Practice

Business and Human Rights

If your business doesn't respect human rights, you could be open to devastating adverse publicity as well as hard legal liability.

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Would you know if your business was involved in child labor, a privacy violation, or another human rights impact? What about a business partner or supplier? If your business doesn't respect human rights, you could be open to devastating adverse publicity as well as hard legal liability.

The legal landscape is changing. Soft law, such as the UN Guiding Principles, is crystalizing into hard law. Courts all around the world are extending their jurisdiction to human rights impacts that occur extraterritorially and throughout a business's value chain.

We have acted in some of the leading disputes in this field, wherever, and however, they were brought: in the United States under the Alien Tort Claims Act, in English parent company liability cases, and in other courts exercising universal jurisdiction over alleged complicity in international crimes.

This means that we understand the legal risk associated with adverse human rights impacts. Our integrated practice group builds on this foundation to provide the full spectrum of business and human rights advice, including:

  • preventing and reporting on modern slavery
  • supply chain transparency
  • human rights due diligence
  • risk assessment and deal approvals
  • human rights investigations and crisis management
  • managing the remediation of harm, including operational-level grievance mechanisms
  • defending human rights-related claims, wherever, and however, they are brought

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Key contacts

Neal Katyal

Neal Katyal

Partner
Washington, D.C.

John Meltzer

John Meltzer

Senior Counsel
London

Christelle Coslin

Christelle Coslin

Partner
Paris

Liam Naidoo

Liam Naidoo

Partner
London

Julia Marlow

Julia Marlow

Counsel
London




All related lawyers

Representative experience

Delivering interactive training on modern slavery to the employees of a multinational engineering company.

Advising a multinational energy company on the jurisdiction of the English courts to hear human rights claims against it.

Advising a multinational energy company in relation to a criminal investigation into alleged complicity in war crimes.

Advising companies in the TMT sector on human rights and artificial intelligence.

Advising a telecommunications company on the human rights risk arising from its contractual relationships with international partners.

Advising a technology company on a criminal investigation into human rights impacts arising from the use of its equipment in a conflict.

Delivering focused training on human rights to the legal management of an international energy company.

Advising global corporations from a range of industries on compliance with the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Advising a private equity firm on human rights due diligence, including in relation to indigenous peoples' rights.

Advising a global telecommunications company on the scope of disclosure requirements under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Advising Vodafone, Telenor, and the Telecommunications Industry Dialogue (TID) on pioneering multijurisdictional reports.

Advising Shell in defending claims brought in the English courts in relation to two operational oil spills in the Niger Delta.

Representing Talisman in U.S. proceedings under the ATCA arising from claims of alleged complicity in war crimes in Sudan.

Training for Ugandan business leaders on how to reduce human rights risk in collaboration with the UN Global Compact.

Advising a global food company in a class action brought in U.S. courts under the Alien Tort Statute.

Related practices

Administrative and Public Law Banking and Loan Finance Commercial Complex Contracting Copyright Corporate Governance Environment and Natural Resources Intellectual Property Investment Funds Infrastructure, Energy, Resources, and Projects International Arbitration International Trade and Investment Litigation Services Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Regulatory Public Procurement

Related area of focus

Business Integrity and Sustainable Development

Awards and recognitions

2018

Finalist, International Law Firm Innovation of the Year

Legal Week


2018

Award for International Legal Services (Business and Human Rights)

LexisNexis



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