Appreciated by clients for their ‘measured, careful and empathetic’ approach, Arendt & Medernach excels in providing strategic and tailored advice to an employer-focused client base which appraises both the purely legal as well as the business considerations of the client. Team head Philippe Schmit is praised for his ‘ability to find the right balance between the best interests of the client and the level of risk to assume.’ Other key members of the team include Jean-Luc Putz, who provides added bandwidth to clients on white-collar issues affecting their business, including in the context of AML and cybercrime, Lorraine Chéry, who displays ‘an excellent work ethic and provides forthright advice’ and Louis Berns, who despite being less active on fee-earning work is still a key member of the team by virtue of his ability and willingness to share his considerable knowledge and know-how built up over his many years’ of practice.

Independent boutique employment firm Castegnaro, member of Ius Laboris provides ‘pragmatic and clear advice’ to employers from a range of sectors, including retail and finance, across the gamut of non-contentious and contentious issues associated with conducting business in the country. Founding partner Guy Castegnaro has extensive knowledge across the spectrum of local employment laws and as well as keeping clients abreast of hot-button topics and legislative changes, while also regularly providing strategic advice in the context of restructuring, collective dismissals and social security law matters. The ‘very knowledgeable’ Ariane Claverie provides ‘nuanced and user-friendly advice,’ including in the context of terminations, sickness and data protection, and alongside Christophe Domingos, who excels in collective employment matters, rounds out the team at a partner level.

KLEYR GRASSO provides ‘solutions-oriented, dynamic and responsive’ advice across a broad swathe of contentious and non-contentious social and employment law issues impacting employers from a range of industry sectors. Christian Jungers is ‘totally committed and absolutely trustworthy,’ regularly picking up high-profile mandates regarding collective bargaining agreements and social plans, as well as disputes relating to sexual and moral harassment. The ‘exceptional’ Anissa Bali provides ‘high-quality advice’ to new employers establishing in Luxembourg and is also regularly engaged in high-profile termination cases and the subsequent settlement negotiations. Céline Defay is a popular choice among domestic and international corporates seeking reassurance that all their policies comply with Luxembourg labour laws. Philippe Ney's wide-ranging expertise includes the negotiation of social plans and collective bargaining agreements, while ‘very knowledgeable and responsive’ counsel Sandra Rapp excels at advising on cross-border matters.

Led by Anne Morel, BSP provides ‘sound and pragmatic advice’ to employers from a range of industry sectors, including IT, retail and financial services, across a wide array of individual and collective employment law matters, from a contentious and non-contentious perspective. As well as handling large standalone projects, including redundancy matters and transfer of undertakings, Morel regularly advises corporates on a day-to-day basis, where she is appreciated for her understanding of ‘the challenges specific to the HR policy of large companies.’

‘Very dedicated to its clients,’ which include numerous funds, banks and insurance companies, Clifford Chance provides ‘flexible and responsive’ advice across a range of discrete employment issues, as well as in the context of employment support to transactions handled by the firm’s corporate and real estate teams The ‘highly responsive’ Albert Moro is ‘a very experienced negotiator,’ whose expertise spans both litigation and advisory work, including as it relates to redundancies and reorganisations, and defending employers against harassment and discrimination claims. Ada Schmitt co-heads the team alongside Moro that also includes ‘very strong’ senior associate John Ted.

Prioritising ‘pragmatism and real-world solutions’ as opposed to abstruse legal theories, Elvinger Hoss Prussen is a popular choice among domestic and international employers, including funds and banks across a broad array of advisory work, in particular, including advice on internal policies, employment contracts as well as general legal employment counselling on restructuring projects. A reflection of his broader commercial litigation prowess, much of team head Pierre Elvinger‘s workload is of a contentious nature, be it from a risk management or pre-litigation perspective or in formal litigation before the courts. Possessing a ‘remarkable ability to navigate complex issues,’ Florence Apostolou has more of a non-contentious angle to her work which includes standalone advisory as well as work aligned to transactions handled by other practice groups at the firm.

Led by the ‘very responsive and efficient’ Régis Muller, MOLITOR Avocats à la Cour SARL provides ‘sound advice’ across a wide array of employment issues, including on remuneration matters and contract drafting for banking and private equity firms. As well as employer-side work, Muller and managing partner Michel Molitor also have experience representing executives in negotiating settlement agreements.

At Brucher Thieltgen & Partners, team head Marie Bena ‘knows the Luxembourg environment perfectly,’ ensuring she is well-positioned to represent international and regional companies across a broad range of their ongoing employment and HR issues. In addition, Bena has excellent litigation skills which she implements for employers and employees, including in relation to unfair dismissal matters.

The ‘responsive and helpful’ team at CMS is ‘incredibly knowledgeable and efficient’ and provides ‘pragmatic advice’ to international financial services, investment management, technology and construction companies across a wide array of day-to-day employment issues they encounter while conducting business in Luxembourg. Team head Hugo Arellano, who was promoted to partner at the beginning of 2023, handles day-today HR employment queries, as well as larger scale mandates including collective redundancies, implementation of flexible working policies and high-stakes litigation.

The ‘responsive’ team at Loyens & Loeff provides ‘robust advice’ to employers seeking ad-hoc employment advice, as well as in the context of day-to-day employment advisory work, including a considerable amount for private equity firms. Team head Sabrina Martin draws upon her strong overarching litigation prowess to good effect on contentious employment matters.