Ireland | UK

Master of the Rolls

Yesterday, England and Wales welcomed its (at least) 98th Master of the Rolls, Sir Geoffrey Vos. As long ago as 2018 he extolled ‘telepresence’ videoconferencing, and argued for judges and lawyers to be trained in tech. The office goes back to 1286 or earlier — which doesn’t seem much longer ago than 2018. It was already old when Thomas Cromwell…

human rights & business | Ireland

Hard law, soft law: business and human rights

Human rights arethe concern of governments. But not just governments. Individuals and corporations can contribute—positively and negatively—to the realisation of human rights.

This paper accompanied a lecture I gave to the Law Society’s corporate social responsibility certificate course in May 2020. It was the first time I recorded a lecture in an empty room for remote delivery. A surreal experience.

human rights & business | Ireland | procurement

Modern slavery: Does procurement law give a remedy? (2018)

According to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) governments should promote respect for human rights by those with whom they do business. They should also take steps to ensure that their domestic judicial mechanisms are effective as a route for victims of business-related human rights abuses to access a legal remedy. I look at whether Ireland’s regulations under the 2014 Directives provide a remedy—by establishing potential liability—for infringement of core labour rights in public supply chains, in line with the UNGPs.