ELLINT’s members confirm their strong positions as leading Employment & Labor law firms & lawyers with several rankings and great clients’ quotes in the Legal 500 EMEA guide for 2024 recently published.
Belgium
Boutique firm Sotra maintains a ‘very professional and specialised‘ team that acts for corporate and public sector clients across the full breadth of social and employment law. In addition to advising on routine employment matters such as individual dismissals and collective bargaining, the team is also capable of handling the contentious and non-contentious aspects of company policy roll-outs, TUPE and restructuring projects, and disciplinary investigations. Practice head Olivier Rijckaert is noted for his dismissal and union negotiation expertise, while Marian Dewaersegger stands out for her ability to represent clients in contentious matters. Jonathan De Wilde frequently leads on public sector work, while Noël Lambert handles work for clients in the healthcare sector.
The firm gets a Tier 3 ranking while Olivier Rijckaert is ranked as Leading Individual while recently appointed Managing Partner Marian Dewaersegger is ranked as Next Generation Partner.
Practice head(s): Olivier Rijckaert
Other key lawyers: Marian Dewaersegger; Noël Lambert; Jonathan De Wilde; Valentin Hanquet; Karel Devloo
Client Testimonials
‘I personally work most with Marian Dewaersegger, who is a really competent social lawyer and has built credibility with our social partners and management. She has a real customer focus and delivers on time. She will also not shy away from challenging us as she deems necessary.’
‘Sotra is a team of lawyers who are very professional and specialised in social law. They have great expertise which supports our international company. We can easily and quickly contact Sotra if needed.’
‘We have worked with Olivier Rijckaert and with Valentin Hanquet. Both have a lot of knowledge and experience in social law. I trust their analysis and I follow their advice.’
‘What makes this firm unique for me is the speed with which it reacts to requests, the quality of its answers/analyses, the relevance of its interventions, and above all the fact that it knows us in terms of personnel and activities.’
‘Olivier Rijckaert and Valentin Hanquet have both theoretical and practical knowledge of social legislation. They do their utmost to find the best solution for us, while always reminding us of the risks, advantages and disadvantages.’
‘Marian Dewaersegger consistently provides an outstanding service. She is a lawyer that doesn’t only sees the law but also tries to assess a particular situation from all angles (including social and financial). This, again, is done whilst keeping a human-centric approach. Marian is also excellent at giving different scenarios and allows a reflection from the client too.’
‘It is very special to work with them because they have prompt knowledge in complex labour laws and are also very familiar with the retail sector.’
‘Strong collaboration and coherence between the associates and partners, very good follow-up, easy and rapid interaction, efficient.’
Denmark
Mette Klingsten of Mette Klingsten Law Firm is ranked as a Leading Individual practitioner in Denmark.
France
A leading employment boutique, MGG Legal leverages its in-depth knowledge of cross-border legal environments, particularly the German market, to assist a range of clients. The group is co-managed by Marijke Granier-Guillemarre, who is a specialist in large-scale reorganisations, project management and restructurings, and Loïc Héron who has expertise in employment and labour litigation and collective dismissals.
The firm gets a Tier 3 ranking.
Practice head(s):
Marijke Granier-Guillemarre; Loïc Héron
Testimonials
‘Marijke Granier-Guillemarre – super creative, expert, professional, creative.’
‘Long-time advisor to our company in matters of social law, they know our company very well and their advice is always very effective and pragmatic.’
‘ Customer focused – clear communications – fast in replying to emails and calls – very good legal skills – very good English language skills’
Germany
Employment boutique Altenburg Fachanwälte für Arbeitsrecht, which exclusively specialises in employer advice, operates from three German locations and assists with individual and collective employment issues; cross-border matters are handled via an international network. Key contacts include Charlotte Beck, who is experienced in works constitution law, company pension schemes and co-determination issues, and Axel Schmädicke, who focuses on restructuring and reorganisation as well as on associated staff reductions and company transfers.
The firm gets a Tier 6 ranking.
Other key lawyers:
Stephan Altenburg; Marc Spielberger; Eva Stark; Dirk Schnelle; Steffen Lenk; Charlotte Beck; Bernhard Groß; Axel Schmädicke; Nicolas Roggel
Testimonials
‘I experience a smooth collaboration within the law firm, without me as a client having the feeling that my issues are being pushed from one person to another. The know-how on our specific features appears to be sensibly prepared and available to everyone, which ensures a consistently high quality of cooperation.’
‘Eva Stark impresses with her very detailed way of working in the difficult environment of co-determined digitalization. She is also able to skillfully manage the sometimes very different moods within our group of companies.’
‘Charlotte Beck: Outstanding lawyer in labor law as well as in theory and in court. Confident and with integrity. Comprehensive knowledge that is quickly put into practice.’
Italy
Recently expanding its practice with a new office in Bergamo, Lexellent advises its clients across the gamut of the employment field, including assisting on reorganisations, HR management and trade union negotiations as well as day-to-day advisory work. The practice is led by managing partner Giulietta Bergamaschi who advises on personnel management, trade union negotiations and management plans. In May 2023, Matteo Luzzana and Martina Rovetta joined the firm as partner and of counsel respectively.
The firm is ranked in Tier 4.
Practice head(s):
Giulietta Bergamaschi
Luxembourg
Employment boutique Adam & Bleser has ‘deep experience on the Luxembourg market,’ leveraging its strong overarching litigation smarts to good effect to provide ‘pragmatic and solutions oriented’ advice across a myriad of contentious employment law matters. Although it does handle some work for employers, including within the public sector, the team is undoubtedly best-known for its representation of executives in disputes, an area that Romain Adam is particularly accomplished, including in the context of settlement agreements. Other recommended practitioners include the ‘very experienced’ Claude Bleser, who ‘has good technical skills,’ Dominique Farys, who is ‘extremely experienced with regard to Luxembourg labour law’ and the ‘proactive’ Julien Konsbruck, who ‘provides strong representation on high value cases.’
The firm gets a Tier 2 ranking while Romain Adam is ranked as Leading Individual.
Practice head(s):
Romain Adam; Claude Bleser; Dominique Farys; Stéphanie Anen
Other key lawyers:
Julien Konsbruck; Melvin Roth; Melanie Hubsch; Ornella Mastrangelo
Testimonials
‘They are responsive, have high technical expertise but are also pragmatic and solutions oriented.’
‘I appreciate their reactivity and deep experience on the Luxembourg market.’
‘Romain Adam is well experienced and knows market practice which avoids unexpected surprises in the context of negotiations of settlement agreements.’
Poland
The employment specialists at boutique law firm Zawirska Ruszczyk Sp. k. advise clients on a range of matters, including the implementation of amendments to Polish labour law, internal work policies, redundancies and compliance-related issues. It can also be seen handling negotiations with trade unions and employee-related court disputes. Patrycja Zawirska specialises in complex reorgansiations and restructurings, while Grzegorz Ruszczyk handles disputes regarding the termination of employment contracts; the duo jointly head up the practice.
The firm gets a Tier 3 while Patrycja Zawirska is ranked as Leading Individual.
Practice head(s):
Patrycja Zawirska; Grzegorz Ruszczyk
Other key lawyers:
Marta Rogocz; Andrzej Orzechowski
Testimonials
‘This practice stands out for its unique approach to addressing employment law challenges and providing seamless solutions for clients. What potential clients should know about the team’s strengths and key capabilities is their deep expertise in employment law and unique approach to the customer.’
‘I highly recommend Patrycja Zawirska for anyone seeking expert legal counsel in the field of employment law. Her extensive knowledge and experience in this area have proven invaluable to me and many others. Her dedication to clients, attention to detail, and ability to navigate complex employment issues makes her an exceptional choice for legal representation.’
‘Zawirska Ruszczyk is distinguished by excellent knowledge of market realities, substantive recommendations, excellent communication with the client, and sensitivity to client needs in a broader business perspective.’
Romania
Employment law boutique Suciu – The Employment Law Firm is ‘a trusted partner in navigating the complex landscape of employment law‘. Offering support in issues from collective redundancies arising out of corporate restructuring to sensitive investigations and collective bargaining agreements, the team’s experience runs the gamut of contentious and non-contentious employment matters. An increasing area of focus for the team is the implications of teleworking for companies with employees working from countries other than their home country both in terms of tax and legal concerns. Team head Andreea Suciu works closely with Teodora Manaila, together they are described as being ‘a pleasure to collaborate with‘.
The firm is ranked in Tier 3.
Practice head(s):
Andreea Suciu
Other key lawyers:
Teodora Manaila
Testimonials
‘Andreea Suciu and Teodora Manaila are a pleasure to collaborate with and find solutions to some specific cases. ’
‘The team provides clear and on-point advice, sees the problem that must be solved from all angles and by doing this allows the client to make an informed decision.’
‘Andreea Suciu and Teodora Manaila have very good knowledge of Romanian law.’
To view the full EMEA rankings for 2024, click here.
