Competencies
We have been advising and supporting companies – from start-ups to large corporations, as well as public institutions – in all areas of individual and collective employment law for many years. Our advisory services range from support in all matters relating to day-to-day business, cooperation with works councils, staff councils and trade unions, to advice on specialist employment law issues and offering comprehensive support with regard to challenging change projects. We represent the interests of our clients in conciliation committees and before all pertinent labour, civil and administrative courts.
We offer comprehensive advice and always maintain a keen overview of the holistic situation at hand. It is, therefore, a matter of course for us to also address issues that are not directly related to employment law, but which are deemed relevant as interface points (e.g. data protection law, social welfare law, company law, competition law, labour migration law). Where necessary, we consult experienced colleagues from the relevant specialist area, with whom we work on a regular basis.
Competencies
General
employment
law advice
Works constitution law/staff representation law
Collective bargaining law
and industrial action
Restructuring
and transactions
Anti-discrimination law
and compliance
External staff deployment
Employee data protection
Conflict management
Training courses
and seminars
Training courses and seminars
For many years, we have been organising in-house training courses and seminars – including with external partners – on all relevant employment law topics and developments. Our offer ranges from continuously updated foundation training courses and up-to-date presentations on changes in legislation and case law, to events tailored to your individual requirements and needs.
At our hugely popular bi-annual update event, we inform clients and interested parties about the latest developments that are shaping employment law case law and legislation. After the presentations, there’s a relaxed get-together with the opportunity for personal discussion and networking. We would be delighted to add you to our invitation list on request. Please contact us for more information.
Conflict management
Ms Claudia Pfeiffer was head of the employers’ association “KAV Berlin” for 22 years, and had previously worked for ten years within the Berlin state administration, most recently in a director role.
In her role as Managing Director of KAV Berlin, she conducted more than 180 collective bargaining negotiations with trade unions for employers in the public sector – including the Vivantes Group, BVG, Charité, Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Gesobau, Zoo Berlin, Berlin’s universities and numerous other well-known Berlin companies.
Ms Pfeiffer is well-connected in Berlin and nationwide through her committee work in the employers’ umbrella organisation, “VKA”.
Claudia Pfeiffer, Lawyer: “I am happy to make my numerous years of expertise available as Of Counsel, and continue to do what I have always loved doing: connecting people, finding compromises, striking a balance – be it in negotiations or with company interest groups.”
Employee data protection
- Creation of all documents required in accordance with GDPR / Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG)
- Design and introduction of IT user agreements, internet usage policies and social media guidelines
- Drafting and negotiation of IT-related works and service agreements
- Advice on issues relating to personal rights and data protection law
- Advice on requests for information from employees and authorities
External staff deployment
- Temporary employment: official authorisation and contract drafting
- Temporary workers: Deployment, involvement of works council and staff council, contract conceptualisation
- Drafting contracts for other external personnel (e.g. freelancers, interim managers)
Anti-discrimination law and compliance
- Advice on prevailing legislation: AGG, LADG Berlin and PartMigG
- Legal defence against the phenomenon of “AGG hoppers”
- Implementation of compliance structures under employment law
- Drafting employment law compliance and ethics guidelines
- Advice on dealing with the German Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG), in particular, whistleblowing
- Supporting investigation/clarification efforts in the context of compliance investigations
Restructuring and transactions
- Preparation and support for operational changes, reorganisation and transformation efforts
- Organisation of business transfers – including advice on how to avoid them
- Support for staff reduction measures and closures
- Design of volunteer programmes
- Collective redundancies and the implementation of consultation proceedings
- Negotiation of interest reconciliation efforts and redundancy planning (“Social Plan”), incl. conducting conciliation committee proceedings
- Introduction of short-time working
- Due diligence within the scope of employment law regarding company acquisitions
Collective bargaining law and industrial action
- Drafting and negotiating collective agreements with trade unions
- Company-internal, reorganisation and social collective agreements
- Application and interpretation of collective agreements
- Grouping issues
- Support with changing tariffs or leaving an industry association
- Support for industrial action
- Litigation in all instances
Works constitution law/staff representation law
- Organisation of the employer’s obligations pertaining to co-determination, information and participation vis-à-vis employee representatives
- Dealing and negotiating with works and staff councils
- Drafting and negotiating with key stakeholders on regulatory agreements, works and service agreements
- Preparing and conducting conciliation committee proceedings
- Advice on deviating works council structures in accordance with Section 3 Works Constitution Act (BetrVG)
- Litigation in all instances
General employment law advice
- Drafting and review of employment and service contracts
- Fixed-term employment contracts
- Support during separation processes and staff reduction efforts
- Remuneration models and pay transparency
- Other company benefits, employee participation
- Company pension scheme
- Flexible working time models
- Mobile working, home office, teleworking
- Digitalisation and Work 4.0
- Employment of foreign nationals
- Dealing with employees on (long-term) sick leave
- Company integration management
- Non-competition clauses
- Certificates
- Freelance work, bogus self-employment
- Litigation in all instances
- Drafting and review of employment and service contracts
- Fixed-term employment contracts
- Support during separation processes and staff reduction efforts
- Remuneration models and pay transparency
- Other company benefits, employee participation
- Company pension scheme
- Flexible working time models
- Mobile working, home office, teleworking
- Digitalisation and Work 4.0
- Employment of foreign nationals
- Dealing with employees on (long-term) sick leave
- Company integration management
- Non-competition clauses
- Certificates
- Freelance work, bogus self-employment
- Litigation in all instances
- Organisation of the employer’s obligations pertaining to co-determination, information and participation vis-à-vis employee representatives
- Dealing and negotiating with works and staff councils
- Drafting and negotiating with key stakeholders on regulatory agreements, works and service agreements
- Preparing and conducting conciliation committee proceedings
- Advice on deviating works council structures in accordance with Section 3 Works Constitution Act (BetrVG)
- Litigation in all instances
- Drafting and negotiating collective agreements with trade unions
- Company-internal, reorganisation and social collective agreements
- Application and interpretation of collective agreements
- Grouping issues
- Support with changing tariffs or leaving an industry association
- Support for industrial action
- Litigation in all instances
- Preparation and support for operational changes, reorganisation and transformation efforts
- Organisation of business transfers – including advice on how to avoid them
- Support for staff reduction measures and closures
- Design of volunteer programmes
- Collective redundancies and the implementation of consultation proceedings
- Negotiation of interest reconciliation efforts and redundancy planning (“Social Plan”), incl. conducting conciliation committee proceedings
- Introduction of short-time working
- Due diligence within the scope of employment law regarding company acquisitions
- Advice on prevailing legislation: AGG, LADG Berlin and PartMigG
- Legal defence against the phenomenon of “AGG hoppers”
- Implementation of compliance structures under employment law
- Drafting employment law compliance and ethics guidelines
- Advice on dealing with the German Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG), in particular, whistleblowing
- Supporting investigation/clarification efforts in the context of compliance investigations
- Temporary employment: official authorisation and contract drafting
- Temporary workers: Deployment, involvement of works council and staff council, contract conceptualisation
- Drafting contracts for other external personnel (e.g. freelancers, interim managers)
- Creation of all documents required in accordance with GDPR / Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG)
- Design and introduction of IT user agreements, internet usage policies and social media guidelines
- Drafting and negotiation of IT-related works and service agreements
- Advice on issues relating to personal rights and data protection law
- Advice on requests for information from employees and authorities
For many years, we have been organising in-house training courses and seminars – including with external partners – on all relevant employment law topics and developments. Our offer ranges from continuously updated foundation training courses and up-to-date presentations on changes in legislation and case law, to events tailored to your individual requirements and needs.
At our hugely popular bi-annual update event, we inform clients and interested parties about the latest developments that are shaping employment law case law and legislation. After the presentations, there’s a relaxed get-together with the opportunity for personal discussion and networking. We would be delighted to add you to our invitation list on request. Please contact us for more information.