IEL Elite

Overview

The highly respected employment team at Gleiss Lutz is spread between Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, and Stuttgart.

Clients are effusive about the proactive and helpful approach of department head Thomas Winzer, who practices out of the Frankfurt office.

Gleiss Lutz has a very strong employment practice.

The group is a go-to partner for clients seeking support in high-end, critical issues – as a result, it is frequently appointed on landmark cases. 

Aside from handling inbound work, the team regularly co-ordinates cross-border advice, at times spanning up to 70 jurisdictions. It offers close ties to leading law firms across the world to support the provision of integrated multi-jurisdictional advice. This capability was further boosted in 2022 with the opening of a satellite office in London to advise UK-based clients on German and EU law.

Clients hail from a variety of sectors, including life sciences, and many are listed on the DAX or MDAX.

Specialisms

The team’s membership of a market-leading full-service firm allows it to provide cross-practice support in crucial issues relating to workforces, owing to its ability to pool expertise from specialists in other practice areas – such as regulatory or corporate.

A notable area of practice is in restructuring and reorganisation procedures, in the context of business transfers, outsourcing projects, or M&A – as well as the establishment, shutdown, or relocation of sites.

The scope of advisory work that the team provides extends to drafting employment contracts – such as for high-level employees – and internal policies. Expertise includes remuneration and data privacy.

On the labour relations side, the team is well-versed in negotiating with trade unions and works councils on reconciliation or on the establishment of collective agreements.

Contentious work for the group involves supporting clients in court, at both German and EU levels, in individual disputes as well as in conflicts with works councils. Members of the team are also well placed to advise on highly sensitive internal investigations.  

The team’s skillset extends to pension funds (from structuring through to closing), and it is able to advise on pensions-related matters in the context of M&A. In addition, the department also provides support in intra-corporate insolvency protection, including contractual trust arrangements.

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