I published the first “Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel” blog about two years ago this month.  It all began after my talking with a group of young in-house lawyers who asked me “What do I need to know to be General Counsel some day?”  Hmmm, I thought.  I should start writing this stuff down.  So I have and it’s been a surprising success.  Very surprising.  The blog has over 1,400 followers and keeps growing by leaps and bounds.  It was nominated for “Best Blog of 2016” by the Expert Institute and the American Bar Association will be publishing a “Best of” collection of posts in book form in early 2017.   I have been asked to speak to a number of different groups of in-house lawyers and legal departments based on “something they read in the blog.” And – what I consider the neatest part –  I have heard directly from readers all over the world via email, LinkedIn, and even on the phone.  I enjoy hearing from all of you (good or bad), especially if you find the blog helpful or, even better, if you have ideas for future posts.  Always feel free to contact me with your feedback, questions, or ideas.

I still haven’t figured out how to create a good index to all the posts on the blog site (the book will have updated posts set out by category).  So, please bear with me for at least one more “Index” post.  I will eventually figure it out (or upgrade my site).  Until then, and since there are at least 500 new followers since I last did this, it’s a good point in time for an updated index of “Ten Things” posts (all 50 of them), hyper-linked and in chronological order from past to most current:

1. Introduction (November 26, 2014)
2. How to be a Successful In-House Counsel (November 28, 2014)
3. All I Want for Christmas is a FCPA/Anti-Bribery Health Check (December 4, 2014)
4. Time for a Conversation About Drafting Documents and Emails (December 10, 2014)
5. Your Company Has Just Been Sued. Now What? (December 18, 2014)
6. Help Your Client Get Their Contract Through Legal Quickly (December 23, 2014)
7. Setting Goals for the Legal Department (January 7, 2015)
8. Simple Ways to Retain and Reward Your People (January 14, 2015)
9. Effectively Managing Outside Counsel Spend (January 22, 2015)
10. Running an Effective Staff Meeting (January 30, 2015)
11. Increasing Efficiency in the Legal Department Through Technology (February 6, 2015)
12. How to Run a Government Affairs Campaign (February 17, 2015)
13. Crisis Preparation 101 (March 3, 2015)
14. Trade Secrets and Protecting Your Company (March 19, 2015)
15. Partnering with HR (1 + 1 = 3) (April 2, 2015)
16. Trade Associations and Legal Risk (April 16, 2015)
17. Data Privacy –The Essentials (April 30, 2015)
18. Protecting Your Company’s Reputation and Brand (May 15, 2015)
19. Index to Posts – November 2014 to May 2015 (May 27, 2015)
20. Website User Agreements (June 9, 2015)
21. Explaining Litigation to the Board and the CEO (July 7, 2015)
22. Creating a Client Satisfaction Survey (July 28, 2015)
23. Common Ethics Issues for In-House Counsel (August 18, 2015)
24. Insurance Law Basics for In-House Counsel (September 9, 2015)
25. The Attorney-Client Privilege – What You Need to Know (September 30, 2015)
26. The “Safe Harbor Agreement” Invalidated – What Should I do Next? (October 13, 2015)
27. How to Be More Productive Every Day (October 30, 2015)
28. Preparing for When “Bad Things” Happen (November 24, 2015)
29. The First Year – An Index of Posts (November 2014 – November 2015)
30. Becoming General Counsel (December 21, 2015)
31. Ten Best Legal Blogs for In-House Counsel -2015 (December 29, 2015)
32. Record Retention – Policies, Programs, and More (January 18, 2016)
33. In-House Counsel “To Do” List for 2016 (February 1, 2016)
34. Writing Skills for In-House Counsel (It’s Different In-House) (February 16, 2016)
35. What In-House Lawyers Really Want from Outside Counsel (March 14, 2016)
36. Settlement Agreements – Making Sure it’s Really Over (March 31, 2016)
37. Basic Corporate Governance for In-House Counsel (April 18, 2016)
38. Dealing with the Board of Directors (April 29, 2016)
39. Europe’s New Data Privacy Law: What You Really Need to Know (May 13, 2016)
40. Index to All the Posts (November 2014 – May 2016) (May 26, 2016)
41. How to Negotiate – Practical Tips for In-House Counsel (June 14, 2016)
42. Spotting, Analyzing, and Managing “Risk” (June 28, 2016)
43. Ten Habits of Highly Effective In-House Lawyers (July 15, 2016)
44. “Cool Tech” for In-House Lawyers (July 29, 2016)
45. Litigation Financing – A Primer for In-House Counsel (August 12, 2016)
46. How to Delegate – The Essentials (August 30, 2016)
47. How to Market the Legal Department to the Business (September 15, 2016)
48. How to Create a Great Legal Department Website (September 29, 2016)
49. The Search for the Perfect Arbitration Clause (October 13, 2016)
50. How to Plan a Legal Department Offsite (October 31, 2016)

As always, let me know if there is a topic of particular interest to you and I will try to get it on the schedule (I have several great ideas from readers already in the hopper).  I get a lot of questions from readers around re-publication, speaking engagements and continuing legal education (CLE) presentations.  If you are interested in re-publishing one of my posts in a newsletter or another publication, just let me know.  It’s usually fine with just a few conditions.  Regarding the other two questions, the short answer is “Yes.” I am always happy to talk about speaking engagements (e.g., legal department off-sites, training, luncheons, award banquets, etc.) as well as CLE presentations (live or webcast), and training.  If interested, drop me note.

As we come near the end of 2016, I am excited about the remaining posts for 2016 and I have a bunch of great ideas for 2017.  Thanks again for reading and thanks for passing along the blog to your friends and colleagues!

Sterling Miller

November 15, 2016

(If you find this blog useful, please click “follow” in the top right so you get all new posts automatically, pass it along to colleagues or friends, and “Tweet” it. “Ten Things” is not legal advice or legal opinion.  It is intended to provide practical tips and references to the busy in-house practitioner and other readers. You can find this blog and all past posts at www.TenThings.net.  If you have questions or comments, please contact me at either sterling.miller@sbcglobal.net or smiller@hilgersgraben.com).