For employers · International businesses in Germany
Personal German counsel. In English.
The next hire. The contract. The difficult conversation.
I advise international companies, founders and business owners on German employment decisions, with the wider business in view.
Dr. Adam Dampc · German lawyer · Mannheim
The employer’s timeline / A different question at each point
A signed agreement, a warning already given, a dismissal already communicated. Each changes the starting point for advice.
Before a commitment, we can shape the terms. After a problem, we need to establish what happened, what is still possible and which deadlines may matter.
Before signature or commitment
Shape the relationship
you are about to enter.
A first German employee or an established team: the agreement should reflect the role, the business and the rules that apply here.
Before an offer becomes an agreement, review who will employ the person, what the role involves and where the work will happen. A home-market template needs more than an English-to-German translation.
First employee in Germany? Bring the employment decision into the market-entry plan.
I draft and review employment agreements, including permanent and fixed-term arrangements. We consider pay, working time, duties and probation in the context of the intended role.
Managing-director service agreements also need the corporate context: the appointment, responsibilities and the company’s decision-making structure.
The question is not just “Can we use this contract?” It is “Does it fit this relationship?”
After an issue has arisen
Understand the position
before the next move.
An existing problem needs a chronology, not a generic answer. What has been agreed, documented and communicated matters.
A performance concern, workplace conflict or probation decision? Start with the facts and the documents before deciding whether a warning, a change of terms or another step is appropriate.
Employer-side HR compliance advice can cover working time, minimum wage, maternity protection and workplace data protection, within an agreed mandate.
Before giving notice or proposing a separation agreement, assess the legal basis, applicable protection, notice requirements and the intended timing. I advise on ordinary and extraordinary termination, settlement agreements and severance negotiations.
Already acted, received a claim or facing a deadline? State that at first contact. Do not assume an appointment request protects a deadline.
Beyond the employment contract
People decisions are business decisionsA managing-director arrangement, a first German hire or a restructuring can raise employment, corporate and tax questions at the same time. I consider those connections rather than treat the document in isolation.
For a reorganisation affecting staff, we first clarify the proposed business change and the employment issues it raises. Collective matters or specialist input may require a separate scope; a company restructuring is not a ready-made dismissal plan.
Your counsel in Germany
Dr. Adam Dampc
German lawyer · Entrepreneur
Advice in English and German
I advise employers as someone who runs a business himself. The legal position matters, and so do the costs, the team and the next phase of the business.
You speak directly with me. My practice connects employment, corporate and tax law; my background includes restructuring work at Linklaters and research at Heidelberg University.
A defined legal mandate
This is personal employer-side legal advice, not an outsourced HR or payroll service. Drafting, negotiations, ongoing advice and any court representation are agreed separately. Where collective employment questions, foreign law or other specialist work arise, we clarify the expertise and scope required before proceeding.
Your next decision
Paid initial consultation · In EnglishTell me which company you act for, whether you are planning a step or responding to an issue, and any relevant dates. Book a paid initial consultation in English.
Book a paid consultationAppointment options and fees are available on the booking page. Opening that page does not confirm an appointment. A consultation booking does not engage me for further work or secure deadline protection; any further mandate requires a separate agreement. Please do not send sensitive employee records at this stage.
Prefer to call? +49 621 32889 0
First, the situation.The consultation starts with the decision, the relevant facts and the timetable.
Then, the agreed work.Further drafting, negotiation or representation has its own scope and fee.
Fees defined in advance.Fixed-fee arrangements are preferred where suitable, not assumed for every matter.