Explore our English-language guidance on German and European employment law. The core services address common business decisions; detailed guides cover particular rights, procedures and documents.
Core services
Employment contracts in Germany
Build a German employment relationship on terms your managers can actually use. We draft and review contracts, policies and offer documents for international employers and German businesses.
Dismissal and termination in Germany
A dismissal needs a defensible reason where general dismissal protection applies, the correct procedure and reliable delivery. We assess planned terminations and represent clients in resulting disputes.
- Protection against dismissal in Germany
- When the German Dismissal Protection Act applies
- Ordinary termination and notice in Germany
- Operational, conduct and personal grounds for dismissal
- Notice periods for German employment contracts
- Extraordinary dismissal without notice
- Warnings and employee misconduct
Settlement agreements and severance
A workable exit agreement settles the whole employment relationship, not just the severance figure. We advise on negotiation, drafting and the practical steps needed to close the matter.
- Garden leave and release from duties
- Severance pay in Germany
- German employment references and certificates
- The form and content of a German employment reference
- Understanding German employment reference wording
- Inaccurate employment references: correction and liability
Restructuring and collective redundancies
Plan workforce changes with the consultation, notification and individual employment processes built into the transaction timetable.
Works councils and co-determination
Workplace decisions often require more than individual employee agreement. We advise on works council participation, negotiations, elections and disputes.
Collective bargaining and industrial action
Understand collective bargaining coverage, negotiate changes and prepare a legally informed response to industrial disputes.
Business transfers and employment due diligence
Identify workforce liabilities before a transaction and plan the employment-law steps needed for transfer and integration.
International employment and posted workers
Coordinate German employment requirements with overseas contracts, assignments and remote-working arrangements.
Working time, overtime and remote work
Turn working-time rules into schedules, recording systems and policies that work in day-to-day operations.
Pay, bonuses, equal pay and benefits
Review remuneration structures, assess unpaid wage and bonus claims, and prepare transparent, defensible reward decisions.
Holiday, sickness and family-related protection
Handle annual leave, sickness, parental leave and protected situations with a clear record of entitlements and decisions.
- Holiday entitlement and unused leave
- Severe disability and employment protection
- Pregnancy, maternity and parental leave
- Special protection in employment
Discrimination, harassment and whistleblowing
Respond to allegations promptly, preserve evidence and protect a fair process for everyone involved.
Employee data, AI and internal investigations
Assess employee data use, automated HR tools and investigations before a technical or management decision creates an employment dispute.
Executive employment and directors’ service contracts
Align an executive’s contract with corporate appointment, remuneration, authority and the intended exit arrangements.
Flexible staffing, employment status and pensions
Review fixed-term, part-time, agency and freelance arrangements, together with pension and retirement commitments.
- Fixed-term employment contracts in Germany
- Extending a fixed-term employment contract
- Part-time and temporary part-time work
- Mini-jobs and marginal employment
- Partial retirement and occupational pensions
Labour court proceedings and urgent relief
Choose a procedural route that protects the deadline, fits the dispute and supports an informed decision on settlement or judgment.
Further areas of employment law
European employment law and cross-border remedies
EU employment law shapes German rules on working conditions, equality, transfers and employee representation. The route from a European rule to a particular claim needs careful analysis.
Occupational health, safety and workplace reintegration
Employers need a workable prevention system as well as a lawful response when an employee cannot work safely or returns after illness.
Employee inventions, confidentiality and non-compete clauses
Protect business knowledge and employee-created assets with rules that fit German employment and intellectual property law.
Public-sector employment and staff representation
Public-sector employment requires attention to collective terms, public-law constraints and the distinction between employees and civil servants.
Apprenticeships, internships and young workers
Choose the correct training arrangement and review its documentation, remuneration, supervision and termination rules.
Employment mediation, settlement and enforcement
A negotiated resolution can protect an ongoing working relationship or bring an exit dispute to a clear conclusion. The agreement still needs to be enforceable and complete.
Documents and practical support
Templates and checklists · Insights and annual archive · Our offices