The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Denmark > Employment

Bech-Bruun's team is highly experienced in restructurings, regulatory issues, employment litigation, immigration matters and outsourcings, and counts Danish State Railways, Region Zealand and Joe & the Juice as clients. Lise Lauridsen leads the team and recently advised an oil and gas company on employment aspects of an acquisition in the energy sector, and assisted with Teradyne's acquisition of Mobile Industrial Robots. Morten Ulrich is very active in the public sector; he recently acted for the Board for Wages and Tariffs in an arbitration relating to changes to on-duty work for head doctors at public hospitals. Newly promoted partner Sandro Ratkovic is experienced in handling executive service agreements.

Jonas Enkegaard heads up the group at Horten and focuses on the employment aspects of acquisitions; the practice also handles collective agreements, executive liability matters and transactional work. Recent highlights include Enkegaard assisting NGF Nature Energy with its takeover by a consortium of investors, public sector expert Erik Wendelboe Christiansen advising the City of Copenhagen on TUPE regulations relating to outsourcings and public tenders, and Marianne Lage handling Areco Profiles' settlements with its former owner and his wife following a takeover and subsequent termination of their employment. Other clients include Discovery Networks and North Media Group. Managing partner Finn Schwarz is recognised for his work on executive service agreements and severance agreements.

The department at Kromann Reumert is 'very competent and engaged' and provides 'to-the-point advice'. Key practitioners include practice head Helene Amsinck, who has extensive experience in handling the employment elements of transactions; Marianne Granhøj, who advised Gjensidige on its collective redundancy process; Jens Lund Mosbek, who is acting for the Municipality of Horsens in a discrimination claim brought by an employee; and Tina Brøgger Sørensen, who acted for Linco Food Systems in a disability discrimination claim filed by two employees.

Employment boutique Norrbom Vinding has 'an exceptionally high service level' thanks to a very responsive' team led by managing partner Jørgen Vinding, who is noted for his expertise in employment litigation and investigations. Vinding recently advised the Capital Region of Denmark on an investigation into the alleged gross misconduct of an executive during a tender process. Other key mandates include discrimination and international relations expert Yvonne Frederiksen assisting CityJet with the renewal of its collective bargaining agreements with its pilots and cabin crew, and Christian K. Clasen representing the SAS Group in a class action brought by retired cabin attendants relating to monthly pension supplements. Morten Langer is now at Accura Advokatpartnerselskab.

Bruun & Hjejle fields 'a great team of people', who are 'happy to work hard' for a client roster, which includes Goldman Sachs and PKA Pension. Department head Elise Ross-Hansen is highly skilled in incentive schemes, business transfers and restructurings; she recently advised Evolva Biotech on its restructuring activities, which included the redundancy and relocation of multiple employees.

Gorrissen Federspiel's practice is jointly led by litigator and EU law expert Jacob Sand, who is 'very competent' and 'a very nice person'; and transactional specialist Morten Skjønnemand. Sand recently acted for the labour union Forbundshus in a case alleging discrimination on the grounds of an employee's obesity, and Skjønnemand assisted Orphazyme with the employment aspects of its IPO on Nasdaq Copenhagen. The Danish National Bank and Danish Crown are also clients. Litigator Anne Skjold Qvortrup is an expert in cases involving both Danish and EU law.

Employment boutique Labora Legal attracts praise for 'knowing the market and labour law matters in detail', and clients single out Jeppe Høyer Jørgensen, who 'understands the law and the practical needs of his clients and considers their circumstances and field of business'. Recent highlights include Jørgensen advising Teva on the employment elements of its restructuring, Tina Reissmann acting for Colgate Palmolive on its reorganisation including the termination of multiple senior managers, and financial services and real estate sector expert Anne Kathrine Schøn assisting Ejendomsinvest with the dismissal of an employee who was using his role to promote personal business activities. Other key names include Catrine Søndergaard Byrne, who focuses on data protection and GDPR compliance; and Signe Renée West, who is highly skilled in the employment aspects of M&A transactions.

The team at Plesner is 'very professional, reactive and dedicated' with a client roster, which includes Danske Bank and Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets. Group co-head Henriette Stakemann is an expert in cross-border transactions and incentive programmes; she advised Netcompany Group on the employment elements of its IPO on Nasdaq Copenhagen. Fellow practice Lise Høy Falsner is an experienced litigator with transactional expertise; she acted for Next Education Copenhagen in a dispute relating to a teacher's notice period.

Poul Schmith has expertise in all aspects of employment law with notable experience in the public sector. Recent work for the team includes acting for the Danish Ministry of Defence Personnel Agency in a claim brought by trade union HK relating to the right for two employees to be granted ten additional pension years, and advising the Danish Customs and Tax Administration on the dismissal of a civil servant. The practice recently experienced substantial change; Lene Damkjær Christensen departed to Damkjær Lauritzen Advokatfirma, Niels Banke  also left and Jonas Blegvad Jensens joined from Kromann Reumert.

Accura Advokatpartnerselskab's team includes the 'exceptional' Anja Staugaard Jensen, who 'is always very quick to react to requests' and 'comes back with sound and well-founded advice'. She recently assisted Hapaq-LIoyd with the dismissal of multiple employees. Nicolai Hesgaard was a new arrival in March 2019 from Elmann and cross-border specialist Morten Langer joined from Norrbom Vinding; Langer now leads the practice.

DLA Piper Denmark is highly skilled in contentious matters and also handles data protection and M&A-related employment work. Litigation specialist Nina Wedsted leads the practice and regularly acts on cases pertaining to dismissals, incentive schemes and share option plans; she recently acted for Projectum in a dispute against two former employees who breached their contracts by moving to a competitor.

The department at Elmann provides 'pragmatic' and 'business-oriented solutions' with particular expertise in dismissals, benefit schemes, transactional support and investigations. Key names include Henrik Græsdal, who is involved in the public sector, and Stine Bernt Stryhn, who regularly handles the employment aspects of transactions. Nicolai Hesgaard joined Accura Advokatpartnerselskab in March 2019.

IUNO provides general employment advice to various multinational clients and is praised for its 'flexibility', 'open mindedness' and 'new approach to legal challenges'. Practice head Anders Etgen Reitz is an expert in matters with an international or Nordic element, and Søren Hessellund Klausen focuses on restructurings, business transfers and redundancies.

Skau Reipurth & Partnere is 'very quick to respond', 'always available' and 'provides appropriate solutions', and clients praise group head Frederik Brocks, who is 'very thorough when working with cases' and 'sees issues that others won't'. Brocks recently advised Itinera on the employment agreements related to its construction of two hospitals and Femern Belt Bridge, and Bo Enevold Uhrenfeldt, who is an expert in examining collective agreements and public procurement labour clauses, acted for the Danish Dental Association in an arbitration with Danish Regions concerning a collective agreement.

Clemens has a broad employment practice with group head Tommy Angermair handling matters across data protection, incentive compensation schemes, M&A and litigation. Recently he advised Nordic Choice Hotels on the employment issues surrounding its acquisition of Hilton Copenhagen Airport Hotel, and assisted Sportmaster with its GDPR compliance.

Lund Elmer Sandager's department is led by Michael Møller Nielsen, who has broad expertise in employment law and is notably strong in collective bargaining agreements; he advised Espresso House and Ryanair respectively on their collective bargaining agreements. Associate Julie Flindt Rasmussen is also a key name to note.

The team at Lundgrens has 'expert knowledge', 'a high degree of flexibility' and 'professional and clear communication' under the leadership of Anne Marie Abrahamson, who is 'super responsive' and 'always provides timely, high-quality advice'. Abrahamson's recent work includes advising on the employment aspects of multiple transactions including Virtus Health's acquisition of the Trianglen Fertility Clinic in Copenhagen and Restamax’s acquisition of the Danish restaurant chain Cocks & Cows.

Nielsen Nørager's team is jointly led by Niels Henrik Nielsen and Thomas Mygind; Nielsen is particularly strong in collective bargaining agreements, and Mygind has expertise in redundancies and outsourcings. Aldi and Red Bull are key clients.

The 'proactive, friendly and exceptionally professional' group at NJORD Law Firm focuses on employment litigation, agreements, incentive schemes and data protection matters. Miriam Michaelsen leads the practice and is an expert in handling contracts, disputes and negotiations with unions; and Lars Lokdam specialises in transactional issues.

Bird & Bird Advokatpartnerselskab provides 'practical answers and solutions' with a service that is 'always fast and professional'. Søren Narv Pedersen leads the team and has recently handled employee dismissals, TUPE regulations and collective bargaining agreements.

Moalem Weitemeyer Bendtsen is noted for its strength in employee incentive scheme work as well as handling the employment aspects of M&A deals. Team head Pernille Nørkær recently advised Landis+Gyr on its day-to-day employment issues, senior associate Henning Hedegaard Thomsen is an expert in incentive schemes, and senior associate Poul Guo is experienced in dismissals and severance agreements.

The 'extremely skilled' and 'highly experienced' practice at SIRIUS advokater is particularly strong in employment-related disputes. Practice co-head Pernille Backhausen, who is 'extremely knowledgeable' and 'greatly respected in the field', recently acted for the CEO of Europark's Danish operations in a dispute relating to his dismissal and the subsequent establishment of a similar company, and fellow co-head Benjamin Lundström advised Connect Denmark on its restructuring and the resulting terminations and new employment agreements. Senior associate Helle Nøhr Larsen is also singled out for her 'down-to-earth and accommodating approach, which is exceptional and inspiring'.