Recently, Debevoise partner David W. Rivkin joined with lawyers from UBS, Nestle, Liberty Asia and Enodo Rights to author “Advocating With Respect: Litigation Counsel and Human Rights” for Commercial Dispute Resolution.

The article examines how litigation lawyers can best navigate the challenges of managing business responsibility for human rights in the context of commercial disputes, a concept which, as the authors note, has “evolved from a niche public relations concern to a complex and multifaceted discipline.”

“Respect for human rights,” the authors explain, “adds a new dimension to legal ethics without fundamentally reshaping lawyers’ professional responsibilities or diluting the duty to represent client interests vigorously.”

Publication of this article follows Debevoise’s successful representation of the State of Qatar in proceedings against the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) before the International Court of Justice (“ICJ”)—the principal judicial organ of the United Nations also known as the World Court—in relation to continuing human rights violations arising from the UAE’s discrimination against Qatar and Qatari citizens.

This article was first published by cdr-news.com on 7 August, 2018.

Advocating With Respect: Litigation Counsel and Human Rights
By David W Rivkin, Yousuf Aftab, Susy Bullock, Archana Kotecha, Claudia Maradan and Audrey Mocle
August 7, 2018