CBA Record

office. At times, Breen writes in a flippant manner (he uses the term “idiot(s)” sev- eral times as well as other colloquialisms). Although the book perhaps could have been edited a bit more, it is still a quick and lively read at under 100 pages and is recom- mended as a useful primer for any lawyer looking to start his or her own practice. In The Inside Counsel Revolution, Heine- man, former General Counsel for General Electric, provides an excellent description of inside counsel’s changing stature within the legal profession. The dustcover for the book opens: In the past 25 years, there has been a revolution in the legal profes- sion. General Counsel and other inside lawyers have risen in quality, responsibility, power and status. Once second class citizens in cor- porations and the legal profession, they have become core members of top corporate management, equaling in importance the Chief Financial Officer and the finance function. Heineman’s experience and wisdom as part of that revolution comes through loud and clear in this book, which addresses the issues of culture, compliance, and integrity within corporate legal departments. Changing Role of Outside Counsel Heineman also discusses the relationship between offices of general counsel and law firms and prescribes how law firms can best provide value to their clients. Heineman devotes an entire chapter to this impor- tant facet of the General Counsel’s job, “Law Firms–And Alternatives.” He opens the discussion by detailing the “dramatic shift in power from outside law firms to inside legal departments” and lays out the reasons for that shift, including lawyer “free agency,” law firm staffing and increased fee issues, and the emergence of the megafirm. Heineman offers a powerful warning that law firms and the profession must adapt to the changes taking place in offices of the general counsel or further disruptions will take place. Heineman also makes it clear that in his opinion, “it is still the ‘lawyer not the firm’” that is sought and hired by inside counsel, and notes his personal “presump- tion against big firms if there are outstand-

SUMMARY JUDGMENTS

REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS!

Resources for the Legal Practitioner

Opening a Profitable Law Office in the New Economy By Daniel M. Breen BookLocker.com, Inc., 2016

The Inside Counsel Revolution: Resolving the Partner-Guardian Tension By Ben W. Heineman, Jr. ABA Publishing, 2016

Reviewed By Daniel A. Cotter T he practice of law has changed substantially in the last several years. After the economic crisis of 2008-09, an increasing number of lawyers opened their own practices after law school graduation rather than associating with a firm. At the same time, the nature of the relationship between offices of general counsel and their outside lawyers changed, with more work going inside. In these two Daniel A. Cotter is a Partner at Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd LLP, where he chairs the Insurance Regulatory and Transactions practice. He is also a member of the CBA Record Editorial Board.

books, authors Daniel M. Breen and Ben W. Heineman, Jr. have given some guid- ance to lawyers in those two arenas. In Opening a Profitable Law Office in the New Economy, Breen provides an outline of lessons he learned when he opened a small law firm. As the back cover of his book notes, “Dan began his legal career when he opened The Law Offices of Daniel M. Breen, P.C., on the same day that he earned his law license in 2009.” (Full disclosure: I know Breen and was a fellow board member onThe JohnMarshall Law School Alumni Association.) Good Roadmap for Lawyers Having experienced the challenges and opportunities, Breen provides a good road- map for lawyers interested in opening their own practices. Breen covers marketing, office space, legal tools, technology and all other aspects of starting an independent legal practice, including checklists for the establishment and operation of a new law

56 OCTOBER 2016