Ambitious professionals, including general counsels at corporations, have always been aware of the possible perils in trying to please the employer. In the process, one can wind up on the wrong side of the law. That could be a lonely place to be.
When the charges are filed, the employer may provide the legal resources for defense. Or the employer may not. Another scenario is that those charged don't trust the legal help offered. The latter was played out on "The Good Wife" when Alicia temporarily found herself in a legal pickle. However, at the end of the legal whatever, it could be the employee who winds up in prison, serving hard time.
As Bloomberg reports, former power figure in the News Corp empire Rebekah Brooks has been charged with three counts related to allegedly unlawfully intercepting voice mail messages. She is out on bail and has declared herself innocent. Obviously she will fight hard to defend herself.
If she is found guilty and if there is a prison sentence, she is the person who will serve it. None of the superiors who she have previously served will be in the cell with her. In a sense Brooks has become a global symbol of how striving to please employers can become recklessness. Today, we might all become more cautious about what we will do to supposedly win favor in the eyes of those who can help our professional advancement.
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