Business & Human Rights

For companies with global operations, human rights risk often sits at the intersection of law, regulation, supply chain management, workforce issues, community impact and public accountability. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) established the foundational framework for corporate respect for human rights and have since shaped a growing body of mandatory laws built on its core expectations. This shift from voluntary standards to mandatory obligations has made it more important to identify where impacts may arise, document the steps taken to address them and respond quickly when issues surface. White & Case brings together lawyers across regions and disciplines to help clients develop workable approaches to human rights due diligence, regulatory compliance, transactions, investigations, disputes and stakeholder engagement.

Our offering

Building human rights due diligence and compliance programs

Human rights expectations increasingly require organizations to move beyond policy commitments and demonstrate how risk is understood and managed in practice. We help clients design and strengthen practical programs that align with global standards and emerging legal regimes. We advise on:

• Human rights due diligence frameworks, risk assessments and gap analyses
• Policies, governance structures, escalation processes and reporting lines
• Supply chain due diligence, responsible sourcing and supplier engagement
• Regulatory readiness for mandatory human rights and sustainability due diligence regimes, including the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), national laws and regional legislation
• Operational risk management, remediation planning and grievance mechanisms

Our focus is on helping clients build proportionate systems that can be implemented across complex global operations.

Addressing human rights risks in transactions, projects and supply chains

Human rights issues can influence whether a transaction, financing or project is viable and resilient over time. We work with clients to identify concerns early and build them into the commercial, legal and operational approach, advising on:

• Human rights diligence in M&A, financings, joint ventures and major projects
• Risk allocation, contractual protections and post-closing integration
• Forced labor, modern slavery, responsible sourcing, annual reporting and import restrictions
• Community, land, labor and security-related risks in high-impact sectors
• Supply chain mapping, supplier risk management and corrective action planning

We help clients integrate human rights considerations into commercial decisions so they can protect value, reduce legal exposure and maintain stakeholder confidence.

Managing disputes, investigations and stakeholder scrutiny

Human rights-related decisions, disclosures and operational impacts are increasingly subject to external scrutiny. We help clients respond to challenges and strengthen their position in matters involving:

• Regulatory inquiries, enforcement risk and reporting challenges
• Litigation and claims linked to human-rights impacts, disclosures or supply chains
• Internal investigations, crisis response and remediation
• Investor, NGO, community and activist engagement
• Governance, disclosure and board-level accountability issues

We also work with clients before disputes arise, helping them develop documentation and response processes that support sound decision-making if their approach is later challenged