The Legal 500 Germany 2026
Labor and employment law
The team at Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner is well versed in complex constitutional disputes, labor law disputes before authorities, restructuring, and negotiations with works councils. The team enjoys a strong reputation for strategic advice on outsourcing and restructuring measures, a core competence of the practice. This strength is regularly demonstrated by practice group leader Stefan Daub in the context of large-scale restructuring projects. Stephanie Mayer is a key contact for negotiations with trade unions, particularly on reconciliation of interests, social plans, plant closures, and staff reductions. Managing partner Sabine Schröter heads the labor law practice from Frankfurt, ensuring seamless coordination of labor law services.
JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms 2025/2026 – FGvW is a TOP 50 law firm
The JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms in Germany 2025/2026 was published again in October: As in previous years, Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner has maintained its position among the TOP 50 law firms in Germany.
We are also particularly highlighted in the field of labor and employment law.
The Legal 500 Germany 2025
Labor and employment law
Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partners' employment law team advises on restructurings and the associated negotiations with employee representatives on reconciliation of interests and social compensation plans as well as on company pension schemes, collective bargaining law and working time models. This is supplemented by dispute resolution expertise, which means that clients are also represented in official proceedings and before the courts. The practice management is spread across three offices: Sabine Schröter in Frankfurt advises on outsourcing and restructuring in the healthcare sector, while Stefan Daub and Christoph Fingerle in Freiburg provide transaction support and Sven Köhnen in Cologne handles the distribution and antitrust law interface. Stephanie Mayer joined the partner ranks in January 2024 and focuses on employment law transaction support.
“An approachable, grounded team. Also takes on comparably smaller cases with full commitment and seriousness. Sabine Schröter's team responds quickly, even to spontaneous issues, and handles them conscientiously.”
“In addition to the constant availability, the cooperation was characterized by professional precision and efficiency. Friedrich Graf von Westphalen responds perfectly to individual needs and circumstances. In addition to the extraordinary professional expertise, the interaction was friendly and at eye level, so that we always felt optimally represented as a client.”
JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms 2024/2025 - FGvW is TOP 50 law firm
The current JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms in Germany 2024/2025 has been published and with it the associated TOP 50 ranking. As in previous years, Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner is represented in this national overview of the leading law firms.
We are also particularly recommended in labor and employment law.
The Legal 500 Germany 2024
Labor and employment law
In close cooperation with the corporate and M&A practice groups, the employment law team at Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner focuses on restructuring, reorganization and transactions, while ongoing employment law advice forms a further cornerstone. From three offices, the team focuses on different areas: Sabine Schröter's team in Frankfurt, for example, focuses on advising hospitals and medical care centers on outsourcing and restructuring measures; in Freiburg, under the leadership of Christoph Fingerle and Stefan Daub, the firm primarily advises medium-sized companies on transactions and restructurings; and in Cologne, under the leadership of Sven Köhnen, the firm is well-versed in conducting Germany-wide labor court proceedings. Other core lawyers are Annette Rölz and Stephanie Mayer.
"The firm takes on every problem with full commitment and treats all issues, whether large or small, with the same seriousness. The firm is also always directly involved in time-critical issues."
"The firm's employees are very empathetic. As a medium-sized employer, we feel very well looked after and advised."
"Professional expertise in a wide range of legal fields, coupled with a strong client focus."
UVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms - FGvW is Top-50 law firm
The JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms in Germany 2023/2024 was again published at the end of October. As in previous years, Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner has maintained its position among Germany's TOP-50 law firms.
We are, among other areas, recommended for labor and employment law.
The Legal 500 Germany 2023
Labor and employment law
Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner advises mid-sized companies and corporate groups not only on individual and collective law issues in day-to-day business, but also on transactions and restructuring - this in close cooperation with the corporate and M&A teams - as well as on co-determination issues. The management of the group is distributed among various offices of the firm: Sabine Schröter in Frankfurt, for example, mainly advises clients from the healthcare sector, while Christoph Fingerle in Freiburg is experienced in negotiating with employee representatives in the hospital sector. Also in Freiburg, Stefan Daub often applies his expertise in works constitution and collective bargaining law to restructuring. In Cologne, Andreas Imping is an experienced litigator, and Sven Köhnen is an expert on issues at the interface of distribution and antitrust law. The Berlin office was expanded with the addition of Andrea Wilke in August 2022; she serves the employment-law interface with corporate law and previously worked at insurance broker WTW. Volker Marquart is another core lawyer.
JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms 2022/2023 - FGvW is TOP-50 law firm
The JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms in Germany 2022/2023 was published again in October: Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner has - as in previous years - maintained its position among the TOP-50 law firms in Germany.
We are also particularly recommended in labor and employment law.
The Legal 500 Germany 2022
Labor and Employment Law
The advisory services are primarily tailored to the needs of medium-sized companies, although the client portfolio also includes some large corporations. These are assisted - often together with the corporate and M&A practices - in restructuring and reorganization processes or plant closures, including negotiations on reconciliation of interests and social compensation plans, as well as related proceedings for protection against dismissal. In addition, the second main pillar of the business is ongoing advice on individual, works constitutional and collective bargaining law. The core team includes Sabine Schröter, head of the Frankfurt office and an expert in labor law in the hospital sector, Christoph Fingerle (active in all aspects of labor law, including company pension schemes) and Stefan Daub (focusing on individual labor law) in Freiburg, as well as Andreas Imping, who heads the Cologne office together with Sven Köhnen; both cover various individual and collective labor law issues, and Imping also handles labor court litigation. Volker Marquart is another core lawyer.
JUVE Handbook of Business Law Firms 2021/2022
Comment: The employment practice of this Mittelstand firm has recently been in demand, especially for restructuring. On the one hand, the busy M&A practice boosted business, while on the other, an Of Counsel in Ffm brought several suppliers with acute staff reduction measures into the practice. The office there was also strengthened by the arrival of a female lawyer with experience in executive advice. The young Berlin office is already ensuring growth in transactional advice.
Team: 4 Eq. Partners, 1 Sal. Partner, 6 Associates, 1 Of Counsel.
Focus: Comprehensive advice to mostly mid-sized companies, in particular on restructuring and reorganization; industries: healthcare, aerospace, defense; many church employers.
Clients: Hutchinson on site closure; KTN Kunststofftechnik, Olutex both on staff reductions; Thilemann Ucon on staff reductions and collective restructuring agreement; Paulinen Krankenhaus Berlin on restructuring and change of owner; ongoing Zeppelin, Paracelsus, Peterhoff Group.
JUVE Handbook Business Law Firms 2020/2021
In its main area of practice, healthcare, the labor law practice of the Mittelstand consultant recently won new clients and intensified its work for existing clients. The team took this into account by further expanding its staff. Most recently, the Freiburg office was strengthened to flank the flourishing M&A practice. There is also a close exchange with the corporate lawyers in Cologne and Frankfurt, for example in the joint advice to a globally active pharmaceutical company or the restructuring of the household appliance manufacturer Küppersbusch. In addition, clients from the aviation and defense sectors frequently rely on the restructuring experience of the FGvW lawyers. The new Berlin office also offers the team the opportunity to further expand its supra-regional advice, even though no labor lawyer is yet active in this field.
Team: 5 equity partners, 1 salary partner, 7 associates, 1 of counsel
Focal points: Comprehensive advice to frequently Mittelstand companies, in particular on restructuring and reorganization (including reconciliation of interests and social compensation plan), industry focus on healthcare; many church employers.
Clients: Clinic group, including on outsourcing, site closure and legal disputes with chief physicians; European pharmaceutical companies on management issues; Küppersbusch on restructuring and liquidation of canteen kitchen division; ongoing: Paracelsus, Peterhoff Group, Yello Strom.