Legal advice will be required when planning, drafting, and implementing a benefit plan. The employee benefit lawyer will work closely with tax lawyers, and in case of pension plans, with actuaries in order to be able to offer the client comprehensive advice.
When introducing, altering, or closing benefit plans that cover not only senior executives, the co-determination rights of a works council representing the employees of the relevant company will have to be observed. Conflicts arising between employers and works councils will be dealt with in a specific dispute resolution process and under certain circumstances in court. Both during the formal dispute resolution process as well as in court the parties will often rely on the advice of their employee benefit lawyer.
When companies are restructured, and in case of M&A transactions where business are bought and sold or restructured, employee benefits lawyers are called upon to identify the issues arising during the transaction and will work with the client and the deal lawyer to find a legally and economically acceptable solution to these issues. ","DefinitionIsActive":true,"DefinitionCanDisplay":true,"DefinitionAuthorHtml":"Dr. Barbara Geck","DefinitionAuthorFirmId":42757,"DefinitionAuthorFirmName":"Bird & Bird","DefinitionAuthorFirmHasProfile":false,"DefinitionAuthorFirmHasBlfProfile":false,"DefinitionAuthorFirmProfileImageUrl":null,"DefinitionAuthorFirmBlfProfileUrl":null,"DefinitionAuthorFirmProfileUrl":null,"OverviewHtml":"","OverviewCanDisplay":false,"OverviewAuthorHtml":"","OverviewViewUrl":"https://www.bestlawyers.com/germany/employee-benefits-law","OverviewIsActive":false,"OverviewAuthorFirmId":null,"OverviewAuthorFirmName":null,"OverviewAuthorFirmHasProfile":false,"OverviewAuthorFirmHasBlfProfile":false,"OverviewAuthorFirmProfileImageUrl":null,"OverviewAuthorFirmProfileUrl":null,"DefinitionViewUrl":"https://www.bestlawyers.com/methodology/practice-areas/germany/employee-benefits-law","OverviewAuthorFirmBlfProfileUrl":null,"LexicographicSortName":"3228","SearchItemType":1048576,"SearchItemTypeName":"PracticeAreaDefinition","SearchSortOrder":16,"SortTitle":"3228","HideFromSearch":false}};