Employment | Europe

CMS has a formidable team active across a range of industries, including automotive, TMT, transportation and manufacturing. The practice is well regarded for its cross-border capabilities, due to an impressive network of offices. Demonstrating prowess in corporate employment issues, the team is active on M&A transactions, post-merger integrations, restructuring and reorganisations. CMS offers further strength in compliance audits and new compensation models as well as incentive schemes. The team advises on transfer of employees and redundancy programmes and represents clients in employment litigation, as well as boasting experience in works council negotiations and collective bargaining mandates.

Gleiss Lutz is a longstanding market leader in the German employment law field. The law firm has a strong presence on the employment law aspects of corporate transactions, including reorganisations and carve-outs. The practice frequently represents management and supervisory boards, advising on corporate governance, as well as negotiations with works councils and trade unions. Gleiss Lutz also handles compliance matters and collective bargaining agreements, and assists with executive board remuneration. Its clients primarily hail from the automotive, financial services and technology industries, including many DAX-listed companies.

KLIEMT.HR Lawyers is an outstanding employment boutique handling a full range of employment matters, with notable activity in the fields of restructuring, outsourcing and privatisation. The team is noted for its strength in trade union and works council matters, advising on collective bargaining agreements and remuneration systems. The law firm has experience acting for clients from the food and drink, manufacturing, technology and real estate sectors.

The firm is highly regarded for advice on compliance and pensions issues, and has particular expertise representing companies in negotiations with works councils and trade unions concerning business reorganisations and transactions. Employee restructurings is a further area of expertise. The law firm additionally represents corporates and employers' associations in contentious matters, including before employment courts. The team has a vast international reach, which facilitates the coordination of international reorganisation projects out of its German offices. On 1st May 2024, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling merged to form A&O Shearman.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has a well-regarded team that utilises its renowned corporate and transactional expertise to assist with the employment aspects of mergers and acquisitions, entity conversions and company restructurings. The law firm has further experience in collective bargaining issues and board-level matters as well as advising on company pensions. The team possesses additional strength in handling co-determination matters. The practice assists clients from a broad range of sectors including financial services, TMT, automotive and life sciences. Clients particularly benefit from the firm's global, full-service set-up and ability to handle cross-border mandates.

Baker McKenzie boasts an integrated global network that allows the firm to act on cross-border restructuring and to assist international companies with the employment law components of corporate transactions. Its team is further recommended for advice on domestic reorganisations, social plans and European works council structures, pensions, outsourcing, employee data protection and compliance issues. The law firm additionally represents clients in employment-related litigation, including trade union disputes. The practice represents clients from a variety of sectors including TMT, biotechnology and life sciences.

Pusch Wahlig Workplace Law is a dedicated team of employment specialists with particular experience in business restructuring, including mass workforce reductions, as well as reconciliations and social plans. The practice additionally handles compliance, remuneration and works council matters and represents companies in employment litigation. The law firm further advises on the implementation of SE structures as well as employment-related data protection. The team is active across a variety of sectors including financial services, technology and FMCG, advising both traditional companies as well as several prominent players in the gig economy.

Seitz Partnerschaftsgesellschaft advises on domestic and international restructurings and collective bargaining agreements. The team also assists with senior management issues. The practice represents clients in employment law disputes and compliance mandates, and has a niche focus on church labour law. Seitz has further experience in employee data protection and company pension schemes. In addition to prominent German companies across major sectors, including energy, insurance and automotive, the law firm also advises large international clients.

ADVANT Beiten assists domestic and international companies with restructurings and collective bargaining mandates, including representation in works council as well as trade union negotiations. The practice also advises on reconciliation of interests and social plan issues in the context of joint ventures, as well as acting for clients in contentious mandates. The team has a broad client base, including those active in the financial services, professional services, technology and heavy industry sectors.

GREENFORT Rechtsanwälte is a Frankfurt-based team handling both contentious and non-contentious mandates, with notable experience in restructuring matters. The law firm frequently represents companies and board members in negotiations with works councils in addition to advising on co-determinations, disputes and social plans, as well as dismissals, remuneration schemes and collective bargaining agreements.

HEUKING advises German companies on both collective and individual employment law matters. The law firm is experienced in dismissals, restructurings and redundancies as well as compliance matters, including internal investigations. The team also represents clients in employment disputes, negotiations with works councils and co-determination matters. Heuking acts for a number of clients from the sporting, retail, shipping and media industries.

vangard | Littler acts for companies of all sizes on both individual and collective labour law matters as well as the employment aspects of corporate restructurings, relocations, outsourcing projects and redundancies. The law firm has further experience advising on disputes, including dismissal protection cases. The team is noted for its expertise in dealing with trade unions. The practice maintains a client base of both German and international clients, including high-profile names from the aerospace, fashion, technology and mobility sectors.

Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft has a strong employment bench and a focus on contentious matters, representing international and domestic corporates in a variety of employment-related litigation. The law firm advises on staff reductions and participates in compensation plan negotiations. The practice additionally provides non-contentious support on restructuring mandates as well as reconciliations and social plans, in addition to representing clients in collective bargaining matters. Luther also assists clients with transactional mandates and pension schemes.

Noerr is popular among large and mid-sized domestic companies for advice on restructurings and reorganisations. The law firm has experience in transactions and secondment matters. The team is also recommended for its strength in insolvency-related labour law mandates. Noerr acts in employment disputes and offers additional support in collective bargaining agreements and outsourcing topics. Clients hail from the insurance, manufacturing, retail and aviation sectors.

ARQIS advised Deutsche Betriebsrenten Holding on the acquisition of pension liabilities of a global healthcare technology group by way of spin-off. The firm advised on the legal structuring and implementation of the pension buyout to a pension company held by Deutsche Betriebsrenten Holding.

DLA Piper frequently acts for clients on collective and individual employment law matters. The team assists with employment issues in transactions, including compliance investigations and operation transfers, with additional experience in collective bargaining and data protection. The law firm also covers corporate restructurings, short-time work and industrial constitution law topics. Clients stem from the IT, retail, manufacturing, aviation and automotive sectors.

Hogan Lovells assists companies from a number of sectors, including financial services, insurance, industrial and life sciences, with restructuring and transaction-related employment advice. The firm also advises on works council issues as well as collective bargaining agreements and pension schemes. The team is further experienced in contentious employment law matters. Clients benefit from the firm's broad international network.

Linklaters' German group is particularly strong in cross-border matters, collaborating closely with other offices in the firm's network to represent international companies and private equity investors, including those active in the engineering, financial services and automotive industries. The team advises on the employment law aspects of large transactions, restructurings and employee transfers. The law firm also represents clients in employment litigation. The practice additionally acts on remuneration, pensions and data protection matters, as well as handling works council issues.