Lavanga V. Wijekoon
Shareholder
Professional & Community Affiliations
Member
Illinois State Bar Association
Member
American Bar Association
Member, Junior Leadership Board
National Immigrant Justice Center
2012-present
Member
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Member, Professional Board
PAWS Chicago
Recognition
Named, Ones to Watch
The Best Lawyers in America®
2022-2025
Named, Rising Star
National Immigrant Justice Center
2013
Recipient, John H. & George V. Powell Endowed Award for Human Rights
University of Washington School of Law
2006 and 2008
Recipient, Takuji Yamashita Endowed Memorial Scholarship for Human Rights
University of Washington School of Law
2008
News, Analysis & Press
California Law Imposes New Disclosure Obligations on Employers Conducting Voluntary Child Labor Audits
Insight
December 3, 2024
What the EU’s Landmark Corporate Human Rights Law Means for Global Companies
Corporate Compliance Insights
November 13, 2024
How can employers address varying sensitivities to DEI issues in a multinational workforce?
2 the Point Video
October 16, 2024
New Illinois Child Labor Law Brings Enhanced Workplace Rules for Minors Under 16
SHRM
September 10, 2024
New Illinois Child Labor Law Brings Enhanced Workplace Rules for Minors Under 16
Insight
August 19, 2024
Are employers required to conduct human rights due diligence in their global operations?
2 the Point Video
March 26, 2024
The E.U. Advances a Watered-Down but Nonetheless Landmark Human Rights Draft Law – What This Means for Global Employers
Insight
March 26, 2024
South Korea Proposes Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Obligations on Employers
Insight
January 16, 2024
The CSDDD Effect: Assessing the Impact of the EU’s Impending Corporate Sustainability Mandate on Japanese Companies
Institute for Security and Development Policy
December 5, 2023
Employers Rapidly Implement Japan’s Guidelines on Business & Human Rights
Insight
September 11, 2023
Seattle Becomes the First U.S. Jurisdiction to Prohibit Caste Discrimination
Insight
February 28, 2023
Recent Human Rights Due Diligence Law Developments in the European Union, Switzerland, and Japan
Insight
October 11, 2022
The Fashion Industry Meets Human Rights Due Diligence: New York’s Proposed “Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act”
Insight
February 14, 2022
Littler Elevates 33 Attorneys to Shareholder
January 6, 2022
Europe and Canada Seek to Mandate Human Rights Due Diligence and Transparency Obligations on Companies and Their Global Partners
Insight
October 28, 2021
Pro Bono Week Podcast – National Immigrant Justice Center: Representing Asylum Seekers
Podcast
October 28, 2021
United Nations Takes Another Step in Developing a Treaty on Business and Human Rights
Insight
November 5, 2019
Germany Seeks to Mandate Human Rights Due Diligence for Companies and Their Global Partners
Insight
April 25, 2019
United Nations Further Deliberates a Treaty Seeking to Impose Corporate Liability for Human Rights Violations
Insight
November 7, 2018
Key Recent Developments in Indian Employment Law Impacting Diversity in the Workplace
Insight
September 24, 2018
Australia: New South Wales Introduces Law Requiring Companies to Report on Modern Slavery
Insight
July 13, 2018
U.S. Supreme Court Forecloses Liability of Foreign Corporations Under the Alien Tort Statute
Insight
May 10, 2018
Hong Kong Considers Draft Law Requiring Companies to Report on Modern Slavery
Insight
April 16, 2018
Canada Announces Two New Initiatives To Hold Companies Accountable For Human Rights Violations Abroad
Insight
February 13, 2018
Proposed Act Seeks to Require Large Companies Operating in Australia to Report on Modern Slavery
Insight
February 6, 2018
United Nations Continues its Development of a Treaty Imposing Liability on Companies for Human Rights Abuses
Insight
November 9, 2017
European Court Clarifies Legality of Banning Islamic Headscarves in the Workplace
TLNT Talent Management and HR
April 11, 2017
European Court Clarifies Legality of Banning Islamic Headscarves in the Workplace
Insight
March 20, 2017
Dutch and French Legislatures Introduce New Human Rights Due Diligence Reporting Requirements
Insight
March 13, 2017
New Mandatory Gender Pay Gap Disclosures Will Soon Take Effect for Large Employers in Great Britain
Insight
March 13, 2017
Advancing Human Rights Claims Based on Global Supply Chain Activities: Recent Developments in California and Canada
Insight
February 15, 2017
Proposed French Law Would Impose New Due Diligence Obligations on Certain Employers and Their Supply Chains
ASAP
December 12, 2016
Union Petition Under US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Highlights Labor Violations in Oil and Sugar Industries in Colombia
ACC Docket
July/August 2016
U.S. Strengthens Law Prohibiting Importation of Goods Derived from Forced Labor
American Bar Association International Labor & Employment Law Committee Newsletter
July 1, 2016
The Corporate Human Rights Benchmark Ranks Large Companies' Human Rights Performance
Insight
April 4, 2016
California Consumer Protection Suits Raise Labor Violations in Global Supply Chains
American Bar Association International Labor & Employment Law Committee Newsletter
January 1, 2016
Newly Released Text of Trans-Pacific Partnership Sheds Light on Potential Labor Law Requirements
American Bar Association International Labor & Employment Law Committee Newsletter
November 1, 2015
California Laws Are Being Used to Advance Human Rights Claims Based on Global Supply Chain Activities
Insight
October 14, 2015
In Canada, Foreign Workers Seek to Use International Norms as the Standard of Care in Negligence Claims Against Multinationals Operating Overseas
Insight
September 16, 2015
Foreign Workers Seek to Use International Norms as the Standard of Care in Negligence Claims Against Multinationals Operating Overseas
ABA International Employment Law Newsletter
August 1, 2015
Litigating Labor Rights Across a Demilitarized Zone: the South Korean Constitutional Court as a Forum to Address Labor Violations in North Korea's Kaesong Special Economic Zone
17 Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal 265
January 2008
Books & Book Chapters
- Sections of Chapter 21: International Labor and Employment Law, International Corporate Practice: A Practitioner’s Guide to Global Success, Practising Law Institute, chapter co-authors: Philip Berkowitz and Trent Sutton, February 2021
- 2019 Employment Law Update, Misplaced Efforts: The United Nations’ Proposed Treaty Imposing Corporate Liability for Human Rights Violations, Chapter 11, Wolters Kluwer, chapter co-author Michael G. Congiu, 2019
- Sri Lanka, The Littler Mendelson Guide to Employment & Labor Law (6th Ed.), Chapter editor, 2019
- 2017 Employment Law Update, Imposing Liability on Employers Under the Shadow of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights, Chapter 4, Wolters Kluwer, chapter co-author Michael G. Congiu, 2017
- Littler on Multinational Employers, co-author Philip Berkowitz, 2016
- International Whistleblowing Issues, Whistleblowing & Retaliation: A Guide for Human Resources Professionals & Counsel, Chapter 10 author, LexisNexis, 4th Ed., 2014
- 2014 Employment Law Update, Leveling the Playing Field: Examining Firestone Deference in Delinquent Contribution Lawsuits, Chapter 2, Wolters Kluwer, chapter co-authors Michael G. Congiu and Stefanie H. Kastrinsky, 2014
Speaking Engagements
Child Labor in the United States and Beyond: A Legal, Moral, and PR Nightmare for Employers
October 2, 2024
2024 APAC Regional Employer Conference
September 25, 2024
112th International Labor Conference
International Labour Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
June 3, 2024
Child Labor in the United States & Beyond: A Legal, Moral, & PR Nightmare for Employers
Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ
May 10, 2024
Eliminating Forced Labor in your Workforce and Supply Chains - A Discussion on Traditional and Innovative Practices
November 10, 2023
AI Works for Your Company Even If You Don’t Know It Yet
HR Compliance Summit 2023, Warsaw, Poland
October 24, 2023
Business & Human Rights – The Legal and Business Case for APAC Companies
2023 APAC Regional Employer Conference, Singapore
September 28, 2023
Cultural Competence Required! Exporting the US model for DEI to global workforces
South Asian Bar Association Annual Conference, Boston MA
July 20-21, 2023
Decent Work in Supply Chains
United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia-Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand
June 8, 2023
How Employment Law Developments in the U.S. and E.U. Impact Employers in Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand
June 6, 2023
What’s New in Poland?
Polish-American Chamber of Commerce, Chicago IL
May 31, 2023
A Brave(ish) New World: The Challenges of Sustainably Managing and Engaging a Global Workforce
Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ
May 11, 2023
A Brave(ish) New World: The Challenges of Sustainably Managing and Engaging a Global Workforce
Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ
May 10-12, 2023
Hot Topics in Employment Law for APAC HR/Counsel: A Focus on Business & Human Rights, Developments in Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and Retrenchments
Singapore
October 26, 2022
The Ins and Outs of IE&D in U.S. and Non-U.S. Jurisdictions
June 21, 2022
So, You Think You Are Ready for Global Inclusion, Equity and Diversity. What Now?
February 17, 2022
So, You Think You Are Ready for Global Inclusion, Equity and Diversity. What Now?
February 16, 2022
FAQs: COVID-19 Vaccinations in the APAC Region
November 23, 2021
Reducing Human Trafficking in the Supply Chain
Lorman Education Services Webinar
June 22, 2021
Spotlight on India: The Employer’s Top 3 Concerns in 2021
April 29, 2021
Spotlight on India: The Employer’s Top 3 Concerns in 2021
April 28, 2021
COVID-19 in the Workplace: Recent Developments and Compliance Challenges - Session 13
April 2, 2021
Return to Work in a COVID-19 World: U.S. and Global Perspectives
January 21, 2021
The Global Return to Work: How Multinational Employers Can Reintegrate Employees During COVID-19
Clear Law Institute Webinar
September 9, 2020
Back at Work Around the World: Cross-Border Strategies for Multinationals Returning Staff to Workplaces in the Shadow of Coronavirus
Public Law Institute Briefing Webinar
May 28, 2020
Back at Work Around the World: Cross-Border Strategies for Multinationals Returning Staff to Workplaces in the Shadow of Coronavirus
Public Law Institute Briefing Webinar
May 28, 2020
Returning to Work: Strategies and Tools for Reintegrating Employees Worldwide
May 20, 2020
COVID-19 and Cross-Border Workforce Cutbacks: Options and Strategies for the Retrenching Multinational
Public Law Institute Briefing
April 27, 2020
International Cutbacks and Reductions-in-Force in the Global Pandemic
April 16, 2020
Panelist, Proposed United Nations Business & Human Rights Treaty
U.N. Human Rights Council, Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group On Transnational Corporations & Other Business Enterprises With Respect To Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland
October 14-18, 2019
Employment Law Considerations That May Impact Your Immigration Program
Webinar hosted by Envoy Global
February 19, 2019
Panelist on Jurisdiction of Proposed United Nations Business & Human Rights Treaty
U.N. Human Rights Council, Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group On Transnational Corporations & Other Business Enterprises With Respect To Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland
October 15-19, 2018
Talking Politics in the Workplace – What Can an Employer Do?
BB&T Webinar
April 24, 2018
Update on the Proposed United Nations Treaty on Business & Human Rights – Webinar for Members of Global Industrial Relations Network
International Organisation of Employers Webinar
December 6, 2017
Panelist on Jurisdiction of Proposed United Nations Business & Human Rights Treaty
U.N. Human Rights Council, Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group On Transnational Corporations & Other Business Enterprises With Respect To Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland
October 23-27, 2017
Terminating the Employee on Leave or Returning From Leave: Challenges and Best Practices
BB&T Webinar
May 25, 2017
Preparing for Change: DOL’s Final Rule on Overtime
Asian American Hotel Owners Association, Inc., Upper Midwest Regional Conference & Trade Show, Elmhurst, IL
September 22, 2016
The Corporate Human Rights Benchmark Ranks Large Companies' Human Rights Performance
Littler webinar
May 12, 2016
Workplace Nightmares…The Employee Who Haunts Your Dreams
Chicago, IL
October 23, 2014
Investigating Cross-Border Whistleblower Claims: A Challenge for Multinational Employers
July 31, 2013
Education
- J.D., University of Washington School of Law, 2009
- M.A., Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, 2009
- B.A., Illinois Wesleyan University, 2004magna cum laude
Languages
- Sinhalese
Courts
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Iowa