He is a certified specialist for labour and employment law and a member of the Labour and Employment Law practice group.
Prior to joining Eversheds Sutherland, Jan-Jacob was a Director and competent for employment law advice in Berlin & Eastern region of a Big Four entity. His most important key area of expertise and praxis is legal and structural advice regarding company pension schemes. With roundabout 15 years of experience in countless pensions projects (both standalone projects and transaction-related), he regularly advises on the outsourcing/de-risking of pension obligations, the implementation, modernization and modification of pension schemes, the identification of risks and solutions, cost-saving measures as well as regarding all day-to-day questions in this regard. He likewise has extensive experience advising on labour and employment law aspects of transactions and complex reorganisations, staff adjustment measures and post-merger harmonisations.
Jan-Jacob is also very experienced with labour law litigation and the negotiation of works agreements and collective bargaining agreements, the prevention of industrial actions, works constitution law disputes, the implementation of employee share schemes as well as advising on global mobility projects and the development of modern HR structures (work from anywhere, freelancers etc.). Jan-Jacob advises German and international clients from various industries, ranging from start-ups and scaleups to listed companies and PE investors on current labour and employment law matters, and represents his clients vis-à-vis courts, authorities and arbritration committees. He regularly publishes articles in newsletters and legal journals, holds lectures for clients, key personnel and external organizations.
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Jan-Jacob's recent experience includes:
- comprehensive harmonisation and redesign of the pension landscape of a sub-group from the pharmaceutical sector after its carve-out and takeover by a Swiss competitor
- time-critical staff reductions for a German furniture manufacturer incl. negotiations with the works council and trade union
- reorganisation of the (North) German business of a Scandinavian container line including transfer of the various pension schemes and associated modification measures (group UK, pension funds etc.)
- transfer of business from a limited company (GmbH) to a public-law institution (AöR) for a North German municipal water association including the negotiation of transitional arrangements regarding company pension schemes with two employers' associations, three trade unions, a works council and a staff council with subsequent integration
- reorganisation via complex multiple chain mergers for a European meat company
- numerous projects regarding the outsourcing of pension liabilities to external funding instruments (pension relief funds, pension funds, pensioners' companies, CTAs, other specific vehicles) including their implementation as well as, in reverse, their dissolution for numerous clients (e.g. several Chambers of Commerce and Industry, a leading automotive supplier, several metal companies, chemical and pharmaceutical companies, an international food company, a German copyright exploitation company and many others)
- negotiation of collective agreements and defence in labour disputes for an East German automotive supplier over many years
- Jan-Jacob regularly publishes labour and employment law articles in legal journals, general publications and newsletters.
- He regularly gives specialist talks on selected labour and employment law topics for clients and trains their employees.
- Jan-Jacob is co-authoring a practical handbook on company pension schemes (Praxishandbuch Betriebliche Altersversorgung (Wolters Kluwer)).
- Jan-Jacob studied law at the University of Berlin and the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK (LL.M. in International Commercial & Business Law).