2026 Corporate Counsel Symposium

What to Expect

For three decades, our Corporate Counsel Symposium has brought together in-house legal professionals from across Wisconsin for timely insights, practical guidance and meaningful connection.

This year’s program will examine:

• What happens when relevant evidence lives in Teams, texts, ephemeral messaging and AI tools instead of email
• Where prediction markets intersect with confidentiality, conflicts and independent professional judgment
• A firsthand perspective on the opportunities, obligations and potential pitfalls of government contracts and grants
• What legal teams should know about extended producer responsibility requirements and rapidly evolving state laws regulating PFAS in products

Afterward, connect with fellow in-house counsel and our presenters during a networking reception with light appetizers and refreshments.
 

Why Attend?

Spend an afternoon focused on emerging issues affecting your organization and the work of in-house legal teams. You’ll gain practical perspectives, earn CLE credit and exchange ideas with peers facing similar challenges.

3.0 CLE credits, including 1.0 Ethics credit, are anticipated.
 

 

Program Highlights

When the Evidence Isn't in Email: Preservation Challenges in the New ESI Environment

50 minutes | Christie Carrino and Jenna Riddle

The legal standard has not fundamentally changed: preservation turns on reasonable anticipation of litigation or investigation, reasonable steps, proportionality, and the circumstances of the information system. What has changed is what in-house counsel must understand and do to satisfy that standard when relevant information sits in Teams, Slack, texts, personal devices, ephemeral applications, SaaS systems, and AI tools.
 

From Bid to Award: Navigating Public Contracts and Grant Funding

25 minutes | Zach Bemis and Mark Bender

Government contracts and grants can create significant business opportunities—but they also come with unfamiliar procedures, compliance obligations and potential strings attached. Mark and Zach would provide insights for pursuing state procurement opportunities and state or federal funding: spotting opportunities, positioning a competitive proposal, understanding key contractual and grant conditions, and avoiding compliance mistakes that can jeopardize an award. The session would combine their firsthand knowledge of Wisconsin government with practical guidance companies can use before, during and after an award.
 

PFAS to Packaging: Update on the Evolving Landscape of State Product Regulations

25 minutes | Bill Nelson and Derek Punches

The regulatory landscape for consumer products and packaging is changing rapidly as states continue to enact and implement new restrictions on PFAS in products and broaden extended producer responsibility (EPR) requirements. For companies that manufacture, distribute, or sell products in multiple jurisdictions, these evolving laws present significant compliance challenges. 

Join us for a practical discussion of recent developments in state PFAS product laws and EPR requirements, including key compliance obligations and significant litigation challenging these emerging regulatory programs. We will also explore what these developments mean for businesses and identify practical steps that legal teams can take to navigate this increasingly complex patchwork of state requirements.
 

Know When to Fold ’Em: Navigating the Ethics of Prediction Markets

50 minutes | Nolan Heck

Prediction markets allow participants to trade on the outcomes of elections, economic developments, litigation, and other real-world events. For lawyers, however, participation can raise unique ethical concerns. This presentation will examine how the rules of professional responsibility apply to attorney participation in prediction markets, including issues involving confidential client information, conflicts of interest, independent professional judgment, and proprietary interests in litigation.

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