Are you looking for an employment lawyer in Hamburg? Then you have come to the right place! There are around 10,000 lawyers in Hamburg, including over 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 your search for the ideal lawyer and arranges a (free) initial consultation for your employment law problem. Let us help you find the right support!
Free initial consultation with a lawyer for labour law from Hamburg
- Free initial consultation with a lawyer from Hamburg
- Quick callback after 1 to 2 hours
- Strategy for negotiating the potential severance payment
Find a labour law attorney in Hamburg 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 Hamburg. Through our broad partner network and the ‘pre-selection’ of our partners, we provide a ‘curated’ portfolio of lawyers who are particularly competent for the specific problem of our users.
On our pages, employees can find information on numerous employment law topics, for example:
- Severance Pay
- Warning
- Employment Reference
- Protection Against Dismissal
- Action Against Dismissal
- Termination Agreement
Labour market in Hamburg
Hamburg is an important economic centre in Germany with a diverse economic structure. The city has strong sectors in the areas of trade, logistics, media, aviation, mechanical engineering and services. The port of Hamburg, one of the largest seaports in Europe, plays a central role in the economy.
Hamburg is a leading business location and home to over 1,000 top companies, including 33 global market leaders such as the shipping company Hapag-Lloyd and the copper producer Aurubis. The city also attracts international investors and is home to numerous foreign-owned companies, which underlines its economic attractiveness.
The most important industries in Hamburg are:
- Aviation and airline industry
- Healthcare industry
- Transport and logistics, esp. shipping companies
The largest employers in Hamburg are:
- Airbus Deutschland GmbH
- Asklepios Kliniken
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
- Lufthansa AG
- Hapag-Lloyd
Hamburg employees are not spared from layoffs either. Most recently, the Hamburg Molotow Club had to announce mass layoffs. In many cases of dismissal or other reasons to terminate the employment relationship, it is worthwhile to take legal action before the Hamburg Labour Court. A prominent example of this is the dismissal protection suit against the summary dismissal of a Hamburg Helios doctor and trade union activist. The company eventually paid the doctor compensation of €400,000 after the labour court settlement. An employment lawyer in Hamburg provides targeted support in enforcing your rights.
Employees in Hamburg
- Number of people in employment in Hamburg: Hamburg is home to 1.89 million people, including over 1 million employees subject to social security contributions (December 2022). With its population, the Hanseatic City of Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany, surpassed only by Berlin.
- Unemployment rate: Hamburg has an unemployment rate of 7.4% in 2023.
- Future City Hamburg: The Elbe metropolis of Hamburg was awarded first place in the specialist staff and quality of life categories at the ‘European Cities & Regions of the Future Award 22/23’ ceremony in Cannes, and came in second place overall behind Frankfurt.
- International diversity: Hamburg inspires with its international diversity: people from 195 different nations have found a home here.
The Hamburg Labour Court
The Hamburg labour courts are responsible for legal disputes between employees and employers ‘in Hamburg’ and are therefore the central point of contact for employment disputes in the port city. No matter whether the dispute is about unfair dismissal, salary payments or bullying at work. The Hanseatic City of Hamburg has the Hamburg Labour Court in the first instance and the Hamburg Higher Labour Court in the second. The Hamburg Labour Court consists of 29 chambers with 25 professional judges, as well as approximately 800 honorary judges.
In most cases, the local labour court in whose district the defendant (e.g. the employer) has their place of business has local jurisdiction. Therefore, employees can normally file a lawsuit, e.g. an action for unfair dismissal, with the court in whose district they work. If the place of work is in the city of Hamburg, jurisdiction is usually clear. However, for many Hamburg residents, the place of work is also in the surrounding area of Hamburg; in this case, Hamburg is usually not responsible.
As mentioned above, there are over 10,000 lawyers in Hamburg. More than 500 of them are specialised in employment law. However, you are probably specifically looking for a lawyer for employment law in Hamburg who specialises primarily in the representation of employees and ideally has several years of experience in employment law.
Free initial consultation with employment lawyer from Hamburg
Fast callback for free initial consultation with a lawyer for employment from Hamburg
Labour court proceedings in Hamburg
The course of labour court proceedings in Munich does not differ from that in other federal states. For example, in the case of an unfair dismissal claim, a conciliation hearing is scheduled first, 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. Often, the focus is 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.
How an action for unfair dismissal is handled in Hamburg
Of the 11,000 to 13,000 cases heard annually by Hamburg’s labour courts, the majority are dismissal protection lawsuits. A dismissal protection lawsuit proceeds as follows:
- Receiving notice of termination: As soon as the notice of termination has been received, quick action is required. (You’ve received notice of termination – now what? 7 important steps)
- Note the deadline: The unfair dismissal claim must be submitted to the competent labour court within three weeks of receipt of the notice of termination.
- #File a lawsuit: The lawsuit can be filed either in writing or orally at the Hamburg Labour Court. It may be helpful to be assisted by a specialised employment lawyer.
- Conciliation hearing: At the beginning, the conciliation hearing takes place, in which both parties try to reach an agreement.
- Chamber hearing: If no agreement can be reached, the next step is a chamber hearing. At this hearing, the court examines the disputed points and makes a decision.
- Verdict or settlement: The proceedings end either with a verdict that either cancels the dismissal or rules that a severance payment is to be paid.
- Appeal: If you are dissatisfied with the verdict, there is also the option of lodging an appeal. However, certain deadlines and requirements must be observed.
Severance pay and the ‘factor’ in Hamburg
One crucial aspect to consider when looking for an employment lawyer in Hamburg 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 differs from labour court to labour court and from case to case.
In Hamburg, the average severance payment is €14,000, which is only slightly below the national average. In our experience, multipliers of 0.6 to 0.9 are common in a large number of cases in Hamburg. It is important to know that the circumstances of the individual case play a greater role than the ‘multiplier’. This is another reason why you are in the right place in Hamburg 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.
Free initial consultation with a lawyer for labour law from Hamburg
- Free initial consultation with a lawyer from Hamburg
- Quick callback after 1 to 2 hours
- Strategy for negotiating the potential severance payment
