Who or what is "of counsel?"
In addition to being an expensive but worthwhile magazine for top legal managers which is available in the CPDC in my office, Of Counsel is a term of art used to describe some people who work at law firms.
In the "old days," Of Counsel described the elderly partner who came to the office for two days a week to work for his few remaining clients while his secretary balanced his checkbook. No more. Of Counsel can mean anything, including:
A senior attorney still practicing part time;
A senior and more-or-less retired partner whose expertise is valued and who continues to assist the practice;
A lateral candidate who is in the process of developing clients and building a practice;
A way-station for senior associates before they make partner;
A title for senior associates who are off the partnership track but whose expertise is valued by the firm; and/or
A law or other faculty member who is affiliated with the firm and who provides practice expertise or consulting.