People
Peter is counsel in King & Spalding’s London office, specializing in public international law, ESG, sanctions 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 and environmental issues in their operations and supply chains, with a particular focus on the energy, tech, mining and automotive sectors.
Peter is recognised as a rising star in the fields of public international law and as a global market leader in business and human rights.
His disputes practice ranges across jurisdictions and disciplines. He has represented States in proceedings at the ICJ, ITLOS, and the European Court of Human Rights (including in the leading international cases on climate change). He has represented businesses and individuals in war crimes prosecutions, tort claims involving extra-territorial environmental harm, cases relating to sovereign immunity and in EU and UK sanctions proceedings. 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 provides strategic advice to businesses on how to identify and address human rights issues in their value chains and operations. He has designed human rights and environmental due diligence programs for some of the largest companies in the world. He has counselled business clients in the automotive, construction and energy sectors on issues relating to human trafficking, child and forced labor. He has advised clients in the AI and telecommunications sectors on issues relating to State interception, network shutdowns and misuse of services by end users and, he has counselled clients in the financial sector on links to environmental impacts caused by clients.
Across sectors, Peter has counselled clients on the implementation of 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, USA, 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 has excellent expertise at the intersection of international law and business and human rights, which makes him a go-to lawyer in this field."
Selected Articles
March 2024 "The New EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive: What Does It Mean For Non-EU Companies?" LexisNexis Practical Guidance
August 2023 "Identifying and Addressing Child Labor in International Supply Chains" Practical Law
October 2022 "EU Joins US in Banning Forced Labour Products: Supply Chain Human Rights Due Diligence" Practical Law
September 2022 "Using Contractual Clauses to Manage Supply Chain Human Rights Issues", Practical Law
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
Master of Laws (Public International Law), University of London, Distinction
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, BPP University, Commendation
Law Society Common Professional Examination, Northumbria University, Commendation
Bachelor of Arts (Modern History), The University of Oxford , First Class
England and Wales
Ireland
French
Spanish
March 22, 2024
King & Spalding Ranked Number One in International Arbitration For Fourth Year
February 16, 2024
King & Spalding Earns Strong Rankings in Chambers Global 2024 Guide
October 4, 2023
Legal 500 UK 2024 Recognizes King & Spalding Among Leading UK Law Firms
Government of Ukraine in an inter-State case in the European Court of Human Rights relating to the annexation of Crimea (Ukraine v Russia (re Crimea) [20958/14 and 38334/18])
Government of Ukraine in an inter-State case against Russia in the European Court of Human Rights relating to human rights violations carried out by State forces and proxies in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine since the outbreak of armed conflict in the region in April 2014 (Ukraine and Netherlands v Russia [8091/16])
Advising private clients in two applications to the European Court of Human Rights challenging the extension of sovereign immunity in cases of terrorist financing
See more
August 1, 2024
Takeaways From World Uyghur Congress Forced Labor Ruling
July 22, 2024
UK Supreme Court: Downstream Emissions Must be Assessed in Environmental Impact Assessments for New Oil and Gas Projects
May 6, 2024
EU Council Approves Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
March 22, 2024
King & Spalding Ranked Number One in International Arbitration For Fourth Year
February 16, 2024
King & Spalding Earns Strong Rankings in Chambers Global 2024 Guide
October 4, 2023
Legal 500 UK 2024 Recognizes King & Spalding Among Leading UK Law Firms
Government of Ukraine in an inter-State case in the European Court of Human Rights relating to the annexation of Crimea (Ukraine v Russia (re Crimea) [20958/14 and 38334/18])
Government of Ukraine in an inter-State case against Russia in the European Court of Human Rights relating to human rights violations carried out by State forces and proxies in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine since the outbreak of armed conflict in the region in April 2014 (Ukraine and Netherlands v Russia [8091/16])
Advising private clients in two applications to the European Court of Human Rights challenging the extension of sovereign immunity in cases of terrorist financing
See more
August 1, 2024
Takeaways From World Uyghur Congress Forced Labor Ruling
July 22, 2024
UK Supreme Court: Downstream Emissions Must be Assessed in Environmental Impact Assessments for New Oil and Gas Projects
May 6, 2024
EU Council Approves Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
March 22, 2024
King & Spalding Ranked Number One in International Arbitration For Fourth Year
February 16, 2024
King & Spalding Earns Strong Rankings in Chambers Global 2024 Guide
October 4, 2023
Legal 500 UK 2024 Recognizes King & Spalding Among Leading UK Law Firms
Master of Laws (Public International Law), University of London, Distinction
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, BPP University, Commendation
Law Society Common Professional Examination, Northumbria University, Commendation
Bachelor of Arts (Modern History), The University of Oxford , First Class
England and Wales
Ireland
French
Spanish