The expectation that commercial organisations should assess and avoid the risk of their business adversely impacting human rights is now firmly established in international standards, corporate policies and, increasingly, in domestic laws and regulations.
Our global cross-practice team works with clients to identify and avoid risks to human rights, and to manage the associated risks to their own business.
Members of our practice have been involved in the development and implementation of core international standards in this area over the last decade – most importantly the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
We also offer market-leading expertise in public international law, crisis management and dispute resolution, working with clients across all major sectors and geographies to solve their most complex human rights challenges.
We can help you to:
- Recognise, and position yourself to take advantage of, the many opportunities presented by the evolving business and human rights landscape
- Develop corporate human rights policies and governance frameworks
- Conduct human rights due diligence, impact assessment and stakeholder engagement including structuring, strategy and issue prioritisation
- Manage risks in the context of business relationships and transactions, including through contractual requirements and codes of conduct
- Comply with national and international reporting requirements and standards
- Design effective processes to identify and mitigate modern slavery risk, and to comply with reporting obligations
- Establish and implement human rights grievance mechanisms
- Investigate and resolve disputes
For more latest thinking on Business and Human Rights visit our hub.
Recent Experience
Human rights policy
Advising a global technology company on the development of its human rights policy.
Human rights due diligence
Conducting a human rights due diligence exercise for a client on an infrastructure project in a conflict affected region.
Plantation investigation
Investigating and advising on allegations of labour law violations and other human rights abuses in the palm oil sector in a Southeast Asian country.
Parent company liability
Defending a UK listed mining company against a major class action in the English courts relating to personal injury and other harms alleged to have been caused by the operations of a subsidiary.
OECD NCP complaint
Advising a global consumer goods company on a complaint submitted to the UK National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines relating to alleged human rights abuses by one of its overseas subsidiaries and in its supply chain.
Modern slavery
Assisting a major retailer to investigate and respond to allegations of forced labour in its international supply chain.
Insights and updates
