header-logo header-logo

09 May 2025 / Joanna Ludlam
Issue: 8115 / Categories: Features , Public , Governance , Company
printer mail-detail

Accountability matters

217849
Public inquiries & parliamentary hearings are a risk companies cannot ignore: Joanna Ludlam sets out how best to prepare for the spotlight
  • Public inquiries and parliamentary hearings have become essential mechanisms for examining corporate conduct and holding companies accountable for their actions.
  • Good corporate governance should include preparations for potential questioning, involving legal advisers and communication professionals to manage responses effectively.

We are living through a period of history marked by a number of global crises. Climate change, threats to human rights, and economic instability are examples of these ever-present challenges, and such challenges have placed companies under increasing scrutiny where their operations can be linked or consequential to these issues. This is a risk companies must proactively manage.

The spotlight is often pointed at the role of corporate actors, and the demands for accountability have been growing louder. With this, public inquiries and parliamentary committee hearings have become prominent ways in which conduct is examined. They allow for light to be shed on past failures and can inform future standards.

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
What safeguards apply when trust corporations are appointed as deputy by the Court of Protection? 
Disputing parties are expected to take part in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), where this is suitable for their case. At what point, however, does refusing to participate cross the threshold of ‘unreasonable’ and attract adverse costs consequences?
When it comes to free legal advice, demand massively outweighs supply. 'Millions of people are excluded from access to justice as they don’t have anywhere to turn for free advice—or don’t know that they can ask for help,' Bhavini Bhatt, development director at the Access to Justice Foundation, writes in this week's NLJ
When an ex-couple is deciding who gets what in the divorce or civil partnership dissolution, when is it appropriate for a third party to intervene? David Burrows, NLJ columnist and solicitor advocate, considers this thorny issue in this week’s NLJ
NLJ's latest Charities Appeals Supplement has been published in this week’s issue
back-to-top-scroll