What happens when a company becomes the target of a congressional investigation, and how can ethics, compliance, legal, and government affairs teams prepare before scrutiny arrives? In this episode of The Ethicast, host Bill Coffin speaks with Kimberly Hamm and Carlos Felipe Uriarte, partners at Morrison Foerster and co-chairs of the firm’s Congressional Investigations practice. Drawing on deep experience across Congress, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and high-stakes corporate investigations, Kim and Carlos explain what organizations should understand about congressional scrutiny, how investigations unfold, and why preparation across internal teams matters. The conversation explores what a congressional investigation really entails, whether companies should expect executive testimony, the emerging issues most likely to attract attention, and how congressional inquiries can intersect with other government investigations or enforcement actions. Kim and Carlos also discuss how ethics and compliance, legal, and government affairs teams can work together before a crisis hits, and whether there is such a thing as “winning” before Congress. Topics include: What a congressional investigation involves Why private sector companies are facing more congressional scrutiny Whether investigations begin with testimony or document requests High-risk areas including AI, supply chain, and data privacy How congressional investigations can overlap with DOJ, SEC, or other agency activity Why cross-functional preparation matters What companies should expect if called before Congress For more insights from Kim Hamm and Carlos Felipe Uriarte, visit their profile pages at mofo.com and Morrison Foerster’s Congressional Investigations page, including their Congressional Investigations Quarterly client alert. For additional free resources on ethics, compliance, and corporate integrity, visit the Ethisphere Resource Center at ethisphere.com/resources. Chapters (00:02:10) - What does a congressional investigation really entail?(00:04:28) - Do investigations start with executive testimony?(00:05:34) - Topics and trends that may trigger congressional scrutiny(00:08:21) - How congressional investigations intersect with other government investigations(00:10:10) - Breaking down silos between Ethics & Compliance, Legal, and Government Affairs(00:12:51) - What outcomes should companies realistically expect?
