Andrew Floro says that dispute resolution specialists need to understand the full impact of disputes on an organisation's standing in the world outside. And, looking at the issue of internal investigations, he added: 'Often we are engaged in assisting corporates with investigations into conduct that has been suspected or uncovered to try and find out precisely what has occurred and recommend solutions that deal with it quickly and effectively.' 

Ways to maintain a good name

Speaking with Lawyers Weekly, Mr Floro gave an example of a dispute in which his firm was involved that was settled after 'a lengthy mediation'. Alternatives to court proceedings appear to be seen increasingly by clients as a safer way to handle reputation issues. With regulators becoming more aggressive around the globe, many businesses are already having to pay a lot of attention to maintaining their good name.

GC Excellence

Research carried out by The Global Legal Post demonstrated the importance of dealing with reputation and revealed that general counsel were increasingly involved in reputation matters. Half of the general counsel responding said they were involved with their companies' crisis management plan, with 37 per cent of respondents saying they were very involved. Only 10 per cent said the general counsel was not involved at all. Source: Lawyers Weekly; GC Excellence Report