Legal teams told to seize the initiative when crisis strikes

In-house counsel should take the lead in creating crisis management teams at their companies when they face a major problem, delegates in Barcelona were told.

Campbell Grant, Shell International's senior legal counsel, told a session on crisis management and the media that in-house counsel should not be afraid of letting their firms say sorry when they are facing a crisis.

He stressed that they must react quickly within the first 48 hours of disaster striking, monitor risks, hold rehearsals and draw up clear lines of communication within the company.

He said: 'Never speculate on the cause of the crisis, defer to an investigation if one has been ordered, and don't be afraid to say sorry and express sympathy, and avoid concern about legal liability becoming a public issue.'

Mr Grant was drawing on experience of Shell's successful handling of a serious oil spill in Sydney Harbour in 1999.