Our Business and Human Rights team advises and represents C-suite executives, in-house counsel, and government ministers. We are a founding firm of the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association (one of our lawyers served as inaugural Co Chair) and are ranked by Chambers as a Global Market Leader. Clients praise our deep international law expertise in matters of human rights, criminal, humanitarian, labor, and environmental law.

Our strong track record of advising and representing corporations covers all aspects of their business, social, and human rights risks and responsibilities. 

We advise companies and providers of capital on compliance with evolving regulatory requirements. We represent companies and their directors in human rights and ESG-related disputes, wherever they arise. We also advise governments in drafting cost-efficient regulations to promote business respect for human rights. 

With a broad international footprint comprising offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, King & Spalding has market-leading expertise in all fields relevant to business and human rights, including its inter-relationships with international human rights law, international arbitration, international trade law, international employment law, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, environmental law, and government advocacy and public policy.

The geographic reach and diverse backgrounds of our lawyers ensure expertise in advising clients on international, regional and national issues of business and human rights. We offer world-class representation in advisory services, investigations, and international dispute resolution – including litigation and arbitration – in a wide range of relevant fora, along with a full range of services in matters involving human rights, environmental, health & safety, global human capital and compliance, and ESG issues. We assist our clients in matters before United Nations bodies and human rights rapporteurs, regional human rights bodies including the Inter-American and European Court of Human Rights, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, INTERPOL, OECD National Contact Points, the ILO, and national governments, national human rights commissions, and national courts, among others. 

We proactively advise our clients on their implementation of such key global instruments as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, The ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, UN guidance on Heightened Human Rights Due Diligence for Business in Conflict-Affected Contexts, and the UN General Assembly Resolution on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

We also advise on regional instruments such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and the case law of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the business responsibility to respect human rights.

In recent years prosecutors and courts in some countries have subjected corporate executives, and at times companies, to criminal prosecutions for alleged violations of international standards of international humanitarian law and related matters.  We understand the severe risks that such prosecutions pose to CEO’s and corporate officers and directors.  We advise extensively on how to avoid these risks and, where issues of criminality arise, we provide vigorous defense.