Ethics for Corporate Boards

Directors of publicly traded companies can be held legally accountable for three types of activities:

- Mistakes, for which they may face civil penalties
- Outright wrongdoing, for which they may face criminal penalties
- Willful blindness—ignoring red flags signaling fraud—for which they may face civil or criminal penalties

Center Executive Director Kirk O. Hanson talks with former federal prosecutor Hank Shea about how boards of directors can stay out of trouble. Shea is a senior distinguished fellow at University of St. Thomas School of Law and visiting professor at University of Arizona School of Law.