Shirley Magniez-Pouget

Avocate à la Cour, Legal Director
About

A number of Shirley’s recent mandates relate to identification and mitigation of social risks in the conservation and environmental sector.

Shirley has 20 years + experience advising clients on human rights matters and compliance with international and national frameworks, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, OECD Guidelines and the French Vigilance law. Her practice focuses on assisting clients in strengthening local structures of governance and helping them create rights-respecting culture within their operations. Shirley advises companies and non-for-profit organisations in the design of compliance programmes- from policy drafting, due diligence processes including stakeholder engagement, establishing grievance mechanisms to running trainings.

Over the past few years, she has developed a niche practice on the social and integrity risks associated with protection of biodiversity and the implementation of climate solutions. Shirley is currently advising the Ministry of Justice in Madagascar on their illegal wildlife trade legal framework and acts for a protected area in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the establishment of a human rights grievance mechanism.

She provides ad hoc support to various teams across DLA, including data and privacy, corporate crimes and investigations and government affairs.

Shirley regularly delivers seminars on international human rights law, business, human rights and climate for Masters students at the University of law of Aix en Provence.

Professional QualificationsAvocate admitted to the Paris Bar
Languages
  • English
  • French
Education
  • Harvard Business School, Certificate of completion for Purpose and Profit: Creating Shared Value 2021
  • Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Master of Laws in International Corporate Governance, Financial Regulations and Economic Law (LLM), Merits, 2016
  • Post-Graduate diploma in law, International legal Field Officer, (International Human Rights law Rule of Law and good governance) Université of Aix-en-Provence (France) 2003


    French Maîtrise in International Public and European Law, Université of Aix-en-Provence (France) 2001

Publications

  • Snapshot Vlog, Un Forum on Business and Human rights, December 2023
  • Corruption and integrity risks in climate solutions: an emerging global challenge. London: Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, Chan T, Ford L, Higham C, Pouget S and Setzer J, 2023
  • Landmark human rights due diligence legislation agreed in EU, Jorian Hamster, Shirley Pouget, Michiel Coenraads and Jonathan Exten Wright, December 2023
  • International Bar Association’s In-House Perspective magazine, contribution to feature piece on human rights mandatory due diligence (forthcoming)
  • DLA Piper, Le Guide du Numérique IA, « Parité et Intelligence Artificielle » (forthcoming)
  • DLA Piper, Le Guide du Numérique IA, « Droit compare sur l’encadrement juridique de l’Intelligence Articielle » forthcoming)
  • DLA Piper, the European Commission proposal for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (February 2022).
  • DLA Piper, UN human rights bodies unequivocally confirm link between climate change, a healthy environment and human rights (2021)

Seminars

  • Series of seminars for masters’ students on business and human rights (forthcoming)
  • Conference on Business and Human Rights: towards a European Duty of Vigilance, University of Law Aix en Provence (2022)
  • Training on ESG for wide range of stakeholders, including in house counsels and civil society actors (2021)
  • Training on digital rights for lawyers acting for journalists in Western Africa (2021)

Prior Experience

  • Advised members of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on various issues, including the execution of European Court of Human Rights cases through the filing of rule 9 and regular briefings.
  • Advised a Parliamentary Committee and the legal profession of an emerging economy (Myanmar) on the establishment of an national and independent bar association.
  • Ran high level fact-finding missions including to Syria, Myanmar and Zambia for the International Bar Association.
  • Convened the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute Taskforce on Illicit Financial Flows and Human Rights.
  • Commissioned to observe and report on Equatorial Guinea's Vice President Teodorin Obiang trial in France.
  • Served as Member of Cabinet of Andre Vallini, former President of General Council of Isere and former Secretary of State and former Senator (France).
  • Advised non for profit organisation on formation, governance and fundraising (France).

Memberships And Affiliations

  • International Organisation Liaison Officer, International Bar Association’s Human Rights Law Committee
  • Board member, Burma Campaign UK
  • The Lawyers Circle, a network advocating for the rights of the most vulnerable women and girls across the world
  • ATLAS, a network supporting women embarking in a career in international public law

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