Compliance in the Former Soviet Central Asian Republics
Inside a $175M Deal: Tim McLoughlin & Joshua Hayes Live From RDU Startup Week
Tariffs and Trade Series: What Investors Need to Know
Managing Sanctions Compliance
Understanding Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery: A Business Imperative with Clint Palermo
Adventures in Compliance: The Novels – A Study in Scarlet, Introduction to Compliance Lessons
FCPA Compliance Report: Ellen Hunt on Compliance ROI and on a Due Diligence and the US Sentencing Guidelines
FCPA Compliance Report: Amanda Carty on a Due Diligence and Risk Management
Podcast - What Are Joint Ventures and When Should They Get Cleared?
The Demystification of Employee Retention Credits for Private Equity Deals — PE Pathways Podcast
OG Talks: Good Energy and Navigating Transactions
M&A Considerations for Serial Acquirers
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - IP and M&A Transactions
Implementing IP Best Practices to Maximize Exit Value
Tech Debt is Common. What does it mean for IPO readiness from a cybersecurity perspective?
Due Diligence in AI: Thinking like your biggest critic
Due Diligence in AI: 3 things you need to survive AI scrutiny
A Third Party's Perspective on Third Party Risk
The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
Regulatory Phishing Podcast - The Impact of Cybersecurity Compliance on Corporate Transactions
On 12 December 2024, the Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 (the Regulation) was published in the European Union (EU) Official...more
The imminent decision by the European Union to postpone for a year its complex and multi‑faceted sustainability law, the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), is something of a surprise. The EUDR requires, among other things, due...more
As we transition into an era of human rights due diligence mandated by regulation, many in the business and human rights community are nervously asking the same question. Will a company’s steps to identify and address actual...more
The Norwegian Transparency Act, a broad law mandating that covered companies conduct human rights-related due diligence for their operations and supply chains, went into effect in July 2022. The ambitious law is part of a...more
The explosion of global business and human rights continued to resonate across the globe in 2022. Some of the business and human rights trends have been evident and growing for several years; others are relatively new. Many...more
What if I told you that there was a plant that could be used to treat diabetes, liver problems, ulcers, leukemia, and malaria? Understandably, you would want that plant to be studied and turned into medicine if possible....more
As the European Union (“EU”) continues to debate whether downstream responsibilities will fall within the contours of its hefty Corporate Sustainability Mandatory Due Diligence Directive (“CSMDD”), and the EU Council just...more
Canada is considering implementing new laws regarding supply-chain due diligence and other obligations relating to forced labour and child labour. In late 2021, Canadian Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne introduced Bill S-211, An...more
The risk of businesses becoming involved with, and potentially complicit in, grave human rights abuses is naturally higher in the context of armed conflicts and other situations of widespread violence. The UN Development...more
Corporate Obligations to Address Forced Labor in Supply Chains Relevant to You? International organizations like the International Labor Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the...more
On 1 November 2021, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) published an updated charity sector guidance regarding the UK’s humanitarian activity following Afghanistan’s Taliban takeover. The notice follows...more
This paper attempts to provide a definition and context for the term, Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”), explain how and why it is used, demonstrate how investors are driving the proliferation of ESG reporting,...more
Since it was established in 2014, a United Nations Inter-Governmental Working Group (“IGWG”) has met annually to develop a multilateral treaty to attempt to hold businesses legally accountable for harms that may be related to...more
Human rights issues increasingly require the assistance of experienced counsel who can help employers navigate very fluid and complex legal, business and societal considerations. ...more
On 16 July, a UN working group published a revised draft of its business and human rights treaty (following the “Zero” Draft published in July last year). Our post looks at some of the key developments, with a particular...more
The UN intergovernmental working group tasked with developing a binding international treaty on business and human rights recently concluded its fourth round of negotiations in Geneva (15-19 October 2018). ...more
On 19 July, the UN working group tasked with elaborating an international, legally binding instrument on business and human rights published the text of a draft treaty....more
It’s Friday and time for another overview of developments in the field of business and human rights that we’ve been monitoring. This week’s post includes: a look ahead at the upcoming UN Forum on Business and Human Rights;...more
It was a pleasure to speak in Geneva earlier this month at a consultation hosted by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (“OHCHR“) on the scope for making businesses strictly liable for human...more
In 2011, the United Nations adopted the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (“UN Guiding Principles”), which provide non-binding guidelines on how employers should conduct their business activities to provide...more
In response to the increasing global awareness that companies need to evaluate the effects their operations have on human rights, private entities and organizations have developed arguably competing guidance to achieve that...more
As mentioned in last week’s post, participants in the Voluntary Principles Initiative recently held their Annual Plenary Meeting. The discussions began with opening addresses from Professor John Ruggie, the former U.N....more
On December 4 and 5, more than 1,000 participants from 85 countries gathered for the first U.N. Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. The Forum focused on “trends and challenges” in the implementation of...more