum of Science | Sponsor: Mintz

Only in Boston does a night out mean a party at the Museum of Science. Attendees roamed the exhibits after hours under a giant suspended Earth, danced across a light-up floor, and toasted the week with cocktails. Even the museum's resident T. rex got into the spirit, sporting his own ACC badge as a first-time attendee. It was an amazing way to close out the day.

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Monday, October 5

Honoring ACC Chapter Award Winners

Best Partnership Awards

Best Membership Strategy Awards

Most Innovative Programming Effort Award

ACC Member of the Year

Congratulations to Krystal Saab, head of legal at Omni Retail Enterprises, on being named this year's Robert I. Townsend, Jr. Member of the Year! From the ACC Nevada Chapter board to network leadership and Corporate Counsel Now, Saab has spent years strengthening the in-house community.

Opening Keynote Speaker — Jimmy Wales on The Seven Rules of Trust

Wikipedia founder and author Jimmy Wales took the stage for a conversation with Docusign Chief Legal Officer Jim Shaughnessy about the global crisis of trust, the subject of his book, "The Seven Rules of Trust." "Trust really matters a lot," he said, and when trust is present, it creates a "virtual circle of trust" that builds on itself.

Wales drew on Wikipedia's 25th anniversary this year to illustrate the real impact trust can have on the world. A largely volunteer-driven nonprofit with articles in more than 300 languages, Wikipedia shows how trust makes large-scale collaboration possible among people who may never meet. The same principle applies inside companies, he noted, where the relationship between management and employees depends on it. "Building trust is incredibly important for all kinds of organizations," Wales said.

He then walked through the seven rules from his book:

Rule 1: Make It Personal. Build trust by fostering personal connections and human engagement rather than relying solely on abstract systems.

Shaughnessy asked how a community as virtual as Wikipedia keeps things personal, especially as work has changed since COVID-19. Wales said the pandemic made clear how valuable in-person interaction is, and that the human element remains crucial even in a digital world. That theme is reflected in Wikipedia's 25th anniversary message: "knowledge is human."

Rule 2: Be Positive About People. Assume good faith in others and approach them with optimism, which helps create a more cooperative environment.

Wales offered Airbnb as an example. After a host's home was trashed by a guest, the host wrote a very emotional blog post describing her frustration, and it drew wide attention. The company took some time to regroup but then took responsibility, made the host whole, and reexamined its systems, adding protections such as fines and identity verification. The goal was not to stop trusting people, but to build trust into the system itself, making a disaster both less likely and more manageable if likely to happen. In-house counsel strike that same balance every day, designing the contracts, policies, and controls that let a business extend trust without leaving it exposed.

Rule 3: Create a Clear Purpose. Define and communicate a shared, understandable goal so everyone knows why they are working together.

This rule speaks to why organizations go off course. When companies lose their way, Wales said, it is often because they lost their purpose and ended up chasing short-term gains without knowing what their brand stands for. Asked how he would advise a leadership team whose mission had become muddled, he said that a good purpose clarifies a lot of questions on its own, since decisions become easier when everyone knows what the organization is trying to achieve.

Rule 4: Be Trusting. Act in good faith yourself, and trust others to do the same, creating a reciprocal foundation.

"Extend trust to get trust," Wales said. Trust has to be given before it can be returned, and the payoff comes when things go wrong. "If you have a trust-based relationship, people understand," he said.

Rule 5: Be Civil. Engage with respect, even in disagreement, to maintain constructive dialogue.

Something all lawyers should know how to do, Wales joked, drawing laughs from a room full of professionals who disagree for a living.

Rule 6: Be Independent. Maintain your own judgment and integrity, resisting undue influence or pressure.

This chapter addresses the pressure many companies feel from employees to take political stands. Wales's advice: "Don't fight other people's fights." Wikipedia, he said, should be as neutral as possible. That counsel will resonate with general counsel, who are often among the first consulted when leadership weighs whether, and how, to speak out on social and political issues.

Rule 7: Be Transparent. Openly share information, processes, and decisions so trust can be earned and verified.

Transparency matters most when it is hardest. Everyone loves transparency when things are going well, Wales noted, but the real test comes when they are not, and especially when there is something you would rather hide. The same holds in the workplace, where valuing transparency is key to building a trust-based culture.

Looking ahead, Wales sees reason for optimism in society's willingness to experiment, even as trust in journalism sits at a low. Social media algorithms are one area of innovation he is watching closely. He closed by noting that the seven rules apply directly to in-house counsel. For lawyers who often sit at the center of their organizations' most sensitive relationships, the takeaway was clear: trust is not a soft skill but a foundation for everything else.

Sponsors in Expo Hall 

AM26 doesn't happen without the organizations that support it, and Monday's exhibit hall showed how much they bring to the meeting. From keynote partnerships to booth giveaways, our sponsors and exhibitors help make the week possible for in-house counsel from around the world.

International Legal Affairs Network — NetConnect

ACC ILAN members gathered for a community service project as part of their NetConnect at the 2026 ACC Annual Meeting by preparing food packages to help support the Haley House. The Haley House uses food with purpose and power of community to break down barriers between people, empower individuals, and strengthen neighborhoods.

Marquee Session: AI at the Top: Rewiring the Legal Department for a New Era | Sponsor: Axiom

Sara Morgan, Chief Legal AI and Talent Officer with Axiom, moderated a fascinating conversation with three experienced CLOs at the cutting edge of employing AI in their legal departments.

• Carolyn Herzog, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, at Elastic, encouraged attendees to reach out to peers and learn from each other. She also noted that so much of incorporating AI into the legal department is change management.
• Hossein Nowbar, President and Chief Legal Officer at ServiceNow, noted that AI allows the legal department to turn the reactive to proactive. It can free the legal team to focus proactively on the larger charges facing the organization.
• Shannon Klinger, Chair, of ACC’s Board of Directors and Moderna’s Chief Legal Officer and President of the Moderna Charitable Foundation, urged the audience to think about how they want their legal departments to be in five years. While we cannot predict the future, if we don’t give thought to what we believe works for our teams and companies, someone else will control our destiny.

ACC Chief Legal Officer Reception

The 2026 ACC Chief Legal Officer Reception brought together members of the CLO Circle for an evening of conversation, connection, and celebration. Chief legal officers and senior in-house leaders from across the globe gathered to network and build relationships.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to our sponsors, Axiom and Thomson Reuters, for making the evening possible. We look forward to seeing you again next year!

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Sunday, October 4

ACC Global Board Welcomes Brenda Puig

Brenda Puig, head of legal for Mercado Libre's commerce business, was sworn in as a member of the ACC Global Board of Directors during, joining the in-house leaders who guide the association's strategy worldwide. An active member of ACC Argentina, Puig brings deep experience leading legal teams in Latin American retail, including her earlier role as general counsel of Walmart Argentina before joining Mercado Libre in 2021.

ACC Career Connect: Career Development Workshop for In-house Lawyers 

The ACC Career Connect: Career Development Workshop for In-house Lawyers brought together three practical sessions to help in-house lawyers lead with intention and make their value visible.

Dana Galin guided attendees through identifying their top five values, recognizing when those values are tested under pressure, and committing to one concrete action to lead more authentically. Sheila Murphy focused on making your leadership visible, showing attendees how to use LinkedIn to tell their executive story, highlight the business value they create, and build a network that opens doors to new opportunities. Whitnie Wiley focused on résumé strategy and positioning, introducing the EVIDENCE framework to help attendees shift from listing legal tasks to presenting clear proof that they are already operating at the next level.

Attendees left with hands-on workbooks, a proven resume framework, practical strategies for personally leveraging LinkedIn, and clear next steps for strengthening their professional brand, network, and readiness for their next career move.

Board Readiness Workshop 

This interactive training gave in-house counsel a closer look at how boards operate, deliberate, and make decisions.

In-house counsel at every career stage spent time learning how boards think, operate, and make decisions. The first half covered governance fundamentals, including director duties, risk oversight, and how boards tell urgent issues apart from material ones, all aimed at helping lawyers shift from an operational mindset to a board-level perspective. The second half turned to personal positioning: what boards look for in candidates, common pathways to a seat, and how to recast legal and leadership experience as a board-ready resume, bio, and narrative. Participants left better equipped to work with their current boards and to pursue board service of their own.

Leadership Development Institute (LDI) — Network breakout session

The ACC Leadership Development Institute (LDI) equips chapter leaders with the skills, connections, and resources needed to lead with confidence and make their volunteer service both professionally rewarding and personally fulfilling. Bringing together approximately 140 volunteer leaders from ACC chapters around the world, LDI fosters collaboration, knowledge sharing, and meaningful peer connections across a diverse global network.

This year's program features practical, peer-driven learning through rapid-fire idea exchanges, interactive breakout discussions, and collaborative problem-solving on topics such as membership growth, succession planning, sponsorship development, and inclusive programming. Through leadership training, networking opportunities, practical toolkits, and peer-to-peer learning, LDI strengthens ACC's global leadership community and helps leaders build stronger, more vibrant chapters.

Welcome Reception in Expo Hall 

The Annual Meeting officially kicked off with the Welcome Reception at the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston, MA, sponsored by the D.C. Bar. In-house counsel from around the world filled the hall to reconnect with familiar faces, meet new colleagues, and fellowship over food and drinks. The evening set an energetic tone for the three days of programming, networking, and learning ahead.

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Saturday, October 3

The ACC Annual Meeting 2026 kicked off Saturday with a day of golf, wellness, and networking where in-house counsel, sponsors, and guests connected before the main program began.

ACC Foundation: 2026 Corporate Counsel Classic

The event gave attendees a relaxed setting to build relationships across the in-house community. Proceeds also supported ACC's work for the global in-house bar, including education, pro bono service, research and surveys, leadership and professional development, and initiatives that foster a culture of inclusiveness.

Golfers hit a championship course for a round of friendly competition and networking with peers, while spa-goers recharged with wellness activities ahead of the busy meeting days. The day wrapped with a lively golf awards reception honoring the top players and celebrating the start of the Annual Meeting.

ACC Global Board and Staff Reception

The Saturday reception gave ACC board members a relaxed chance to connect with the ACC staff who keep the association running year-round. Over drinks and conversation, guests mingled, met the people behind ACC's day-to-day work, traded perspectives, and caught up with familiar faces. It was an easy, social start to a busy week and set a collaborative tone ahead of the Annual Meeting.