Biography: Management Labour and Employment

Björn Gaul is a specialist labour and employment lawyer and co-head of the labour law team of CMS Hasche Sigle in Germany. His extensive experience includes advising German and multinational clients in connection with corporate restructuring, outsourcing of business areas, changing of collective bargaining agreements and personnel adjustment measures, remuneration structures, introduction of more flexible working hours and company pension plans. This also comprises – particularly with regard to transactions and cross-border mergers – providing advice on corporate codetermination (employee participation) and dealings with European works councils. A main focus of his work is advising on collective bargaining agreement negotiations and restructuring measures and conducting the associated negotiations with trade unions, and works and staff councils regarding agreements on the reconciliation of interests, social compensation plans and transition agreements. Furthermore he advises multinationals regarding compliance issues, data-privacy regulations and the implementation of social media guidelines.

He has been a partner since 2000. In addition to this he is chairman of the employment law working group for International HR managers; a member of the European Employment Lawyers Association (EELA); the International Bar Association (IBA); the American Bar Association (ABA); and the employment law committee of the German Law Society, among others. Since 2002, he has been a professor at Cologne University teaching civil law, commercial law and labour and employment law. He has had numerous articles on German and European employment law published, and was member of the team that made the EC study on cross-border transfer of undertakings.