When the novel COVID-19 coronavirus hit last year, 3M Co. suddenly faced a huge demand for its N95 respirator masks, along with a laundry list of other unexpected legal, compliance and regulatory challenges.

With general counsel Ivan Fong at the helm of its legal department in St. Paul, Minnesota, 3M bumped up its monthly N95 production in the U.S. by more than 170%, while also fending off a deluge of counterfeiters, scammers and price gougers who sought to profit from the pandemic.