Senior Associate - Employment (3-6 years PQE) (m/w/d)
Employment Law | Senior Associate/Counsel (m/f/d) | Leading US Law Firm | Berlin
Location: Berlin Firm: Leading US Law Firm (name withheld at this stage) Practice Area: Employment Law (Arbeitsrecht) Level: 5-7 Years PQE
Are you an Employment Law specialist looking for your next move? I'm currently partnering with a leading US law firm in Berlin, looking to strengthen their Employment Law team with a Senior Associate or Counsel-level hire.
What You'll Be Doing
- Advising clients on the full employment lifecycle, including hiring, executive contracts, restructurings, and senior-level separations.
- Advising on labour law due diligence for cross-border M&A, including PMI and § 613a BGB transfers
- Acting as a trusted advisor to works councils, trade unions, and HR stakeholders on collective and individual employment matters
- Supporting international clients on cross-border employment issues, secondments, and the harmonisation of group policy with German labour law
- Beginning to take on business development and client-facing responsibility, with mentoring input into junior associates
What We're Looking For
- Qualified German lawyer (Volljurist/in), ideally with a specialisation in Employment Law (Fachanwalt/Fachanwältin für Arbeitsrecht) or a clear intention to pursue one
- 5-7 years' PQE in Employment Law, gained at a law firm (ideally international or US platform experience) or a strong in-house background
- Solid academic results across both State Examinations; strong candidates with a well-rounded profile are encouraged to reach out regardless of exact grades
- Fluent German and strong business English (additional languages a plus, particularly for international-facing roles)
- A proactive, commercially minded approach, comfortable advising both domestic and international clients, and ready to step into a more senior, client-facing capacity
Why Make the Move
- Join a genuinely leading US platform in Berlin, known for sophisticated, high-value employment matters
- Exposure to collective bargaining, complex restructurings, and cross-border advisory work at a senior level
- A clear path towards Counsel and beyond, with strong training, mentorship, and increasing autonomy
- Competitive, market-aligned compensation, benchmarked to US-firm standards and your experience level
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