Tag archive: law

Judicial Leadership, Lady Hale and the UK Supreme Court

Erika Rackley and Rosemary Hunter | 5 Jun 2018

It has been a busy nine months since Lady Hale assumed formal leadership of the UK Supreme Court. During this time she has sworn-in three new colleagues, lead the court on a historic sitting in Northern Ireland, delivered or contributed to judgments in relation to police investigations of violent crime, cohabitee’s pension rights, the treatment of Alfie Evans and smoking bans, spoken to university students, school pupils and west London law clinic volunteers, travelled overseas, delivered speeches on marriage reform, legal aid, religious dress, and the upcoming anniversary of women’s entry into the legal profession, overseen a senior appointments round, and – of course – made an appearance on BBC’s Masterchef.…

Introducing the new Editors-in-Chief of the American Journal of International Law

Sian Welch | 11 Apr 2018

Professors Curtis Bradley and Laurence Helfer began their four-year tenures as co-Editors-in-Chief of the prestigious American Journal of International Law (AJIL) on April 5.  Their election was approved by the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) on October 27, 2017 after an earlier unanimous vote of the AJIL Board of Editors.

The Gendered Dark Side of Family Life

Daphna Hacker | 8 Mar 2018

On March 8th, all over the world, we celebrate the International Women’s Day. This important day was initiated by socialist women in the beginning of the 20th century, and in 1975 was adopted by the UN “to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities”.…

Protecting and respecting those who speak up against business impacts on human rights – takeaways from the UN Forum and the way forward

UN Working Group on BHR | 25 Jan 2018

The rash of increased attacks on human rights defenders (HRDs) who speak up against business-related impacts on people and the environment was a key issue on the agenda of the 2017 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights (27-29 November 2017).…

The Right to Decide

Anna Arstein-Kerslake | 18 Dec 2017

Liberty and autonomy are cornerstones of modern society. They are also core to personhood and human flourishing. However, a large portion of the population is denied the right to make decisions on the basis of cognitive disability.…

The emerging health-security nexus in the European Union

Hylke Dijkstra and Anniek de Ruijter | 14 Dec 2017

The emerging interaction between public health and security policies in the EU raises a number of important questions of effectiveness and legitimacy.…

ASEAN Interoperability: A New Model for International Intellectual Property Relations?

Graeme Austin and Elizabeth Siew-Kuan Ng | 13 Dec 2017

BREXIT. Multinational intellectual property agreements painfully difficult to negotiate and finalize. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement languishing, with only one signatory. Suspension of most of the IP provisions in the revamped Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement.…

EU Law Stories: Contextual and Critical Histories of European Jurisprudence

Bill Davies and Fernanda Nicola | 8 Dec 2017

EU Law Stories provides its readers with a “behind the scenes” look at how various actors influence legal decision-making within the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).…

UN Forum on Business and Human Rights – Day One Recap

Michael Quayle, Thomas Voland and Emily Holland |

In late November, members of Freshfields’ Global Business and Human Rights team attended and presented at the sixth UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva.…

Remedy to Children Toiling in Global Supply Chains

Nina Smith | 24 Nov 2017

The only daughter in a family of poor farmers, 10-year-old Nirmala was desperate enough to run away to the city to seek work.…

International Investment Law and the UNGP

Tara Van Ho | 23 Nov 2017

Several recent developments highlight the precarious relationship between international investment law (“IIL”), the law that protects foreign corporations (and other foreign investors) when they enter a new state, and international human rights law (“IHRL”), particularly the human rights of communities and individuals affected by foreign businesses.…

Emerging into Focus: The Neglected Right and the Forgotten Pillar

Jo Reyes |

Mental health considerations and remediation in cases of corporate-related human rights harm Reflecting on the theme of “Realizing Access to Remedy” at the upcoming UN Annual Forum, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights asserts that Pillar III of the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) is losing the epithet ‘forgotten pillar.’ Remedy is now being drawn into focus, both at the Forum and increasingly in the business and human rights world.…