Close
Peter is counsel in King & Spalding’s London office, specialising in public international law, ESG and business and human rights. He has represented states and businesses in some of the leading cases in his field, in the UK and internationally. In addition to his disputes practice, Peter also advises multinationals on human rights issues in their operations and supply chains, with a particular focus on the tech, telecoms and financial sectors.
Peter is recognised as a rising star in the fields of public international law and business and human rights.
His disputes practice ranges across jurisdictions and disciplines. He has represented clients in war crimes prosecutions brought under universal jurisdiction, tort claims involving extra-territorial environmental harm and in multiple cases at the European Court of Human Rights, including in the leading case on climate change and human rights.
Both in private practice and as a legal adviser to the UK Foreign Office, Peter has considerable experience advising on cross-cutting issues of extra-territorial jurisdiction and conflict of laws.
Drawing on experience gained in his disputes practice, Peter also advises businesses on how to identify and address human rights issues in their supply chains and operations. He has counselled clients in the AI and telecommunications sectors, including on issues relating to State interception, network shutdowns and misuse of their products and services by end users. He has counselled clients in the financial sector on links to environmental impacts caused by clients. And he has counselled clients in both the construction and engineering and garment sectors on how to identify and address modern slavery in complex international supply chains.
Across sectors, Peter has designed and delivered outcome focused training on human rights issues, supported clients to implement effective, proportionate human rights due diligence and advised them on how to comply with the relevant regulatory requirements.
Peter has published widely and spoken at events in the UK, at the UN, across Europe, as well as in Uganda and South Africa.
Peter is recognised by Chambers & Partners in Business and Human Rights Law – Global Market Leaders (Band 3). The citation notes, “"Peter is someone who genuinely specialises in business and human rights and has good knowledge across the piece."
Articles
June 2020 “Business Views on Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Regulation: A Comparative Analysis of Two Recent Studies” Smit, L., Bright, C., Pietropaoli, I. Jughes-Jennett, J. Hood, P. Business and Human Rights Journal, 1-9 doi:10.1017/bhj.2020.10, Cambridge
March 2020 “Kalma v African Minerals: English Court of Appeal Judgment Cuts Against the Grain of Common Law Cases on the Responsibility of Businesses for Overseas Human Rights Impacts” Blog of the European Journal of International Law
“Business and Human Rights; Reflections from Practice” in Derechos Humanos y Empresa: Balance Y Situacion Actual Sobre el Cumplimento de los Tres Pilares Ovejero Puente, A. M. (ed.), Valencia (2020)
February 2020 “A UK failure to prevent mechanism for corporate human rights harms” British Institute of International and Comparative Law
July 2019 Commentary on scope, prevention and legal liability provisions of the revised draft of the proposed binding treaty on business and human rights, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
May 2019 The Implication of the UK Supreme Court’s Decision in Vedanta for the Management of Human Rights Risk in Overseas Operations and Supply Chains, Oxford Business Law Blog
Dec 2017 - "Jurisdiction and parent company liability: A Catch 22 for English domiciled companies", Practical Law, Thomson Reuters, Vol. XXVIII, Number 11
back
