As public expectations rise and reputational stakes grow, the line between legal responsibility and corporate affairs is becoming increasingly blurred. This fishbowl session explores how organisations navigate decisions that are legally sound yet socially scrutinised, examining how legal and corporate affairs teams work together to manage risk, protect trust, and guide leadership through issues that sit at the intersection of compliance, reputation, and societal pressure.

Discussion points will likely include:

• When legal compliance is not enough: how should organisations respond when a course of action is legally defensible but conflicts with public expectations, stakeholder sentiment, or broader societal values?
• Defining the boundary between Legal and Corporate Affairs: where should responsibility sit when managing high-profile issues involving reputation, activism, ESG commitments, social licence to operate, or public scrutiny, and how can both functions work together effectively?
• Managing reputational risk before it becomes a crisis: how can legal and communications teams identify emerging issues earlier, anticipate stakeholder concerns, and help leadership make decisions that protect trust as well as minimise risk?
• Turning stakeholder expectations into strategic advantage: how can organisations move beyond a defensive approach to societal pressure and use transparency, trust and responsible decision-making to strengthen reputation, support growth and create long-term value?