Instead of running your own practice, or associating with a firm where law is the business, corporate lawyers become an operational and managerial resource within a company where "law" is a supporting element of the business. Client interaction is not event-driven; it is constant, usually diverse, and it is subservient to a greater goal: the business of the business. To be good at this distinct form of legal practice, a lawyer must understand the basics which underpin the role of practicing as a corporate lawyer.

The objective of Corporate Counsel Guides: Practice Basics is to help illuminate those underpinnings--to identify, develop, and discuss strategies for acclimating to this unique area of law:

• Defining your role
• Core underpinnings
• Starting your job
• The legal department
• Areas of practice
• Risk management resources

This book is devised to be a beginning and a framework for a long-lasting career and client relationship. Practice Basics is a concise and rigorous primer for practicing law as general counsel. Practice Basics is part of ABA Publishing's Corporate Counsel Guides series, a collection of titles aimed at new in-house counsel getting acclimated to the role of a business general practitioner who needs to know a little bit about everything that might cross their desk.

These books are not exhaustive treatises on each topic, but quick, easy reads that will give you a complete overview of the subject, introduce you to the most common and pressing issues, and point you toward more information when necessary.