To develop policy and make informed decisions, heads of state look to the heads of their intelligence agencies for answers to critical questions. To protect the company against legal, regulatory, and reputational harm, companies should do the same. Because general counsel are involved in the megadeals, allegations of wrongdoing, and bet-the-company litigation that carry the greatest exposure for the company, general counsel need to understand intelligence investigations and the use of the intelligence cycle.
An Intelligence Investigation Is Not a Background Investigation
Good intelligence work is not an Internet search, a public records database search, or a background investigation. Good intelligence work is about being able to find the dots, connect the dots, and articulately report on the picture that emerges.
