Why General Counsel and Communications Advisors Must Work Together
Legal Wins Mean Nothing Without Trust and Reputation
Imagine this: a company successfully defends itself in court, yet its reputation is irreparably damaged because customers and other stakeholders have lost trust in the organisation and its leadership.
Trust and reputation are everything, and legal victories alone aren’t enough in today's fast-moving world. You can win the battle of words and still lose the war of trust. In business, reputation outlasts any legal victory.
This is why strategic communications must work alongside an organisation’s General Counsel (GC). The GC navigates legal risks while communications professionals manage perception and shape narratives that protect the company’s long-term value.
Case Study: Boeing’s Crisis—A Legal and Reputation Disaster
Boeing’s 737 MAX crisis is a prime example of why legal and communications teams must collaborate and work closer together.
Boeing secured regulatory approvals and legal settlements following two fatal crashes, yet its reputation plummeted, resulting in billions in lost market value.
Some time back I wrote about the reputation and cultural challenges facing Boeing. The Financial Times covered the situation in December 2024 in this investigation.
Legal Strategy: Boeing complied with regulators and settled lawsuits.
Communications Failure: The company’s public response lacked empathy and transparency, eroding trust.
Outcome: Even after legal resolutions, Boeing’s brand damage persisted, leading to a long-term financial and reputational crisis.
Lesson: GCs and strategic communicators must collaborate to manage legal risks and public and stakeholder perceptions in crises.
Boards Must Stop Treating Communications as a Tactical Function
Many companies still mistakenly view communications as a tactical function and an afterthought. Relying solely on legal-driven messaging can weaken stakeholder trust and brand credibility. Instead, legal and communications teams should collaborate more to craft narratives that are compliant and reputation-enhancing.
When leaders and Boards consider that ‘corporate brand and reputation accounts for 25.3% of the market capitalisation of the world's leading equity market indices,’ they see the value that communications advisors protect.
Failing to integrate how GCs and Communications Advisors support business leaders risks reputational damage and financial value.
Why Strategic Communications Matter
Trust drives financial performance: 67% of global consumers consider trust in a company’s leadership before purchasing (Edelman Trust Barometer, 2024).
Crisis communications reduce market damage: Companies with strong crisis communication strategies recover 20% faster in market value (Harvard Business Review, 2023).
Reputation impacts investment decisions: 85% of investors assess ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors before investing, with corporate reputation as a top consideration (McKinsey, 2023).
Without a strategic communications function, companies risk losing investor confidence, market trust, and long-term valuation—even if they legally “win.”
How General Counsel and Strategic Communications Should Work Together
1. Crisis Management: GCs manage legal risk; communicators manage public risk.
Example: When Silicon Valley Bank collapsed (2023), the legal teams handled regulatory fallout while strategic communications focused on reassuring depositors and preventing panic. Since the buyout and rescue by First Republic and HSBC in the UK, communications have been critical in how the rescued SVB is seen and engages with start-ups.
Best Practice: Align legal and communications responses early to avoid contradictions that can damage trust.
2. Litigation and Regulatory Issues: Legal fights must not be fought in the media.
Example: Meta’s regulatory battles in the EU (2023-24) saw legal teams defending compliance while communications teams framed the narrative on innovation and digital rights.
Best Practice: Communications teams should work with GCs to craft proactive messaging that positions the company positively.
3. Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A): Reputation risks can derail deals.
Example: Microsoft’s $69B Activision Blizzard acquisition (2023) faced antitrust challenges. Legal teams secured approvals, while communications crafted a compelling public narrative around gaming innovation and consumer benefits.
Best Practice: Ensure legal filings and public messaging align to avoid investor confusion and regulatory scrutiny.
4. ESG and Corporate Governance: Reputation matters as much as compliance.
Example: Companies like BlackRock and Tesla have faced ESG scrutiny. While legal teams focus on compliance, communications teams must tell the ESG story credibly to investors and the public.
Best Practice: Use strategic communications to frame ESG commitments authentically and prevent reputational damage.
5. Guiding Reputation & Risk in VC & CVC Investments
When venture capital (VC) and corporate venture capital (CVC) firms invest in start-ups, legal teams focus on deal structuring, due diligence, and risk mitigation. However, strategic communications advisors ensure the investment is positioned positively among founders, markets, regulators, and media.
Example: When Sequoia Capital invested in FTX, the legal and due diligence processes failed to flag critical risks. Stronger communication and reputational risk analysis could have assessed public sentiment, media narratives, and trust indicators, helping Sequoia better understand the non-financial risks before investing.
Best Practice: Before closing an investment, strategic communications advisors should conduct reputational due diligence, assessing public perception, regulatory risks, and market sentiment around a start-up’s leadership and business model. This ensures that legal, financial, and reputational risks are considered holistically, protecting investors from unforeseen brand damage and trust erosion.
How Boards Must Establish Strategic Communications as a Core Advisory Function
Hire a Chief Communications Officer (CCO) with direct Board and GC access.
Strategic communications must be elevated to the same level as legal and finance functions.
Boards should engage reputation advisors in decision-making.
Ensure legal and communications teams are aligned from Day One.
GCs and CCOs must co-develop crisis response plans, M&A strategies, and litigation narratives.
Hold joint legal-comms scenario planning exercises to prepare for potential crises.
Invest in data-driven reputation management.
Use AI-driven sentiment analysis and stakeholder engagement tracking to measure reputational risks proactively.
Track investor, customer, and regulator perception alongside legal metrics.
Treat trust and reputation as a financial asset.
Companies with strong reputations recover 2.5x faster from crises (Bain & Company, 2023).
Boards should demand trust and reputation KPIs alongside legal compliance metrics.
Reputation is Hard to Earn, Easy to Lose
Corporate leaders and boards must stop viewing legal and communications functions in silos. Trust is an asset, and protecting it requires legal and strategic communications working hand in hand.
If your company isn’t integrating GC and strategic communications counsel effectively, you expose yourself to unnecessary risk and long-term value loss.
Need to Strengthen Your Reputation and Crisis Strategy?
I work with leaders and boards to integrate strategic communications into their decision-making processes. Let’s discuss how your company can better align legal, communications, and corporate strategy for long-term success.
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