Employment | Europe

Baker McKenzie is a renowned firm with a market-leading employment law practice active in a wide range of European jurisdictions, including the UK and Spain, with further presence in France and Germany. It also has a strong Central and Eastern European practice in Hungary and Poland. The law firm acts for leading multinationals on strategy and employment aspects of cross-border M&A mandates. It is further active in corporate restructuring spanning multiple jurisdictions, and data protection matters. Baker McKenzie has additional expertise in compliance, works council agreements and collective consultations, as well as investigations and litigation.

CMS has an expansive network across Europe, with strong teams in Austria, Germany, France, the UK and Iberia. The law firm has a broad offering, including non-contentious transactional, compliance, restructuring and redundancy matters. It is also active in disputes matters relating to employment tribunals. Clients include large corporates from diverse sectors, such as media, consumer goods, technology and energy, as well as service industry clients.

The firm boasts a strong European employment law practice with highly integrated offices across a number of jurisdictions, including the UK, Germany, the Benelux region and Slovakia. It covers all aspects of employment law, regularly advising on business restructurings and outsourcing, in addition to works councils and regulatory compliance. It additionally assists with employment aspects of M&A, as well as contentious matters, including litigation and investigations. The firm is active in relocations, TUPE and application of global policies, and has experience in handling executive departures. It serves a high-profile clientele, including global financial institutions and major international technology companies. On 1st May 2024, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling merged to form A&O Shearman.

DLA Piper has a strong offering throughout Europe, including Romania, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Hungary and the Nordics. It has a notable practice advising global companies on multi-jurisdictional matters, including restructurings and operation transfers. The law firm has further expertise in employment aspects of cross-border M&A, senior departures and assisting with regulatory compliance. Clients come from a wide range of industry sectors, including technology, financial services and life sciences.

Freshfields has a highly respected European employment practice with notable offices in France, Germany and the UK. The firm is highly active on sophisticated M&A, as well as restructurings. It advises on union and works council matters, in addition to cross-border misconduct investigations and related litigation. It also assists clients with whistleblowing matters, as well as activity relating to executives. Clients include blue-chip companies from the financial services, energy, FMCG and life sciences sectors.

Eversheds Sutherland has a leading offering in the UK, further bolstered by notable branches across CEE. The firm is active on the transactions, advising on TUPE rights and restructurings across multiple jurisdictions. It also assists with contracts, regulations and establishing global policies. Clients hail from the fintech, pharmaceutical and infrastructure sectors.

Eversheds Sutherland has a leading offering in the UK, further bolstered by notable branches across CEE. The firm is active on the transactions, advising on TUPE rights and restructurings across multiple jurisdictions. It also assists with contracts, regulations and establishing global policies. Clients hail from the fintech, pharmaceutical and infrastructure sectors.

Bird & Bird has a solid offering across offices in Finland, Italy, France, Sweden and the UK and an increasing presence in Spain. The firm assists with multi-jurisdictional compliance and advisory matters, as well as outsourcings, restructurings and cross-border M&A. It additionally represents clients in senior executive terminations, redundancies and mass litigation across Europe, as well as global policies. Clients include leading pharmaceutical, consumer goods and technology companies.

Clifford Chance boasts a notable full-service employment law offering with a respected presence in Luxembourg and the UK, as well as France, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. The law firm assists with the employment law aspects of cross-border M&A and restructurings, with further expertise in immigration issues and contractual matters. Clifford Chance also handles high-level international employment litigation and investigations, as well as matters relating to ESG. The firm acts for a broad client base of financial institutions, FMCG corporates and energy and TMT companies.

Linklaters has notable employment practices in the UK, Belgium, Portugal, Spain and Germany. It advises corporations from a number of sectors, including financial institutions, private equity houses and consumer goods companies. The firm specialises in the employment aspects of cross-border M&A and restructurings. It offers further expertise in misconduct investigations, as well as contentious issues involving senior executives and board members, and mass litigation.