Paris, May 6, 2021 – The recent framework of the duty of vigilance requires large companies to control their value chain in order to comply with ever increasing and multidisciplinary requirements both in France and abroad. After corruption, money laundering, tax fraud and data protection issues, compliance is expanding to include a new range of risks, namely violations of fundamental rights. In other words, a new field of activity is emerging: human rights in business. 

Initially considered a constraint, compliance has become a strategic tool for companies with respect to their partners and competitors and can therefore become a growth driver as well as a differentiating factor.

This is why Jeantet, an independent French business law firm that will soon turn 100 years old, and Zimeray & Finelle, founded by François Zimeray and Jessica Finelle, offer to support their clients in this proactive approach that has become an absolute necessity today, through a “capsule partnership” based on their lawyers’ experience and know-how.

The dedicated group set up by Jeantet and led by its partners Phillipe Portier (Corporate/M&A), Martine Samuelian (Banking and Finance) and Loraine Donnedieu de Vabres-Tranié (Competition and European Law), together with the skills developed by Zimeray and Finelle, form an alliance that will enable them to address all of the issues faced by their French and international clients in all business areas.

Faced with the new challenges and their complex nature, this unique alliance between a leading business law firm and a firm specializing in human rights aims to become the benchmark for economic players in the field of CSR and allows us to offer a customized response to each of them and their management bodies, ranging from a simple audit to defense before civil and criminal courts, including the development of a compliance plan, review of the vigilance plan or assistance in the event of an investigation or inspection.

According to Philippe Portier, “The risks associated with the duty of vigilance have rapidly evolved over the last few years, as the scope of the issues has broadened with the emergence of new economic and social challenges. This partnership is a strong asset to integrate these new types of challenges into our historical expertise.”

According to François Zimeray, “Human rights are now part of the universal business language. Violating them subjects companies to risks that are still too often overlooked. We need to build the human rights component of compliance.”