[colejohnson66]

Because the legal departments don't have veto power on anything. In-house counsel is just that - counsel, but in-house instead of some outside firm. Managers are free to ignore anything their lawyers say, just as you can ignore anything your lawyers say.

The lawyers will cover themselves by writing memos about how they "informed the client to not do thing X, but they indicated that they don't care," but because those are work product, they're confidential. They're only for future malpractice suits, should they come.

[saalweachter]

I'd phrase that as legal departments don't have veto power on anything unless management gives it to them.

If I -- Minion #64752 in BigCorp -- run my ad copy by legal and they strike it all as a legal hazard, but I run the ad anyway, my boss -- Low-Level Manager #11235 -- is going to fire me the next day, and hope that keeps his boss -- Mid-Level Manager #3142 -- from doing the same to him.

If legal doesn't have veto power on ad copy, it's because the management hasn't given it to them, or because management is making the decision to disregard legal's advice.