Employment lawyer in Frankfurt

Are you looking for an employment lawyer in Frankfurt? Then you’ve come to the right place! AbfindungsHero can put you in touch with over 5,000 lawyers in Frankfurt, including almost 500 who specialise in employment law. But how do you find the right lawyer for your needs? This is exactly where we come into play: AbfindungsHero supports you in finding the ideal lawyer and arranges a (free) initial consultation for your employment law problem. Let us help you find the right support!

Find a labour law attorney in Frankfurt quickly with AbfindungsHero

AbfindungsHero wants to help people in need of advice on employment law (e.g. after a termination) to find the right law firm specialising in employment law. Our goal is to make it significantly easier for people with employment issues to find a law firm specialising in employment law in Frankfurt. Thanks to our broad partner network and the ‘pre-selection’ of our partners, we are able to provide a ‘curated’ portfolio of lawyers who are particularly competent in dealing with the specific issues of our users.

On our pages, employees can find information on numerous employment law topics, for example:

Severance pay and the ‘factor’ in Frankfurt

One crucial aspect to consider when looking for an employment lawyer in Frankfurt is the usual amount of severance pay. This varies depending on the individual circumstances of each case. An important factor here is the so-called multiplier or ‘factor’, which varies from labour court to labour court and from case to case.

Frankfurt is located in the federal state with the highest average severance payments. In Hesse, employees receive a median of around €22,000. In our experience, factors of 0.8 to 1.5 are common in a large number of cases in Frankfurt am Main. It is important to know that the circumstances of the individual case play a greater role than the ‘factor’.

An example: An employee in Frankfurt with a gross monthly salary of EUR 5,500 and 7.5 years of service can usually expect a severance payment of between 0.8 and 1.5 per year of employment. This results in a severance pay range of:

0.8 x 5,500 x 8 = 35,200 euros
1.5 x 5,500 x 8 = 66,000 euros

The severance payment could therefore be between 35,200 and 66,000 euros, depending on the outcome of the negotiations. However, the exact result depends on the circumstances of the individual case.

This is another reason why you are in the right place in Frankfurt in your search for a specialist employment lawyer. This is because it is usually much easier for a lawyer to identify the legally relevant aspects of your case and use them to your advantage in order to achieve a fair settlement for you.

Labour market in Frankfurt

Frankfurt am Main is one of Germany’s eleven most important metropolitan areas and is characterised by a diverse economic structure. The FrankfurtRhineMain (FRM) region is home to companies of all sizes and from all sectors – from start-ups, fintechs and skilled crafts enterprises to global corporations. The labour market is extremely dynamic and offers a good mix of skilled crafts and industry. When they hear the name Frankfurt, many people primarily think of the financial sector with its banks and insurance companies, but the city is also an important industrial location. The logistics and pharmaceutical industries, as well as the chemical and biotechnology sectors, are flourishing here.

Employers and industries in Frankfurt

The most important industries in Frankfurt are:

• Banking and insurance
• Logistics and transport
• Chemicals, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology
• Information and communication technology

The largest employers in Frankfurt are:

• Fraport AG
• Deutsche Bahn AG & DB Regio AG
• PwC
• AVECO Holding
• Deutsche Bank AG

Even in Frankfurt, companies are not spared from waves of redundancies. Recently, the large corporations Continental, Bosch and SAP were in the news because of planned job cuts. Such headlines repeatedly result in a large number of proceedings before the Frankfurt Labour Court. A lawyer specialising in employment law in Frankfurt provides targeted support in enforcing your rights.

Employees in Frankfurt

1. Number of people in employment in Frankfurt: A good 770,000 people live in Frankfurt am Main, of whom over 600,000 are in employment subject to social insurance contributions (December 2022). Although Frankfurt’s population makes it only the fifth largest city in Germany, the surrounding area is quite something. The conurbation of the FrankfurtRhineMain regional authority already has around 2.4 million inhabitants. The FrankfurtRhineMain metropolitan region is even larger, with around 5.9 million people living there.
2. Unemployment rate: Frankfurt’s unemployment rate in 2023 averaged 5.9%, and is therefore trending upwards.
3. Frankfurt seeks skilled workers: There is a shortage of skilled workers in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology in FrankfurtRheinMain (FRM). Nurses and tradespeople also have excellent chances of finding a job in FRM.
4. International diversity: As Germany’s most international region, it is particularly easy for foreign skilled workers to integrate.

The Frankfurt Labour Court

The Frankfurt Labour Court is responsible for legal disputes between employees and employers ‘in Frankfurt’ and is therefore the central point of contact for employment disputes in the metropolitan region.

The Labour Court of First Instance in Frankfurt consists of 28 chambers with 26 professional judges. In addition, the Frankfurt Labour Court has 620 lay judges. The Hessian Higher Labour Court, which is also located in Frankfurt am Main, is the court of second instance.

The local jurisdiction of the Frankfurt am Main Labour Court arises in particular if the defendant (usually the employer) is based in the Main-Taunus district, the Hochtaunus district, in Kelsterbach or in Frankfurt am Main. Therefore, employees can normally file a lawsuit with the court in whose district they work. If the place of work is in the city of Frankfurt, the jurisdiction is usually clear. However, for many people in Frankfurt, the place of work is also in the surrounding area of the FrankfurtRhineMain region; in this case, Frankfurt is usually not responsible.

As mentioned above, there are over 3,500 lawyers in Frankfurt am Main. Almost 500 of them are specialised in employment law. However, you are probably specifically looking for a lawyer for employment law in Frankfurt who specialises primarily in representing employees and ideally has several years of experience in employment law.

Free initial consultation with employment lawyer from Frankfurt

Fast callback for free initial consultation with a lawyer for employment from Frankfurt

Labour court proceedings in Frankfurt

The course of the labour court proceedings in Frankfurt does not differ from that in other federal states. For example, in the case of an unfair dismissal claim, a conciliation hearing is first scheduled, which should ideally take place within two weeks. However, it often takes up to two months. The aim of the conciliation hearing is to reach an out-of-court settlement between the employer and the dismissed employee. The focus is often on a severance payment. The conciliation hearing is conducted by the presiding judge without an assistant judge. The judge gives an initial, non-binding assessment and points out possible risks and opportunities. However, a negotiated solution is often found in the conciliation hearing, a settlement with a severance payment is agreed. And that’s the end of it.
If no agreement is reached at the conciliation hearing, the second step is a further hearing before the full chamber, now also with lay judges (chamber hearing). If no agreement is reached here either, the court will hand down a judgment. This chamber hearing can take place up to six months after the conciliation hearing.

The course of an action for protection against dismissal in Frankfurt

Of the more than 8,000 proceedings before the Frankfurt Labour Court each year, the majority (over 40%) are actions for protection against dismissal. An action for protection against dismissal proceeds as follows:

1. Receiving notice: As soon as the notice is received, quick action is required. (You have received notice – now what? 7 important steps)
2. Note the deadline: The action for protection against dismissal must be submitted to the competent labour court within three weeks of receipt of the notice.
3. File a lawsuit: The lawsuit can be filed either in writing or orally at the Frankfurt Labour Court. It may be helpful to be assisted by a specialised lawyer in employment law.
4. Conciliation hearing: At the beginning, the conciliation hearing takes place, in which both parties try to reach an agreement.
5. Chamber hearing: If no agreement can be reached, the next step is to schedule a chamber hearing. At this hearing, the court will review the disputed points and make a decision.
6. Verdict or settlement: The proceedings end either with a verdict that cancels the dismissal or stipulates that a severance payment be made.
7. Appeal: If you are dissatisfied with the verdict, you also have the option of appealing. However, further deadlines and requirements must be observed.