European Practice - Employment Law
Our employment law specialists offer expertise in the laws and practice that govern the workplace.
We offer expertise in the drafting of all forms of employment agreements, ranging from sophisticated service agreements for senior executives that include stock option plans to straightforward standard terms for administrative staff. We ensure that the forms of such agreements both include the essential employee protections mandated by statute and provide the maximum protection for the employer permitted by law in such matters as the protection of business secrets and non-competition.
We provide counseling to employers in the development of their workplace policies and procedures. Our lawyers are experienced in the representation of companies in wrongful termination, discrimination and other employee disputes.
Our employment specialists often play a key role in corporate transactions—both in the due diligence phase and the structuring of employee transfers, as well as any subsequent restructuring. We are particularly familiar with the mandatory employee consultation obligations and the laws and procedures governing lay-offs.
Increasingly within Europe, the rights and obligations of employees and employers are derived from regulations emanating from the EU institutions. Many social policy initiatives developed by the European Commission—ranging from working time to parental leave to employee rights on business transfers—have been transposed into the national laws of each of the EU member states. Our lawyers have an in depth understanding of the interplay between the EU initiatives and national employment laws, and how these are applied in practice.
Our lawyers have years of experience in assisting US businesses unfamiliar with the European employment regulation. We help these clients to understand the essential differences between the US and European culture and practice in the workplace.
For more information, please visit our Labor & Employment Practice.