Employment lawyer in Cologne

Are you looking for an employment lawyer in Cologne? Then you have come to the right place! There are over 6,600 lawyers in Cologne, including 400 who specialise in employment law. But how do you find the right lawyer for your needs? This is where we come in: 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!

Find a labour law attorney in Cologne 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 law issues to find a law firm specialising in employment law in Cologne. Thanks to our broad partner network and the ‘pre-selection’ of our partners, we enable 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 and the ‘factor’ in Cologne

One crucial aspect to consider when looking for a lawyer specialising in employment law in Cologne 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.

In our experience, factors of 0.6 to 0.9 are common in a large number of cases in Cologne. The average severance payment in North Rhine-Westphalia is similar to the national average, between €15,000 and €16,000. What is important is that the circumstances of the individual case play a greater role than the ‘factor’. For example, the city of Cologne paid the general music director François-Xavier Roth a severance payment of 200,000 euros in mid-2024. The 1. FC Köln also pays a high severance payment to a dismissed foundation director in the amount of 125,000 euros.

An example: An employee in Cologne with a gross monthly salary of EUR 4,000 and 10 years of service can usually expect a severance payment of between 0.6 and 0.9 per year of employment. This results in a severance pay range of:

0.6 x 4,000 x 10 = 24,000 euros
0.9 x 4,000 x 10 = 36,000 euros

The severance payment would therefore be between 24,000 and 36,000 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 Cologne 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 Cologne

Cologne offers a corporate landscape with large, medium-sized and small companies from various sectors, including industry, creative industries and leading companies in the insurance, finance and health sectors. Particularly noteworthy is the dynamic startup scene with around 750 new companies promoting innovation in software, health, media and marketing, which has established Cologne as an important location for artificial intelligence.

Employers and industries in Cologne

The most important industries in Cologne are:

• Information and communication technology
• Insurance industry
• Medicine and pharmaceutical industry
• Automotive industry

The largest employers in Cologne are:

• City of Cologne
• Ford-Werke GmbH
• Cologne Public Utilities
• REWE Group
• Cologne University Hospital
• Bayer AG

Time and again, companies are in the news because of redundancies. In 2023, the Cologne-based company DuMont Druckeinigte agreed on a comprehensive social plan totalling 7.3 million euros. But other sectors, such as automotive companies like Ford in 2022, are also repeatedly affected by waves of redundancies. This resulted in a large number of proceedings at the Cologne Labour Court. An employment lawyer in Cologne provides targeted support in enforcing rights.

Employees in Cologne

1. Number of people in employment in Cologne: The city of Cologne has 1.1 million inhabitants. The location in the Rhine region adds up to 17 million within a radius of 100 kilometres.
2. Unemployment rate: Cologne’s unemployment rate averaged 8.9% in 2023. Compared to other German cities, this is at the upper end of the spectrum.
3. Talent pool in Cologne: In Cologne, the shortage of skilled workers was less pronounced than in many other regions of North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany.
4. International diversity: Cologne is a cosmopolitan and international city with people from 180 nations.

The Cologne Labour Court

The Cologne Labour Court is responsible for legal disputes between employees and employers ‘in Cologne’ and is therefore the central point of contact for employment disputes in the city on the Rhine. The first-instance Labour Court in Cologne consists of 19 chambers with 26 professional judges. The Cologne Higher Labour Court is the court of appeal.

The Cologne Labour Court has local jurisdiction in particular if the defendant (usually the employer) is based in the Rheinisch-Bergisch district, the Rhein-Erft district or the city of Cologne. 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 Cologne, the jurisdiction is usually clear. However, for many Cologne residents, the place of work is also in other cities in the Rhine region; in this case, Cologne is usually not the place of jurisdiction.

As mentioned above, there are over 6,600 lawyers in Cologne. 400 of them are specialised in employment law. However, you are probably specifically looking for a lawyer for employment law in Cologne who specialises primarily in representing employees and ideally has several years of experience in employment law.

Free initial consultation with employment lawyer from Cologne

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Labour court proceedings in Cologne

The course of labour court proceedings in Cologne 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. The focus is often on severance pay. 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 severance pay is agreed. And that’s the end of it.

If no agreement can be reached at the conciliation hearing, the next step is a further hearing before the full chamber, now also with lay judges (chamber hearing). If no agreement can be 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 Cologne

A large proportion (over 40%) of the proceedings before the Cologne Labour Court are actions for protection against dismissal. The average duration of proceedings is three months. An action for protection against dismissal proceeds as follows:

1. 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)
2. 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.
3. File a lawsuit: The lawsuit can be filed either in writing or orally at the Cologne Labour Court. It may be helpful to seek the assistance of a specialised employment lawyer.
4. Conciliation hearing: At the beginning, a 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 rules that a severance payment is to 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.