lawyer

The legal and economic environment is a crucial factor in your company’s HR strategy and employee prospects. Any decision you take can lead to opportunities, but may also bear considerable risks. The laws and regulations governing the relationship between employers, employees, employee representatives and trade unions are complex, at times confusing — and occasionally contradictory.

Only if you are aware of your rights and obligations are you able to align your company’s strategy and successfully implement forward-looking HR policies. With our knowledge and experience, you can concentrate on other important business concerns. We help you address complex matters, providing concrete and reliable results. We view legal issues as more than isolated matters, but instead offer comprehensive concepts with integrated and pragmatic advice. Our solutions can help ensure that your company continuously adapts to prevailing economic conditions and remain competitive.

For decades, we have supported numerous businesses in global, regional or local projects and transactions. Our clients include many well-known global players, as well as numerous medium-sized, nationally and globally operating companies. With its many years of experience, Baker McKenzie’s German Labor and Employment Law team is among the leading employment law practices today. Publications such as Chambers, JUVE Handbuch Wirtschaftskanzleien, PLC Which Lawyer? and Expert Guides – Labour and Employment Lawyers regularly rank our professionals as among the top in their field.

Our constantly growing team of employment lawyers at all four German locations advises companies and public institutions in all issues of employment law – creatively, quickly and in a solution-oriented manner.

A company should use its best efforts to comply with all labor laws and employment regulations in the countries where it operates. Failure to do so not only results in penalties and potentially personal liability of managing directors. It also creates negative publicity resulting in an impact on customer relations and on the company's perception as a good employer. Baker McKenzie has years of experience in labor law compliance as well as the development, implementation and enforcement of compliance guidelines which are a fundamental cornerstone of an effective compliance organization. Find out more.

Areas of expertise

Across Germany and in business destinations worldwide, we provide seamless support and commercially-oriented advice on various labor and employment matters, including:

• Labor and employment law issues related to complex restructuring measures;
• Labor and employment law consequences of company acquisitions;
• Planning and implementation of outsourcing projects;
• Collective bargaining issues;
• Planning and implementation of reductions in personnel;
• Negotiations with works councils and trade unions;
• Drafting and negotiating agreements on the establishment of European works councils;
• Drafting and negotiating of collective bargaining contracts, works agreements and corporate guidelines;
• Drafting of service contracts for board members and managing directors, as well as employment contracts;
• Termination of employees’ service and employment contracts;
• Labor litigation;
• Secondment of employees to or from foreign countries;
• Issues related to company pension schemes;
• Drafting and implementation of post-contractual non-competition agreements;
• Questions related to co-determination on supervisory boards;
• Bonus schemes, profit-sharing bonus schemes, option schemes;
• Labor and employment law in insolvency cases;
• Integration subsequent to cross-border corporate transactions;
• Training in labor and employment law issues;
• Employee involvement issues in the establishment of European Companies (SE) and cross-border mergers; and
• Restructuring of union pension funds, CTAs, pension funds, pensioner companies.