Global Excellence 2019

64 Acquisition International - Global Excellence 2019 Acquisition International - Issue 2 2019 33 Jan19071 Founded in January 2017 by Dr. Michael R. Fausel, Dr. Christian Bitsch and Dr. Christoph Herrmann as a spin-off from an international law firm, BLUEDEX is a boutique firm specialising in labour law. Earlier this year, BLUEDEX was named among the winners of AI’s 2019 Global Excellence programme as the ‘Best Specialist Labour and Employment Law Firm in Germany’. On the back of this deserved win, we spoke with Christoph to find out more. Name: Dr. Christoph Herrmann, LL.M. (Columbia Univ.) Company: BLUEDEX PartG mbB Website: www.bluedex.de Address: Tower185, Frankfurt am Main, 60327, Germany Telephone: +49 69 7890 4850 Germany’s Leading Experts in Employment Law s BLUEDEX proudly state, top-tier expertise defines the firm, permeating its DNA. Over the last couple of years, they have distinguished themselves as the definitive firm in the labour law sphere, offering their clients comprehensive all-round support over a variety of fields and sub-sectors. As a result, since its foundation, the team has grown around the three founding partners to eleven lawyers, and a supplementary staff team of fourteen employees – with a view to expand even further over the next few years. However, for the time being at least, BLUEDEX is doubling down on the formula that has served it so well since their inception – an approach categorised by comprehensive diligence, as Christoph explains further: “BLUEDEX consists of attorneys and tax advisers specialised in all aspects of labour law; from the drafting of the employment contract through to termination. We are especially specialised in the deployment of international workers in Germany and in the secondment of German workers abroad. Working time and remuneration models, restructuring projects and the legally compliant structuring of the deployment of third-party companies are just as much a part of the firm’s specialist areas as advising our clients on tax, company and social security law.” With such a breadth of expertise, BLUEDEX aim to offer their clients an unprecedented degree of added value – certainly more so than firms that seek to practice ‘pure’ employment law. Equally, as a boutique firm, they also boast a speed and agility that allows them to outmanoeuvre more traditional legal establishments. “These qualities helped drive the company to success, and today we advise large corporations, medium-sized enterprises as well as public sector A “Working time and remuneration models, restructuring projects and the legally compliant structuring of the deployment of third-party companies are just as much a part of the firm’s specialist areas as advising our clients on tax, company and social security law.” clients. In our special fields of German and international labour law, as well as tax and company law, BLUEDEX advises with a ’360-degree’ approach, because we always think comprehensively and holistically.” These qualities have helped the firm secure a number of significant clients over the last year, as Christoph moves on to discuss. “BLUEDEX is entrusted with a number of employment law mandates by the automobile manufacturer Audi in connection with the diesel affair. In addition, BLUEDEX advises Audi on labour law and general law issues beyond the diesel affair. “In mid-2018, BLUEDEX advised the temporary employment company Adecco on the merger of Tuja Zeitarbeit and Service Personaldienstleistungen into Adecco Personaldienstleistungen.” In addition to the merger and integration of the two companies, BLUEDEX also negotiated with the employee representatives – in this case, the firm negotiated and adopted a new collective agreement for the temporary employment sector with the works councils and trade unions from across Germany. BLUEDEX’s future can be defined by ‘continuation’, moving to build on the robust foundations that they have established over the last two years. By all regards, the firm’s expert team looks set to weather any challenges that they may face as they make efforts to grow their customer face and their presence in the country. Jan19071