Enhancing Contract Management: Tools for streamlining organizational processes

Kristi Adair Zentner | Cozen O’Connor
[email protected] | (612) 260-9005

Kristi is a transactional attorney who represents clients in general business, supply chain management, as well as tariff, customs, and trade matters.

Kristi regularly serves as outside general counsel for businesses, working closely with firm clients to gain an in-depth understanding of their business and business objectives. She routinely provides focused, cost effective, client centered legal advice on issues confronting clients on a daily basis. This includes, but is not limited to, commercial contract negotiation and review, corporate governance matters, employment matters, intellectual property matters, and real estate transactions. Acting as a strategic adviser to firm clients, Kristi works effectively across practices to implement thoughtful, innovative solutions.

Contractual framework for supply chain management, manufacturing relationships, and distribution networks are necessary for the smooth operation of many businesses. Kristi has extensive experience in supporting these transactions in many major industries. Her primary focus is to draft and negotiate contracts that meet a client’s business objectives, with an eye toward avoiding potential disputes and litigation by drafting in an unambiguous manner. She provides comprehensive advice to manufacturing clients on the development, production, and distribution of their products and assists clients with matters such as manufacturing and supply agreements, distribution agreements, compliance issues involving government and regulatory agencies, warranties, sales contracts, pricing, intellectual property protection, and antitrust compliance.

Dovetailing the cross-border transactions and distribution experience, Kristi also regularly counsels clients regarding all aspects of import compliance, from classification to valuation, and country of origin designation to marking requirements, among other things. Careful planning can ensure that businesses avoid unanticipated duty expenses, and can result in significant duty savings. Importer clients have successfully received advice from Kristi regarding reasonable care requirements, responses to requests for information and notices of action, protests, and Customs audits. In all matters, Kristi stresses the importance of preventative planning and proactively works with firm clients to create systems, internal controls, and compliance programs to minimize duties and avoid problems upon importation.

Marx | Cozen O’Connor
[email protected] | (612) 260-9004

Heather applies her experience in the areas of complex business and commercial litigation to represent a variety of clients. Her practice includes the representation of corporations and individuals in corporate contractual and partnership disputes, customs, imports, and trade matters, real estate and leasing issues, and litigation related to leases and guaranties, bankruptcy adversary proceedings, commercial transactions and disputes, and issues of employment law and benefits. Heather is vice-chair of the firm’s Customs, Imports and Trade Remedies practice. Based in Minneapolis, the practice is one of the only full-service trade practices based outside coastal hubs. She also serves as the co-managing partner of the Minneapolis office.

Heather handles contract disputes, commercial and private loan disputes, business liquidation priority issues, lease obligations, receivership appointments, real estate transactions, insurance claims, import-export contracts and litigation, and employment and labor disputes. Further, Heather’s experience in bankruptcy litigation includes years of representing both debtors and creditors in significant adversary disputes and work-outs, including clawback litigation both in Minnesota and other states.

Heather advises both domestic and international clients on strategies for foreign-based manufacture, importation, and distribution of goods and how to safeguard against anti-competitive trade barriers, regulatory systems, and trade remedies. She represents clients in matters before U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the International Trade Administration, and the U.S. Trade Representative. Cozen O’Connor’s Customs, Imports, and Trade Remedies lawyers also represent the interests of clients before the United States District Courts, the U.S. Court of International Trade, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Heather is involved in all aspects of litigation, from initial pleadings through discovery, motion practice, negotiated resolution, trial, and any necessary appeals. Her extensive litigation experience gives her perspective on how best to achieve her clients’ goals in a cost-effective and positive manner, in even the most competitive of business environments. Having obtained significant appellate victories, she can also provide clients with the insight and excellence to understand how to protect their significant legal victories. She has authored numerous articles detailing both litigation mechanics and emerging issues in litigation involving business clients and frequently leads seminars for human resource professionals in regard to cutting-edge human resources developments.

Heather has been recognized in Minnesota and nationwide for her legal experience. She was recently named to the 2023 Minnesota Lawyer Magazine “Top Women in Law” list based on her leadership, professionalism, accomplishments, and passion for making a difference. In 2021, The American Lawyer named her to its inaugural Midwest Trailblazer list. The trailblazers are agents of change who have moved the needle at their respective firms, making significant marks on practice, policy, and technological advancements in their areas of legal practice.

She has been previously recognized by Minnesota Law & Politics as one of its Rising Stars and by Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine as one of the Top Women Attorneys in Minnesota. For her pro bono work, she has been consistently recognized since 2016 with a North Star Lawyer distinction from the Minnesota State Bar, for providing more than 50 hours of pro bono legal service annually to the community.

Heather is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College (B.A, 1999) and Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 2002). She is also currently an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas Law School, where she teaches the bankruptcy litigation clinic.

Margaret T. Burke | MB Law Firm Consulting, LLC

Margaret Burke, President and Founder of MB Law Firm Consulting has decades of experience consulting with lawyers, Partners, and small to midsize law firms. She specializes in law firm business advisory, strategy and implementation, operations, and M&A Integration. She has advised and led acquisitions, relocations, succession planning, restructuring, and
start-ups.

Prior to MB Law Firm Consulting, she helped launch and build a startup that provided consulting services to law firms. She also served as CEO and member of the Executive Committee at a Boston-based law firm.

Margaret earned her MBA at Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University, she is a CLM Certified Legal Manager, a Yellow Belt Legal Lean Sigma, and a Certified Professional Coach. She is the recipient of the Excellence in the Law in Firm Administration and Operations Honoree. She is a proud member of the ALA, Association of Legal Administrators, and current member of the ALA’s Program’s Committee. Margaret is truly passionate about partnering with Law Firm leaders to help each practice achieve their goals. She loves a challenge and as a lifelong learner, prioritizes her professional development to ensure she brings the best to her clients and their firms.

When not working, she can be found cooking fun and funky vegan cuisine, mastering her latest kitchen gadget, taking a barre class, on a day trip or traveling internationally with her husband.

Session I – Legal Management of Contracts and Contract Reviews | 11:00am – 12:00pm

• Questions to ask before negotiation of key contract terms
• Tips for negotiating key contract terms to your advantage
• Ensuring analysis and negotiation of core-risk shifting provisions
• Ensuring analysis of other core contract provisions
• Tips for consistently memorializing key terms in contract drafting

Break | 12:00pm – 12:10pm

Session II – Practical Tools and Resources for Streamlining Organizational Processes | 12:10pm – 1:10pm

• Legal technology (legal tech)
• Case management software
• Cloud computing
• Artificial intelligence (AI) and bots
• Client data security
• Remote work
• Virtual assistants, paralegals, and attorneys
• Legal process outsourcing