The special counsel had no true independence — he could be dismissed by the attorney general or president. Indeed, President Richard Nixon ordered that Cox be fired in the 1973 Saturday Night ...

Julie Chen, left, general counsel of Share Our Strength, Chastity Wilson Henry, center, general counsel of CECO Environmental Corp., and Nora Dahlman, right, general counsel of Sunlight Financial ...

However, in all the conversations about influence and stature we should not lose sight of the most basic responsibility of the general counsel — to be a good lawyer. Whatever other responsibilities ...

We know in-house counsel long ago shed the image that they just managed the distribution of files to outside counsel, largely in a reactive, secondary role. How do we measure what in-house counsel do?

The appointment of a special counsel by the attorney general or deputy attorney general is "unreviewable," according to the Center for Legal and Economic Studies. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.