Hannah Edmonds-Camara, Special Counsel and Evan Parness, Partner and Vice Chair of Covington’s Employment Practice Group, were featured in Thomson Reuters Practical Law’s annual report, "ESG Outlook Autumn/Winter 2025: Practitioner Insights."
Hannah's commentary on page 6 explores the evolving UK modern slavery landscape within the broader regulatory context. Hannah noted that while the UK Modern Slavery Act was initially recognized as a world-leading transparency framework, other jurisdictions have since introduced more stringent human rights due diligence laws and forced labor product bans, raising questions about the UK regime’s effectiveness. She highlighted the UK Government’s ongoing Responsible Business Conduct Review and potential measures under consideration, including mandatory due diligence requirements and a “failure to prevent” obligation related to forced labor.
Hannah also pointed to upcoming developments such as the launch of the Fair Work Agency in April 2026, which aims to consolidate domestic labor market enforcement functions, and the EU’s forthcoming Forced Labour Regulation, both of which could drive more coordinated compliance efforts.
Evan Parness' commentary on page 8 addresses the impact of recent Executive Orders targeting private employer DEI programs and the resulting rise in “reverse discrimination” claims. Evan explained that while these Executive Orders have prompted an uptick in claims from white males alleging adverse employment actions tied to DEI initiatives, they do not amend federal employment discrimination laws. Employers can defend against such claims by demonstrating legitimate, non-discriminatory business reasons for their decisions. As Evan noted, “The mere fact that an employer has certain corporate DEI programs or policies does not mean that the individualized decision about a certain employee was necessarily motivated by discriminatory animus or an unlawful ‘quota’ system.”
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