Key Contacts

Almudena Álvarez

Almudena Álvarez is Managing Partner of álvarez lentner – a Spanish boutique law firm which is exclusively specialized in providing Labor and Employment Law counsel to national and international companies.

Almudena advises clients on a national and international level on all personnel matters with a strong focus on litigation. She also has wide experience in restructuring processes and collective negotiation with trade unions.

Almudena is also a Professor at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Madrid) where she teaches employment and labor litigation.

Specific skills:

• Employment & Labor Litigation.
• Restructurings & Reorganizations.

Languages:

• Spanish
• English
• German
• French

Professional memberships:

• New York State Bar Association
• Member of the Executive Committee of AIJA
• Member of FORELAB

Education:

• Universidad Autónoma de Madrid – J.D. 2007
• Universidad Autónoma de Madrid – Political Science and Administration 2007
• Universität zu Köln – ERASMUS Program 2006-2007
• University of Miami – LL.M. U.S. & Transnational Law 2011
• Instituto de Estudios Bursátiles de Madrid – Executive Program in Business Management and Strategic Planning 2017

Claude Bleser

Claude Bleser is a founding partner of ADAM & BLESER a Luxembourg law firm, established in 1996, whose activities cover all aspects of domestic and international civil, commercial and corporate law, with a special focus on Employment and Labour law.

He is a member of the Luxembourg Bar since 1990 and served as a member of the Luxembourg Bar Council from 2002 to 2004.

Claude’s practice focuses on providing counsel on a wide range of Employment and Labour law for employees and employers in both the private and the public sector.

He also is a lecturer at the “Chambre des Métiers” (Chamber of Trade and Crafts) and with the “House of Training”, an organisation which aim is to provide continuing professional training to meet the needs of the Luxembourg economy.

Specific skills:

• Employment Litigation
• Individual & Collective Dismissals
• Senior Executive Terminations & Disputes
• Human Resource Policies

Languages:

• English
• French
• German
• Luxembourgish

Professional memberships:

• Luxembourg Bar Association

Education:

University of Aix-Marseille, France – Master’s degree in Private Law, 1989

Dan Begbie-Clench

Dan Begbie-Clench is a Partner at Doyle Clayton, a leading specialist firm of Employment and Business Immigration lawyers in the United Kingdom.

His practice focuses on advising multinationals and SMEs on a range of strategic Employment and Labor Law matters, including as part of corporate transactions. He is particularly noted for his counsel on redundancy processes, reorganisations, dismissals, TUPE transfers, discrimination and unfair dismissal claims, in addition to High Court claims to enforce restrictions and prevent employees from using confidential information.

Before qualifying as a lawyer Dan studied at a French university and went on to work at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

Specific skills:

• Employment Law
• Employment Litigation
• Human Resources Policies
• Protecting Confidential Information
• Reorganisations & Restructurings
• Transfers of Business

Languages:

• English
• French
• Italian

Professional memberships:

• Employment Lawyers’ Association (UK)

Education:

• University of Sheffield (UK) – J.D. 1999
• Université de Nancy II (France) – J.D. 1998 French Law

Hans Graf

Hans Graf is the Founding Partner and Managing Partner of Graf & Partner – a Swiss boutique law firm based in Zürich, which provides Employment and Labor Law counsel to national and international companies.

Hans has a wealth of experience advising on a wide range of Employment and Labor Law matters such as employment contracts, directives, executive contracts, incentive and benefit schemes, individual and collective dismissals, restructurings and reorganisations, as well as representation in court proceedings.

Specific skills:

• Employment Litigation
• Human Resource Policies
• Individual & Collective Dismissals
• Restructurings & Reorganizations

Languages:

• German
• English
• French
• Spanish

Professional Memberships:

• ABA – American Bar Association
• New York Bar Association
• Swiss Bar Association
• Zurich Bar Association

Education:

• University of Chicago Law School – LL.M 1991
• University of Berne – PhD 1986
• University of Berne – JD magna cum laude 1984

Marijke Granier-Guillemarre

Marijke Granier-Guillemarre is the Founding Partner and Managing Partner of MGG LEGAL – a French boutique law firm which is exclusively specialized in Employment and Labor Law.

Marijke advises both national and multinational clients on a range of contentious and non-contentious Employment and Labor Law matters. Her practice is particularly well known for providing counsel on day-to-day employment matters (employment contracts, remuneration, pension plans, life insurance plans, termination) as well as collective employment matters – including working time, employee savings, and relations with staff representative bodies. In addition, Marijke also heads MGG Voltaire’s newly created German desk.

She is recognized internationally for her work in the field of French employment and labour law by leading international legal guides. In their words:

• Marijke Granier-Guillemarre demonstrates a “real command of the international environment”
                       – Legal 500 Paris 2016
• “Everybody agrees on her competence and ability to understand and analyse a problem and then propose a business-oriented solution.”
  “Her professional rigour, responsiveness and proximity to the business world have allowed us to successfully overcome the various legal hurdles that we had to cross.”
  “She is our legal business partner and is highly valued by our legal department.”
  “She thinks with the business in terms of solutions, rather than just throwing legal opinions at us as to what we cannot do”
                       – International Law Office – Client Choice Awards 2014

Marijke has also been recognized for her work by the Expert Guides Women in Business Law report as well as Best Lawyers.

She regularly publishes articles on employment law in addition to giving lectures for Montpellier University’s Employment Relations Practices Masters.

Specific skills:

• Human Resource Policies
• Transfers of People
• Transfers of Business
• Restructurings & Reorganisation

Spoken languages:

• French
• German
• English

Professional Memberships:

• AVOSIAL – French Employment Law Working Group
• ANDRH – French HR Working Group
• EELA – European Employment Lawyers Association
• Paris Bar Association

Education:

• University of Montpellier/Paris II – Masters in Employment Law 1997
• University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne – LLM 1996
• University of Cologne Germany – LLM 1994

Olivier Rijckaert

Olivier Rijckaert is a Founding Partner of SOTRA – a Belgian boutique law firm which is exclusively specialized in providing Employment and Labor Law counsel.

Olivier, who has over 20 years of experience advising national and international organizations including government agencies, provides legal advice on a wide range of Employment and Labor Law. In particular, his practice focuses on corporate reorganizations, dismissals and employee benefits – in addition to more ‘modern’ workplace issues such as Smart Working, discrimination, privacy, and intellectual property. Olivier has acted as a Deputy Judge at the Employment Tribunal of Namur – a role he served for over 8 years.

Olivier has been recognized as a Leader in his field by one of the top independent international legal guides. In their words:

•  Sources highlight Olivier Rijckaert’s extensive knowledge: “His strength is his in-depth knowledge of company and business matters combined with honesty and accessibility. He is a good listener.“- Chambers Europe 2017
• Olivier Rijckaert is highlighted by clients for his in-depth knowledge of different domains. He focuses on employment flexibility and privacy matters…
                       – Chambers Europe 2016

Specific skills:

• Dismissals: Individual & Collective
• Discrimination
• Human Resource Policies
• Trade Union Negotiations
• Reorganisations & Restructurings

Languages:

• French
• English
• Dutch

Professional Memberships:

• ABA – American Bar Association
• AJPDS – Association des Juristes Praticiens du Droit Social

Education:

• The Catholic University of Louvain – Masters with Honours 1995
• Notre-Dame de la Paix University – J.D. with Honours 1992

Romain Adam

Romain Adam is a founding partner of ADAM & BLESER a Luxembourg law firm, established in 1996, whose activities cover all aspects of domestic and international civil, commercial and corporate law, with a special focus on Employment and Labour law.

Romain acts for both corporate and individual clients and has in recent years spent much time advising senior executives.

Romain also has significant experience of negotiating collective bargaining agreements and social plans.

Romain has been recognized as one of the Leaders in his field by one of the top independent international legal guides:

“Romain Adam of Adam & Bleser is one of the leading labour litigators in the country and almost exclusively represents employees both in settlement negotiations and in-court proceedings. “He is a very experienced lawyer in this regard and does a lot of big settlement cases for former CEOs”.

– Chambers Europe 2019.

Specific skills:

• Employment Litigation
• Individual & Collective Dismissals
• Senior Executive Terminations & Disputes
• Human Resource Policies
• Reorganizations & Restructurings
• Trade Union Negotiations

Languages:

• English
• French
• German
• Luxembourgish

Professional memberships:

• Luxembourg Bar Association
• ELSA – Employment Law Specialists Association Luxembourg, Director
• ALDE – Association luxembourgeoise pour le Droit de l’Environnement

Education:

University of Aix-Marseille, France – Master’s degree in Private Law, 1988