Employment and Labour Law for Companies.
For many years, our lawyers have been successfully advising and representing companies of all sizes nationwide in all areas of employment and labour law. Whether they retained us for long-term advice or for individual matters,
our clients appreciate our clear, solution-oriented and practice-tested advice, as well as our ability to thoroughly implement all necessary measures. Our experienced litigators conduct court proceedings in all court instances.
Drafting Employment Contracts and Policies
We advise companies in connection with the drafting and introduction of up-to- date and company-specific employment contracts and policies, e.g. flexible remuneration and working hour models, drafting employment contracts and collective arrangements such as works agreements and collective bargaining agreements. In negotiations with works councils and unions our clients trust in our extensive experience and solution-oriented approach.
Restructurings
Our clients appreciate our particular expertise especially when it comes to difficult HR issues, such as restructurings, business transfers, relocations or closures, which frequently involve staff reductions and reputational risks. We help companies plan these moves and negotiate reconciliations of interests and social plans, and make sure that the necessary measures are effectively implemented from start to finish. As a result, we are regularly able to implement these measures with the consent of the affected employees, works councils and unions within given time frames and budgets whilst avoiding proceedings before labour courts.
Advising Companies in Matters Involving Management Board Members and Managing Directors
Drafting and terminating contracts with corporate officers involve not only special issues of employment law, but also special corporate law issues. Officer’s liability issues are becoming increasingly important. We have many years of experience in advising companies on these issues (e.g. separation, compensation, pensions, restrictive covenants, change-of-control provisions, damage claims, D&O) and have extensive experience litigating these in court.
Litigation: tough but fair
Our experience and reputation in court has been established, for the benefit of our clients, in more than a thousand proceedings involving a wide variety of employment and labour law issues before all labour court instances, as well as before German Regional Civil Courts (Landgerichte) and Higher Regional Civil Courts (Oberlandesgerichte). We have demonstrated perseverance combined with procedural skills in numerous individual cases as well as in large matters with many plaintiffs. This enables us to assess the risks and opportunities associated with proceedings confidently, litigating on behalf of our clients where necessary and expedient.
We also have particular experience in the following areas:
- providing strategic advice to management and executive levels
- providing ongoing advice to HR, legal departments and business units
- drafting and optimising employment contracts and termination agreements
- managing separation processes and conflict resolution, dismissals,
termination agreements - introducing flexible compensation systems and working hour models
- leasing of employees
- expatriate agreements
- internet and social media in the workplace
- employee data protection/privacy
- company pensions
- co-determination on shop level/works constitution law
- employee representation in the public sector
- drafting works agreements and collective bargaining agreements
- European employee participation
- negotiations with works councils or staff councils, in particular negotiations concerning reconciliations of interest and social compensation plans, conciliation board proceedings
- corporate restructurings and business transfers (Section 613a of the German Civil Code - BGB)
- temporary lay-offs, transfer companies
- co-determination on board level/supervisory board matters
- compliance, Whistleblower Protection Act (Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz)
- transaction support/due diligence reviews
- private equity, carried interest