9 ms·

> It's rare for a real in-house lawyer to tell the business, "we can't do that." More often, it's "here's how we do that." I've found the opposite. Saying "no"

> It's rare for a real in-house lawyer to tell the business, "we can't do that." More often, it's "here's how we do that." I've found the opposite. Saying "no" is almost always a safe answer, or at least an answer that won't get them fired, which seems to create a bias that direction. I'm sure it's a bit different when the CEO asks, but most of us unfortunately have to go talk to the company lawyers without running things.

bradknowles 8y ago
In my experience, it is the good business lawyer (whether in-house counsel or outside counsel) who will tell you what the risks are, and then it's the choice of the business to decide which risks they want to take. However, there's also the case where the shitstorm is so bad that they lawyers have a legal and moral obligation to tell you (and the CEO, and the Board of Directors) that what you're doing is wrong and illegal, and maybe even quit over grossly inappropriate or negligent activities.