Insight

An Interview With Gleiss Lutz

Germany's 2020 “Law Firm of the Year” in Labor and Employment Law

An Interview With Gleiss Lutz
Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers

November 20, 2019 04:00 PM

This interview was conducted as part of the 2020 Edition of The Best Lawyers in Germany “Law Firm of the Year” award recognitions. Our partner Handelsblatt, also published these awards on June 27, 2019, online and in print in their June 2019 edition.

For Thomas Winzer of Gleiss Lutz—Germany's 2020 “Law Firm of the Year” in Labor and Employment Law—diversity and work-life balance are a foundation of their hiring practices. Winzer joins Phillip Greer, CEO of Best Lawyers, to discuss those topics as well as trends in labor wages and rights.

Your firm was the first German firm that introduced a part-time partner track in 2001 for lawyers who wanted to have a family. Can you talk about how that initiative has evolved and how it's been received over the near two decades?

TW: Management is really taking care of that, but perhaps I can give you my personal impression and tell you what it means for us in our practice area. From my perspective, the part-time partnership program has been a great success, as we have been able to retain very good qualified lawyers.

Those who want to have a family, in particular women, just stay with us. For us in the labor and employment department, we have been able to improve the ratio of female lawyers and partners. 30% of our partners are now women and that, I believe, is a big success. They are very good lawyers. I could imagine that we would have lost some of them if we hadn't had such a program. Take one of our most recent partner appointments in our Berlin office as an example: She was pregnant when she was voted into partnership. Her partnership started January 1st and it was very clear that she would go on maternity leave only a few months later. She will return and then start again with us. Without such a program, we likely would not have been able to keep her with the firm. It’s great that we're able to do this.

Additionally, there's a core approach towards diversity and female attorneys starting as early as their entry into law school. How has diversity strengthened the firm?

TW: Again, that's really something that is the focus of our management. My personal take is that some things are simply the right thing to do. We are an inclusive employer, and we value and honor diversity. It also makes a lot of sense from a business perspective if you are able to get people with a diverse background into the firm. These days, if you put people with different backgrounds together on a team, you get different perspectives. This allows you to provide clients with better service and results, because each background may have certain strengths. If you're able to combine these strengths, that makes an important difference. Also, if you're talking specifically about women, I personally believe it's very important in connection with what we just discussed in relation to your first question. It's really key for a firm like ours that we are able to retain women from the outset because they are so talented. My personal impression is that they are sometimes a bit hesitant to take the last step and say, “I want to become a partner”, because they think, “well, hmm, you know, it might be difficult, but I want to have kids. It would be a shame to lose very talented people because of such doubts.

Therefore, I think it is crucial to empower those women, believe in them and support them so that they grow and become very successful lawyers. I believe we are really on the right track here and are truly improving diversity and supporting women. A lot of programs have been started by our management in this connection. We help our female lawyers with networking and they meet internally, discussing how to grow as a lawyer and how to develop their business, they can talk to female partners about how they achieved their partnership, and so on.

We have events with female leaders from other industries, not just law firms; for instance, from the banking and financial services sector. They network and I believe that's also a very important thing that you can offer, especially the younger lawyers. I believe this is a very positive development and I'm glad the firm as a whole and the management of the firm genuinely supports and furthers this initiative.

There's been a bit of resurgence in labor striking and fighting for rights and better wages. Can you talk about any trends or changes in the landscape you're seeing emerge in the German market?

TW: In the German market we’ve had a very good economy in recent years. We’ve been very lucky, I would say. Maybe other European countries have suffered more. However, what we really see is that this situation may change. On the one hand, we have a huge transformation process taking place in certain industries. I'm thinking about the automotive industry with the shift towards electric cars. It will indeed result in the loss of a significant number of jobs. This will of course increase union activity again and that's probably more related to how we structure such a big transformation. How can we avoid mass redundancies? How can we educate people so that they will be able to perform jobs with a future? I don’t think it's so much about minimum wage or minimum protection, because we have quite a good level of protection here in Germany.

The second issue is, are we nearing a recession? Will there be a big economic downturn and how do we deal with that? My sense is that the employee representatives will play a significant role. I don’t believe we will have the very, very big battles like in France because, even though unions also fight hard here in Germany, we traditionally aim to find a compromise. In Germany it's actually about finding a good solution that is acceptable to unions and management. This approach really helped us in recent recessions, because the situation did not explode and amicable solutions were found. I hope it will be the same this time.

This interview was edited for brevity and grammatical clarity.

Related Articles

Announcing The Best Lawyers in Germany™ 2023


by Best Lawyers

The results include an elite field of top lawyers and firms from Germany.

Black, red and yellow stripes

Announcing the 2022 Best Lawyers™ in Germany


by Best Lawyers

The results include an elite field of top lawyers and firms, including our inaugural Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recipients.

Announcing the 2022 Best Lawyers™ in Germany

The Company They Keep


by Best Lawyers

Thomas Richter discusses the idea of corporate criminal liability.

An Interview With HammPartner

Easy Being Green


by Best Lawyers

Markus Deutsch discusses the impact of climate change on the firm and its clients.

An Interview With Dolde Mayen & Partner

Impact of Climate Change on Real Estate Law


by Best Lawyers

Dr. Christian Schede discusses rent in large cities, the effect of Airbnb, and more.

An Interview With Greenberg Traurig

How to Advise Clients in International Arbitration and Mediation


by Best Lawyers

Karl Pörnbacher discusses how his firm stays at the forefront of advising clients.

An Interview With Hogan Lovells

This German Firm Protects Their Clients in the Face of Emerging Technologies


by Best Lawyers

Johannes Heselberger discusses theft of trade secrets, the pharmaceutical industry, and fake goods.

An Interview With Bardehle Pagenberg

The Future of German Technology


by Best Lawyers

How Germany's Law Firm of the Year in Information Technology is leading the way.

Isabell Conrad Schneider Schiffer Weihermulle

Hengeler Mueller on How German Firms Can Compete in the Global M&A Arena


by Best Lawyers

Germany's 2020 “Law Firm of the Year” honoree in Mergers and Acquisitions Law

An Interview With Hengeler Mueller

An Interview With Latham & Watkins


by Best Lawyers

Germany's 2020 “Law Firm of the Year” honoree in Banking and Finance Law

An Interview With Latham & Watkins

An Interview With ALRUD Law Firm


by Best Lawyers

Russia’s 2020 “Law Firm of the Year” in Labor and Employment Law

An Interview With ALRUD Law Firm

An Interview With Rainer Krause of Hengeler Mueller, 2019 “Law Firm of the Year” Award Recipient for Corporate Law in Germany


by Best Lawyers

Rainer Krause discusses the unique training approaches that make Hengeler Mueller one of Germany's top firms.

Hengeler Mueller “Law Firm of the Year” Q&A

The Struggle Is Real


by Justin Smulison

Businesses are overlooking state and federal laws when downsizing or closing operations, driving a tidal wave of class action lawsuits from former employees.

Silhouetted figure has a tug of war with shadow

Announcing the 16th Edition of the Best Lawyers in Germany Rankings


by Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers announces the 16th edition of The Best Lawyers in Germany™, featuring a unique set of rankings that highlights Germany's top legal talent.

German flag in front of country's outline

The 2024 Best Lawyers in Germany Launch


by Best Lawyers

The results honor the top lawyers and firms in Germany, including the 15th edition of The Best Lawyers in Germany™ and the 3rd edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Germany™ recipients.

Germany town beside a river and bridge with clear blue sky above

Announcing The Best Lawyers in Switzerland™ 2023


by Best Lawyers

The results include an elite field of top lawyers and firms from Switzerland.

Red flag with white cross

Trending Articles

2025 Best Lawyers Awards Announced: Honoring Outstanding Legal Professionals Across the U.S.


by Jennifer Verta

Introducing the 31st edition of The Best Lawyers in America and the fifth edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

Digital map of the United States illuminated by numerous bright lights

Unveiling the 2025 Best Lawyers Awards Canada: Celebrating Legal Excellence


by Jennifer Verta

Presenting the 19th edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada and the 4th edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada.

Digital map of Canadathis on illuminated by numerous bright lights

Legal Distinction on Display: 15th Edition of The Best Lawyers in France™


by Best Lawyers

The industry’s best lawyers and firms working in France are revealed in the newly released, comprehensive the 15th Edition of The Best Lawyers in France™.

French flag in front of country's outline

Presenting the 2025 Best Lawyers Editions in Chile, Colombia, Peru and Puerto Rico


by Jennifer Verta

Celebrating top legal professionals in South America and the Caribbean.

Flags of Puerto Rico, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, representing countries featured in the Best Lawyers

Announcing the 13th Edition of Best Lawyers Rankings in the United Kingdom


by Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers is proud to announce the newest edition of legal rankings in the United Kingdom, marking the 13th consecutive edition of awards in the country.

British flag in front of country's outline

Unveiling the 2025 Best Lawyers Editions in Brazil, Mexico, Portugal and South Africa


by Jennifer Verta

Best Lawyers celebrates the finest in law, reaffirming its commitment to the global legal community.

Flags of Brazil, Mexico, Portugal and South Africa, representing Best Lawyers countries

Prop 36 California 2024: California’s Path to Stricter Sentencing and Criminal Justice Reform


by Jennifer Verta

Explore how Prop 36 could shape California's sentencing laws and justice reform.

Illustrated Hands Breaking Chains Against a Bright Red Background

Announcing the 16th Edition of the Best Lawyers in Germany Rankings


by Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers announces the 16th edition of The Best Lawyers in Germany™, featuring a unique set of rankings that highlights Germany's top legal talent.

German flag in front of country's outline

Celebrating Excellence in Law: 11th Edition of Best Lawyers in Italy™


by Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers announces the 11th edition of The Best Lawyers in Italy™, which features an elite list of awards showcasing Italy's current legal talent.

Italian flag in front of country's outline

Tampa Appeals Court ‘Sends Clear Message,” Ensuring School Tax Referendum Stays on Ballot


by Gregory Sirico

Hillsborough County's tax referendum is back on the 2024 ballot, promising $177 million for schools and empowering residents to decide the future of education.

Graduation cap in air surrounded by pencils and money

Find the Best Lawyers for Your Needs


by Jennifer Verta

Discover how Best Lawyers simplifies the attorney search process.

A focused woman with dark hair wearing a green top and beige blazer, working on a tablet in a dimly

Key Developments and Trends in U.S. Commercial Litigation


by Justin Smulison

Whether it's multibillion-dollar water cleanliness verdicts or college athletes vying for the right to compensation, the state of litigation remains strong.

Basketball sits in front of stacks of money

Woman on a Mission


by Rebecca Blackwell

Baker Botts partner and intellectual property chair Christa Brown-Sanford discusses how she juggles work, personal life, being a mentor and leadership duties.

Woman in green dress crossing her arms and posing for headshot

Best Lawyers Celebrates Women in the Law: Ninth Edition


by Alliccia Odeyemi

Released in both print and digital form, Best Lawyers Ninth Edition of Women in the Law features stories of inspiring leadership and timely legal issues.

Lawyer in green dress stands with hands on table and cityscape in background

The Human Cost


by Justin Smulison

2 new EU laws aim to reshape global business by enforcing ethical supply chains, focusing on human rights and sustainability

Worker wearing hat stands in field carrying equipemtn

Beyond the Billables


by Michele M. Jochner

In a recently conducted, comprehensive study, data reveals a plethora of hidden realities that parents working full-time in the legal industry face every day.

Women in business attire pushing stroller takes a phone call