John Hasnas talks about his book Trapped: When Acting Ethically is against the Law, as he contemplates the difficulties businesspeople and corporation owners go through when facing what he refers to as "being between a rock and hard place". He comments on how US Federal Government has placed management under distress, by having to make them choose between aiding the authorities in their quest of prosecuting white-collar crimes or staying true and honest to their employees when they are suspected of wrong doing, which arises the problem between law and ethics.

Hasnas believes not only the value of trust is affected in this situation, but also those of honesty and fair dealing, as the government's intervention undermines what should be a trust-based organizational approach. As he explains the contents of the book, he says business consultants and teachers of business ethics are the target audience, suggesting that they have to consider the implications and risks of the law when giving advice.