Note: This article has been updated.
In-house lawyers understand that they’re hired to represent the entity that issues their paychecks—not the company’s executives and other staff. But as evidenced by the grand jury testimony of two Penn State University officials, sometimes there can be a disconnect between how a company’s lawyers and constituents understand the relationship.
According to a special report in The Patriot News, when Tim Curley and Gary Schultz testified before a grand jury in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse investigation on January 12, 2011, they thought PSU’s then-GC Cynthia Baldwin was their counsel. The men said as much in their testimony, and Baldwin—seated right beside them—did not correct what she later called a misinterpretation.
