Modern slavery & human trafficking

All businesses are encouraged to take sustained and concerted action to ensure they are not profiting directly or indirectly from modern slavery. As well as being ethically and morally important, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA 2015) is intended to push issues of modern slavery and human trafficking up the corporate agenda. Section 54 of the MSA 2015 requires some law firms to produce and publish an annual slavery and human trafficking statement.

Even if your law firm is not caught by the requirements of MSA 2015, s 54, you are increasingly likely to have to articulate your response to modern slavery and human trafficking risks. Guidance from the Home Office and the British Standards Institute (BSI) recommend that even if you are not required to publish a statement under MSA 2015, s 54, it is best practice to actively manage modern slavery and human trafficking risks and publish information about how you do so.