Michael Magotsch, LL.M. (Georgetown)

Partner
Rechtsanwalt

Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Michael Magotsch has over 30 years of experience in advising global companies in all aspects of German labor and employment law. His practice focuses on national and cross-border restructurings, acquisitions, redundancies and outsourcing measures.

He also advises C-level executives in transition or exit scenarios as well as supervisory boards in sensitive disputes with C-level executives.

Michael held various management positions for other law firms.

He was Coudert Brothers` Head of the EU Employment Practice as well as Country Managing Partner for Germany until 2005. He started DLA Piper`s Frankfurt office and was Office Managing Partner until 2009.

Michael is a lecturer of business and social law at SRH University Heidelberg/Germany.

  • Viskase Companies, Inc. on complex restructuring measures including mass dismissals and collective bargaining negotiations with IGBCE
  • EIT Health e.V. on setting up new management structures in the EU and Germany
  • H.B. Fuller in relation with their acquisition of Swiss Forbo plants in Germany and the shut down of selected German production sites
  • MAS Malaysian Airlines on its complete shutdown of all its German and most EU hubs
  • BENTELER Group in complex disputes with individual works council representatives and IG Metall
  • SEG Samsung on day-to-day L&E advice of their German HQ; also served as Co-Client Partner with David Lee in Seoul
  • AT&T on all restructuring negotiations in Germany plus their high-level pension litigation in Germany
  • LEAR Corporation on all individual- and collective L&L issues and on their acquisition of RECARO Seats.
  • HONEYWELL Aerospace in all collective employment matters and on restructurings
  • Arcadia Group (former Sears Womenswear, Wallis, Topshop, Burton, Miss Selfridge) on establishing its German business and when shutting down all of its 62 outlets in Germany
  • German privatization agency/Treuhand on the privatization of the GDR chemical industry, in particular on the sale of LEUNA/MINOL to the French oil company Elf Acquitaine

(includes work for other law firms)

Chambers, Legal 500, Juve

Regularly listed for over a decade

 Best Lawyers in Germany

Regularly listed for over a decade in „Labor & Employment”

Since 2021
Partner at Rimôn Falkenfort

Since 2019
Founder of MMAC Arbeitsrechtcoaching

Since 2019
Non-Executive Board Member of MaquraGruppe Heidelberg

Since 2018
Lecturer of L&E Law, School of Social and Legal Sciences SRH University Heidelberg

2017 – 2019
Of Counsel at international US law firm in Frankfurt

2005 – 2016
Partner at international UK law firm in Frankfurt

1993 – 2005
Lawyer at international US law firm in Frankfurt

1991 – 1993
Senior Associate at international US law firm in Frankfurt

1986 – 1991
Associate at German law firm in Munich

1985
Foreign Associate at US law firm in Washington and London

1985
Master of Law (LL.M), GULC Georgetown Universität

1983
Second State Exam in Law, Bavaria

1981
First State Exam in Law, LMU University of Munich

  • DLA/Herzog, Fox & Neeman Breakfast Seminar on EU Employment Laws, Tel Aviv, September 2015
  • Personalwirtschaft: Annual FRA-Airport Roundtable on Employment Law, 2005 until 2016 Panel member
  • FINANCE-TV, TV channel of FINANCE, one of the leading magazines on the financial markets: interview on relaxation of employment termination rules in large banks in Germany („Brexit-SteuerbegleitG“), March 2019
  • Various Annual IBA Conferences 2001 – 2016 Panel Member
  • Key Aspects of German Employment and Labour Law, 2nd edition 2018, Springer Verlag, with Jens Kirchner / Pascal Kremp
    https://www.springer.com/de/book/9783662555965
  • Employment, Trends and Developments in Germany, Chambers Global Practice Guides 2018, Chambers and Partners, with Martin Lüderitz / Jens Peters
  • Employment & Labour Law, International Series, 6th edition 2015, Thomson Reuters, German Chapter with Sascha Morgenroth
  • Employment & Labour Law, European Lawyer Reference, 5th edition 2014, Thomson Reuters, German Chapter, with Sascha Morgenroth
  • Employment & Labour Law, European Lawyer Reference, 4th edition 2012, Thomson Reuters, German Chapter with Sascha Morgenroth
  • Employment & Labour Law, European Lawyer Reference, 3rd edition 2010, Thomson Reuters, German Chapter
  • Key Aspects of German Employment and Labour Law, 2010, Springer Verlag, with Jens Kirchner / Pascal Kremp
  • Be aware: cancellation of direct insurance for pension schemes (damage claims on vested rights) DER BETRIEB, 12 March 2019
    BAG Federal labor court ruling on so-called substitute holidays, DER BETRIEB, 12 November 2018
  • DSGVO: Am Ball bleiben (on the EU GDPR data protection), ADP Personalmanager October 2018 (with Dominik Weiss)
  • Die Angst vor Bußgeldern geht um (on GDPR compliance risks in Germany) Personalwirtschaft October 2018 (with Dominik Weiss)
  • BAG Federal labor court ruling on making it easier to end employment (Lies don`t travel far – or do they?), DER BETRIEB, 11 September 2018
  • BAG Federal labor court ruling on business transfers in Germany (increased risks for transferors in TUPE situations), DER BETRIEB, 17 July 2018
  • Das Recht, unerreichbar zu sein (on the right to disconnect) Personalwirtschaft October 2017 (with Martin Lüderitz)
  • Der HR Manager als Compliance Officer der Zukunft (on compliance issues), Interview in Personalwirtschaft October 2016
  • Deutsche Mitbestimmung im Ausland?  (German co-determination on board level) Personalwirtschaft October 2015
  • Nicht gegen geltendes Recht verstoßen (on strict compliance structures), Personalwirtschaft October 2014 (with Sascha Morgenroth)
  • Mass redundancies in insolvency scenarios (with Oliver Otto), Mondaq, October 2023
  • ESG – Sollte in Krisenzeiten „G“overnance durch „C“ompliance ersetzt werden? Aufsichtsräte seid wachsam! (with Oliver Otto), Mondaq, July 2023
  • Webinar auf Abruf: Deutsche Staatshilfen - kommt die Masseninsolvenz als nächstes? (with Oliver Otto), Mondaq, October 2022
  • Staatliche Beihilfen in Deutschland – Änderungen beim Kurzarbeitergeld in June (with Oliver Otto), Mondaq, July 2022
  • Jetzt handeln, Nachhaltigkeit und Human Resources (with Oliver Otto, Mondaq, June 2022
  • PSSSST! Geheimnisschutz (on business secrets and non-competes) Interview with Daniel Schönwitz in IMPULSE, April 2019
  • Brexit and the fate of German dismissal protection, Labor Law Magazine (FAZ Fachverlag) 25 March 2019
  • Brexit-Wirbel in der Finanzmarktregulierung (on German Brexit laws with Bernd Geier), Börsenzeitung, 9 March 2019
  • Whistleblower sind in Deutschland bereits gut geschützt (on protection of whistleblowers in Germany), WirtschaftsWoche, 20 November 2018
  • Videoüberwachung der Mitarbeiter – wie viel Big Brother ist erlaubt? (on staff videa surveillance) WirtschaftsWoche, 12 September 2018
  • Hat jeder das Recht auf Abschalten? (on the right to disconnect), WirtschaftsWoche, 18 December 2017
  • German Employee Representation on Board Level – territorial restrictions apply, JD Supra and Lexology, 12 May 2017
  • Step by step: Restructuring Business operations (with Kathrin Schlote), Labor Law Magazine (FAZ Fachverlag), 23 May 2016
  • Vorsicht bei Massenentlassungen (be aware with mass dismissals), FAZ Recht und Steuern, 12 May 2015
  • Regress für Kartellbußen (companies claim antitrust fines from their officers), FAZ Wirtschaft, 3 March 2015
  • Fusionen hängen von der Integration der Mitarbeiter ab (successful M&A transactions require staff integration), Handelsblatt, 15 December 2008
  • Unser Arbeitsrecht überrumpelt viele Amerikaner (US Executives underestimate German labor laws) FAZ Im Gespräch with Michael Magotsch, OMP of DLA Piper in Frankfurt, 15 March 2008
  • Gefährliche Dienstreisen (dangerous business trips abroad), with Jens Kirchner, FAZ Wirtschaft, 10 May 2006
  • Serving Germany, Europe and the World, The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, Interview with Michael Magotsch, CMP and Head of CB`s EU Employment practice, November 2004
  • Für Unternehmen wird die Frühverrentung teurer (old age part time schemes and early retirement are becoming more difficult), with Jens Kirchner), FAZ Wirtschaft, 5 May 2004
  • Nur einmal Geld bei Betriebsschließung (severance to be set off with Nachteilsausgleichen), FAZ Nachgefragt, 8. Dezember 2001