Littler Global Enters Europe with Expansion into Germany

(October 5, 2015) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has added vangard, a leading labor and employment law boutique in Germany, to its global platform. The combination closely follows the opening of Littler’s first Canadian office in Toronto in August and marks the first entry into Europe for Littler Global, which has expanded rapidly in recent years through a strategy that includes combining with leading firms in important international markets.

“We are excited to make our first foray into the European market with the addition of vangard to Littler Global,” said Tom Bender and Jeremy Roth, co-managing directors of Littler, in a joint statement. “Over the past two years, we have expanded into nearly a dozen new international markets as our clients have increasingly sought a single source provider of employment law counsel in the many countries in which they operate. Establishing our first foothold in Europe through a firm with a strong reputation for providing innovative and cutting-edge counsel to German and international clients is a perfect foundation to set as we continue to build out our presence in the global market. 

With offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Munich, the vangard team consists of 21 lawyers who focus on employment law. The firm counsels companies from the start-up stage to large international organizations on a wide range of employment law matters, including issues related to works councils, restructuring and operational changes, collective bargaining negotiations, compliance and corporate social responsibility, dispute management and avoidance strategies, and business mediation. One of the founding partners of vangard is Thomas Griebe, a practitioner well-known in Germany and across Europe for his experience advising companies on conflicts with their employees, works councils and unions as both a mediator and a consultant. 

“Germany is the largest economy in Europe and our expansion into the country provides us with an on-the-ground presence in a critically important market for our clients,” added Peter Susser, Littler’s Global Practice Leader and chair of the firm’s International Employment Law practice. “Companies in Germany face unique challenges in managing their workforces against the backdrop of a heavily regulated employment law system with stringent works council requirements and social mandates. We have long been familiar with the strong reputation Thomas and his colleagues have built in Germany and look forward to the significant value our partnership will bring to clients across the globe.” 

“We have had the opportunity to work with several Littler attorneys over the years and have been very impressed with the firm’s international growth,” said Griebe. “The unmatched resources and capabilities of Littler, combined with the deep experience and ties to the regional markets of its Littler Global member firms, is a model that has proved to be successful in serving the global employer community. We are thrilled to be joining forces with Littler and look forward to working together as the firm continues its growth across Europe and the globe.”

With the addition of vangard to Littler Global, Littler’s international offices now span three continents – North America, South America and Europe – and include Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. The firm’s global capabilities also include U.S.-based lawyers with exceptional international experience, who are dually licensed practitioners in Australia, Brazil, China, the United Kingdom and South Africa, among other countries. 

About vangard

Founded in 2013 by leading specialists in the field of employment law, vangard has quickly grown to 21 lawyers practicing in four offices across Germany: Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Munich. vangard represents foreign companies on their employment law matters within Germany and German companies on their employment law questions with a foreign context. The firm and its attorneys have been recognized as leaders in labor and employment law in Germany by Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, Who's Who Legal and Juve.

About Littler

Littler is the largest global employment and labor law practice, with more than 1,000 attorneys in over 70 offices worldwide. Littler represents management in all aspects of employment and labor law and serves as a single-source solution provider to the global employer community. Consistently recognized in the industry as a leading and innovative law practice, Littler has been litigating, mediating and negotiating some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record for over 70 years. Littler Global is the collective trade name for an international legal practice, the practicing entities of which are separate and distinct professional firms. For more information, visit: www.littler.com.