Business & human rights

Clifford Chance has a leading business and human rights practice. Our professionals have been involved in shaping policy, law and regulation in the area for more than a decade. Our global network of offices means that our specialist knowledge of international standards is complemented by familiarity with local laws and cultures and understanding of sector-specific and geography-specific human rights risks.

We advise clients across the full spectrum of risk management, compliance and regulatory issues associated with the human rights impacts of business operations. We also have extensive experience in resolving disputes relating to human rights before national and international tribunals.

Our clients include governments, international organisations and companies. We have extensive experience and strength in areas where corporations face acute human rights risks, including in the extractives sector, in conflict affected areas, weak governance zones and in countries with poor human rights records. We work frequently with other specialists drawn from across Clifford Chance's sector and practice groups to ensure that human rights risk management procedures properly reflect international standards. We are able to advise on how to resolve conflicting requirements, such as where national laws are at odds with international standards.

We assist clients in the following areas:

• conducting human rights risk assessment and due diligence
• design and implementation of human rights policies and compliance programmes
• alignment of corporate policies and processes with human rights standards imposed by lenders, investors, industry groups and multilateral organisations
• design and implementation of monitoring programmes and human rights grievance mechanisms
• consultations and dialogue with communities, governments and other stakeholders
• design and implementation of mechanisms for enforcement of human rights standards in supply chains
• managing risks arising from relationships with private security contractors and public sector security providers
• external and internal investigations into allegations of human rights abuse
• managing and responding to complaints, including complaints submitted to National Human Rights Institutions or OECD National Contact Points
• human rights litigation including class action litigation in US and UK courts, Alien Tort Claims Act litigation and claims before international tribunals