Employment Law

Employment Contract Drafting

We draft and review employment contracts, service agreements, and managing director appointments in a legally sound and individualized manner. In doing so, we consider current employment law developments, corporate objectives, and industry-specific characteristics – for clear regulations and sustainable contract solutions.

Our focus areas

• Drafting and development of employment contracts, amendment agreements, termination agreements, and other contracts, as well as collective commitments
• Consulting and drafting of individual contracts for executives and corporate bodies, especially managing director service agreements and executive board contracts
• Development of individual compensation and work models and support during their implementation
• Review and drafting of contracts for independent contractors and freelancers
• Design and implementation of employee participation programs, especially profit-sharing (bonuses, premiums, royalties), stock options (ESOP), virtual participations (VSOP), as well as participation rights and participation certificates

Operational Changes and Restructuring

We advise on planned operational changes, restructurings, and personnel measures. We support employers strategically and legally – from planning and communication to implementation. Our focus is on legally sound design, conflict avoidance, and efficient cooperation with works councils.

Our focus areas

• Planning and supervision of the implementation of restructuring measures from an employment law and HR perspective, including – where necessary in individual cases – business management structural consulting
• Conducting employment law due diligence reviews for the preparation of company acquisitions, including those from insolvency
• Negotiation of reconciliation of interests and social plans, as well as representation in conciliation boards and judicial resolution proceedings in connection with operational changes

Works Constitution and Staff Representation Law

We advise and represent employers, as well as works councils and staff councils, in all matters of works constitution and staff representation law. Our services include the drafting and negotiation of works agreements, support for co-determination processes, representation in conciliation boards and judicial proceedings, and strategic consulting for restructurings and personnel measures.

Our focus areas

• Support for negotiations with works councils and staff councils in connection with their participation rights
• Representation in conciliation board and judicial resolution proceedings
• Development of collective compensation and working time models, taking into account the co-determination rights of the works council, and support during their implementation
• Advising employers on works council elections and authorities, (territorial) corporations, and public institutions on staff council elections, as well as reviewing their legality
• Drafting of works agreements, reconciliation of interests, social plans, and service agreements

Collective Bargaining Law

We provide comprehensive advice to companies on collective bargaining law – from the interpretation and application of existing collective agreements to strategic support for collective bargaining negotiations. Our expertise includes the drafting of collective bargaining regulations, representation in collective bargaining disputes, and legal support for withdrawals from associations and company collective agreements.

Our focus areas

• Negotiation of collective agreements, especially transitional, restructuring, and company-specific collective agreements
• Preparation and design of a change in collective bargaining agreements, as well as the drafting, modification, or termination of collective bargaining obligations; support for companies in the collective bargaining implementation of restructuring measures
• Legal advice on the effects of different reference clauses and their standardization
• Consulting and support during industrial action, especially strikes and lockouts
• due diligence on the collective bargaining situation and its design in business transfers

HR Services, HR Structural Consulting & Green HRM

HR Services: We advise companies on all legal matters concerning HR processes – from contract drafting and compensation systems to terminations and compliance. Our services include employment law due diligence, mobile working, international employment, and the legally compliant implementation of HR instruments. HR Structural Consulting: We support the strategic realignment and legally sound design of your HR structures. This includes the analysis and optimization of organizational models, role distributions, leadership processes, and core HR functions – always aligned with your corporate goals and legal frameworks.

Green HRM: We support companies in the legal implementation of sustainable HR strategies. This includes ESG-compliant working conditions, environmentally friendly mobility concepts, sustainable compensation models, and the integration of Green HRM into works agreements, policies, and employment contracts.

Our focus areas

• Consulting and design on topics related to the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG), diversity management, and the sustainability of work and the work environment
• Consulting in connection with the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG), particularly regarding the policy statement on the human rights strategy to be submitted in accordance with Section 6 (2) LkSG, including its implementation
• Drafting of Codes of Conduct, policies, collective agreements, works agreements, and/or employment contracts for the implementation of a Green HRM concept and/or ESG compliance system
• Legal support within the framework of HRM, especially in the areas of tension between strategic HRM and the co-determination rights of employee representatives (e.g., reorganizations or IT implementations)
• Employment law support for internal investigations in cases of suspected compliance violations, as well as separation processes with a forensic background (HR Forensic Services)

Corporate Co-determination

We provide comprehensive advice on corporate co-determination according to the Co-determination Act (MitbestG) and the One-Third Participation Act (DrittelbG). Our services include the legally sound design of co-determined supervisory board structures, support for status proceedings, the organization of employee elections, and advice on restructurings, SE formations, and cross-border mergers.

Our focus areas

• Consulting and support on matters of employee co-determination on the supervisory board
• Support and advice on “freezing” co-determination status through conversion into a Societas Europaea (SE) or the formation of an SE

Work 4.0

We advise companies on the legally compliant design of modern work forms such as home office, remote work, workation, and platform work. Our services include employment, data protection, and co-determination law support for digital HR processes, the use of AI in HR work, and the development of flexible working time models in compliance with current legal requirements.

Our focus areas

• Design and implementation of flexible work models (mobile working, workation, hybrid working, job sharing, crowdworking, home office)
• Consulting and support for digital transformation and the use of new technologies in companies, including questions of so-called “Intelligent Automation,” ranging from modular platforms that enable quick reactions to changing needs by adapting applications or services as required without major effort (modular principle) to the use of so-called AI (Large Language Models)
• Support for the introduction of flexible working time models, such as the 4-day week, flextime, and trust-based working hours
• Design of agile working methods, especially regarding responsibilities and rights of instruction in hierarchy-free teams
• Digitalization meets Data Protection – GDPR-compliant introduction of new technologies and tools

External Personnel Deployment

We provide comprehensive advice to companies on the legally compliant deployment of external personnel – whether through contracts for work, service agreements, or temporary agency work. Our services include status checks, contract drafting, compliance consulting, support for administrative procedures, and the development of guidelines and monitoring tools for risk minimization in cases of bogus self-employment and disguised temporary agency work.

Our focus areas

• Structuring of external personnel deployment, especially in connection with the Temporary Agency Work Act
• Development of avoidance strategies regarding bogus self-employment and their implementation within the company
• Review and drafting of temporary agency work agreements, as well as contracts for independent contractors and freelancers
• Support and assistance for companies in obtaining a permit for temporary agency work from the Federal Employment Agency

Social Security Law

We provide comprehensive advice to companies on social security law – from reviewing compulsory insurance and status determination procedures to supporting company audits. Our services include the legally compliant drafting of contracts, the defense against claims for back payments in cases of bogus self-employment, and advice on international employee assignments and secondments.

Our focus areas

• Review and differentiation between dependent employment and insurance-exempt, self-employed activity
• Support and representation during upcoming and ongoing company audits, especially in the preparation and processing of requested documents, in the identification and assessment of risks, and in communication with auditors
• Conducting due diligence reviews and procedures regarding the assessment of risks in the area of social security
• Recourse against the employee regarding social security contributions for which the employer is liable as debtor