Inside Counsel Revolution

Reviews"The transformation of the corporate legal department from a ';backwater' into a premiere destination for ambitious lawyers to learn and grow their careers, in many ways forms the nub of what Heineman calls the Inside Counsel Revolution..... Heineman's book is not a memoir of his time inside GE or a history of the inside counsel movement. Rather, he offers a set of prescriptions for how GCs can maximize their role in a corporation. The book explicates the unique role that a general counsel can play to help a corporation meet its highest performance and maintain integrity. He draws on recent history to call out lawyers who have fallen down, or commend his colleagues who in his view have effected tough decisions.... in-house counsel bring a unique perspective and analysis that makes them a conscience [of the company], their views important and their role bigger than a bureaucratic function, he writes." ----Gabe Friedman, Bloomberg Big Law Business';Ben Heineman redefined the world of inside lawyers and corporate General Counsels. His book, The Inside Revolution: Resolving the Partner-Guardian Tension, provides a thoughtful and thought provoking analysis of the role General Counsels, and lawyers more generally, can and should play in business and society. Every lawyer working in or for a business should read this book. And every business leader who works with lawyers should read it. Ben's analysis will help them understand what to expect from their lawyers, as it also holds a mirror to what they should expect from themselves in handling the complex issues that define the modern corporate world.' --Frank Blake, former Chairman and CEO, Home Depot';This powerful book explains how the inside counsel revolution has helped shape the role of responsible global companies and has transformed the legal profession. How should the corporation where you are general counsel deal with the use in China of the ultra-sound equipment it manufactures to carry out sex-selection abortions aimed at favoring boys over girls? What's an in-house lawyer to do when her duty as guardian of the corporation conflicts with her role as the CEO's lawyer and partner? On these issues and everything else — from good citizenship, to managing the profit maximizing urges of outside law firms, to handling internal scandals, to managing risk, to dealing with laws and regulations that contradict each other once you cross a national border, to chiming in on appropriate executive compensation — Ben Heineman, Jr. has provided the ultimate analysis of how corporations can, and should, function in a complex legal environment here and around the globe. More than that, he offers a fascinating set of examples of how it's done. Every board of directors should read this book — and make not just their lawyers but their executives, too, study it and take an oath to live it.'--Steven J. Brill, Brill Journalism Enterprises';Ben Heineman is responsible for defining the modern Office of the General Counsel. This is a must read for all in-house attorneys--and for all outside lawyers who serve corporations.'--Michael J. Holston, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Merck & Co.';This is a must read for any director of a public company. Ben Heineman, legendary GE GC, makes a compelling case that the General Counsel is an essential partner for boards and business leaders on core issues of performance, integrity and risk. The stories of right and wrong will stay with you for years.' --Shelly Lazarus, Chairman Emeritus, Ogilvy & Mather';Major international corporations have become quasi- public institutions impacting the thousands, if not millions, who are either employed by them, use their output, or are impacted by their functioning, worldwide. Inside legal counseling of their management requires a vast combination of talents: law, obviously, and sensitivity to public policy, governmental concerns, and most importantly, courage. Ben Heineman, the long-time leader of the inside counsel revolution, has that combination in abundance and brings to those attempting that counseling an aspirational model, and to the general reader, a fascinating glimpse of the tensions inherent in counseling the management of these unique institutions.'--Ira M. Millstein, Senior Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges ';Based on his pioneering work in creating the modern corporate law department, lawyer-statesman-teacher Ben Heineman ably sets out the core rules that must guide lawyers of skill and integrity as they advise businesses striving to achieve sustainable strong long term performance. The challenges he faced and the lessons he learned provide an invaluable and practical vision for both inside lawyers and the external counsel who work with them.'--John F. Olson, Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher';Ben Heineman puts forth a vision of the modern General Counsel that is both aspirational and profoundly practical. Refreshingly cand ...