It is common knowledge that many of corporate America’s general counsel start out as associates in Big Law. But for at least four prominent GCs, including the chief legal officer of General Motors, that’s not the case: They all cut their legal teeth at Beirne, Maynard & Parsons, a midsized litigation boutique that closed in 2016.

The training they received at the firm, which was innovative for its time, helped prepare them for their jobs as top lawyers in corporate America, they say.