Urlaub, Urlaubsabgeltung – Verjährung, Verfall

Mayer Brown's Employment & Benefits team in Germany has published a comprehensive briefing series examining the legal framework, practical tools, and compliance architecture underpinning internal investigations. Two of the authors outline key highlights for in-house legal teams, HR professionals, and senior management in organisations with a presence in Germany.

Germany's Pension Commission has proposed sweeping reforms that would fundamentally reshape retirement planning, workforce transitions, and employment structures. From dynamic retirement ages linked to life expectancy to the potential elimination of the senior part-time block model and minijobs, these recommendations carry profound implications for employers navigating restructuring, social plans, and pension commitments.

Germany's coalition government has proposed sweeping reforms to employment law that would fundamentally alter fixed-term contracts, dismissal protections, employee co-determination, and sick leave requirements. The package aims to strengthen Germany's competitive position amid technological change and demographic pressures, offering employers expanded flexibility while maintaining worker protections. These initiatives signal the most significant restructuring of German labor law in years, with implications

German works councils hold binding co-determination rights over monitoring systems, staff questionnaires, and personnel measures in internal investigations. This guide maps the statutory triggers under the Works Constitution Act, explains when system-level consent differs from case-level information duties, and shows how to balance speed and confidentiality with mandatory consultation—without automatically losing evidence in court.

Germany's coalition government has proposed sweeping reforms to employment law that could fundamentally reshape fixed-term contracts, dismissal protection, co-determination rights, and sick leave reporting. The measures aim to strengthen Germany's competitiveness amid technological change, demographic pressure, and international competition, offering employers significantly expanded flexibility while tightening certain compliance requirements.

German employers face complex legal constraints when screening employee data or conducting workplace searches. This briefing explains how to lawfully navigate GDPR, telecommunications secrecy, and works council requirements while maintaining defensible evidence for internal investigations.

The implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive is still pending in Germany. The transposition deadline expired on 7 June 2026. Although it remains unclear when a draft bill will be published...

Many employers are familiar with this scenario: Employees (often sales representatives) drive from their homes to customer appointments, and the question arises whether the employees are entitled to be paid for this travel time.

In July 2026, the German Federal Government adopted the National Action Plan to Promote Collective Bargaining (Action Plan) and submitted it to the Bundestag in September 2026.

German employers face complex data protection requirements when conducting internal investigations. This briefing examines the legal framework governing personal data processing under GDPR and German law, exploring when evidence remains admissible in court and how to balance employee rights against investigative needs.

The introduction of the Fondsstandortgesetz ("FoG") is intended to strengthen Germany as an investment fund location and to adapt German law to European requirements.

The applicants now challenged the imposition of this fine in court.

Die Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht („BaFin") hat erneut die Mindestanforderungen an das Risikomanagement der Banken („MaRisk") aktualisiert.

Schalast hat die LUKSO Blockchain GmbH („LUKSO") bei der erfolgreichen Durchführung ihres Reversable Initial Coin Offering, der weltweit ersten blockchain-basierten Transaktion dieser Art, umfassend beraten.

In its decision of May 13, 2025, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) significantly tightened the requirements for the classification of energy facilities as "customer facilities" in accordance with Section 3 No. 24a Energy Industry Act (EnWG).

Am 21. April 2021 haben Bundestag und Bundesrat eine Änderung des Grunderwerbsteuergesetzes beschlossen, mit der den grunderwerbssteuerfreien Share Deals der Garaus gemacht werden soll.

Unternehmenskäufe bergen seit jeher die Herausforderung, eine ausgewogene Verteilung etwaiger (wirtschaftlicher) Risiken zwischen Verkäufer und Käufer zu finden.

Mit der Einführung des Fondsstandortgesetzes („FoG") soll der Fondsstandort Deutschland gestärkt und das deutsche Recht an europäische Vorgaben angepasst werden.

Angesichts strenger Urteile zum Geschäftsgeheimnisgesetz sollten Unternehmen Vorkehrungen treffen, um ihre Betriebsgeheimnisse wirksam zu sichern.

Am 20.4.2023 hat der Bundestag den Gesetzesentwurf zum Neustart der Digitalisierung der Energiewende in der zuletzt geänderten Ausschussfassung angenommen.