Module 6

Risk, compliance and ethics in a company: programmes, investigations, privilege and independence

In an organisation, the in-house lawyer is often the person who is asked, sooner or later, ‘Can we do this?’ and, less comfortably, ‘What do we do now that this has happened?’ Legal risk is managed by many people, not only lawyers. The lawyer’s part is to help the organisation build systems that prevent problems, notice them early and respond properly, and to give honest advice when the pressure is to say yes. This module covers compliance programmes, policies and training, speaking up, internal investigations, privilege and confidentiality, crisis response, data and AI governance, and the hardest subject: professional independence when the client is also the employer. The rules differ between countries and sectors; the principles are widely shared, and you must check the rules that apply to you.

General education on working as a lawyer in a large organisation, using invented people and organisations. It is not legal, HR or professional-conduct advice. Professional rules, privilege and whistleblowing law differ between countries and change: check the rules that apply to you and take advice on real cases.