Sectors

With our international employment platform, our global Employment Group advises leading consumer goods, food and beverage and retail and fashion companies both on domestic issues and on the topics that impact on their businesses globally. E-commerce, the metaverse, health and wellness, sustainability, labour exploitation and modern slavery, DEI, and unpredictable growth in the post-pandemic world continue to influence consumer behaviour and demands and, as a result, impact on how to motivate, retain, incentivize and support the workforce who are tasked with developing, evolving and advancing company goals in these areas. 

With added challenges such as high staff turnover, the need for seasonal workers, skills gaps or labour shortages, the impact of AI and frequently changing labour law issues around collective rights, pay, hours and working conditions, we use our global insights to work with clients to anticipate market trends, provide horizon scanning on legislative changes, and to develop and implement strategic initiatives to attract, retain and support the workforce. We develop market leading guides and tools to support clients, including regional or international guides on Gender Pay Reporting, Mental Health, Recording Working Hours and Whistleblowing.

Examples of our recent workstreams in the CGFR sector include:

• Advising companies on successful rollout and implementation local of global DEI strategies, trainings and initiatives, taking advantage of our global platform to ensure local law and cultural nuances are appropriately considered and addressed;
• Helping clients revisit and redesign employee benefits and incentive schemes globally to address evolving ways of doing business and changing consumer demands;
• Supporting clients with regional and global restructurings and outsourcings arising from diversification of geographic focus areas for factories, distribution and manufacturing operations.

The Energy and Natural Resources Sector team across DLA Piper consists of over 400 lawyers globally and provides advice across the following sub sectors: renewables, power, mining, oil and gas, water and waste. Our employment team, led by sector lead Leanne Nickels supports our clients and colleagues across the globe to provide solutions to workforce challenges to ensure that our clients can continue to meet the world’s energy needs and transition to a sustainable energy future.

Our experts understand the sector and the challenges posed by workforces that work across the globe and in difficult, demanding and challenging environments. We know the regulatory frameworks and work with our clients to keep the workforces achieving the best outcomes for our clients. Our employment specialists advise on employment benefits and pensions, workforce disputes, work health and safety, compliance and management of litigation.

Examples of our recent workstreams in the Energy and Natural Resources sector include:

• Advising an energy client on day-to-day employment matters, employment tribunal litigation, advising on complex and high-profile issues, industrial relations and collective bargaining matters;
• Advising a global leader in renewable energy production on rules regarding equal treatment and general legal obligations about the hiring of employees with disability;
• Advising an energy client on the employment aspects of the solvent wind-down and liquidation of the company.

When it comes to the workforce, businesses operating in the financial services sector have extensive obligations under both the regulatory and employment law regimes of the countries in which they operate. DLA Piper’s Employment Group understands the challenges presented by these regulatory frameworks, as well as by the pressure of ever tightening scrutiny. We are experienced in helping financial institutions to navigate the complex employment issues affecting the industry, such as regulated compensation, individual accountability requirements, fit and proper processes and conduct-relates issues. We are also practiced in supporting firms to achieve the levels of compliance demanded by regulators, investors, and consumers on matters such as diversity and inclusion, data privacy,  and workplace culture.

We have a financial services sector focus throughout our Employment practice, comprising lawyers across our international network with expertise in the sector and experience and strength in handling the specific challenges faced by regulated businesses.  

Examples of our recent workstreams in the Financial Service sector include:

• Advising an international banking and payment institution on a range of employment regulatory topics in the UK and EU, including compliance with the UK Senior Manager Regime and remuneration requirements;

• Advising a leading global bank on its compliance programme to implement the EU whistleblower Directive across 25 EU countries;

• Advising a financial institution on compliance with new financial regulations, including the implementation of European Capital Rights Directive obligations to cap bonuses, provide for clawback mechanisms and to comply with variable remuneration requirements including amending contracts and incentive and policy documents across Europe;

• Advising several US and Asian banks in establishing their EU hubs in continental Europe following BREXIT. Main issues were the HR concept of transferring a branch into a legal entity, opportunities and risks of double hatting, availability requirements and conflicts of interest policies for key function holders,  and the setting up of remuneration systems in accordance with global schemes and local regulatory requirements;

• Representing financial services clients before labour courts in bonus claims at the interface of local employment law and regulatory law;

• Advising financial institutions on closing branches in certain markets, and addressing regulatory constraints with the sequencing of departing employees;

• Advising financial institutions on exiting key executives in national markets as well as in the context of overseas placements or secondments, and addressing related social and financial entitlements, as well as handling related disputes and settlements.

Companies in the Industrials sector are presented with both challenges and opportunities in a quickly evolving environment. Working towards a circular economy and a net zero future with opportunities for continuous improvement, reliable operations, and responsible and transformative advancement along the entire value chain. Many of the world’s leading automotive, aerospace and chemicals companies embrace the challenge through innovating at a fast pace, looking for authentic value creation.
 

We stand by our clients with bespoke advisory, depending on where they are in their sustainability journey. We help them navigate this difficult territory as climate change risks are interrelated with other business risks, such as business interruption, supply chain risks, regulatory changes, natural catastrophes and reputational risks.

We are active in many areas of the infrastructure, construction and transport sectors and have specialised teams that pay attention to the latest developments in these sectors. We have an in-depth knowledge of the reality of these sectors and the difficulties and challenges that companies face on a daily basis, and we understand the needs of employers operating in these areas, regardless of their size or specific area of activity. We are particularly aware of the need to ensure efficient organisation of resources and optimised management of staffing levels, taking into account the frequent fluctuations in work requirements. Due to our global presence, we ensure the efficient articulation of procedures between the many jurisdictions in which our clients operate.

We advise some of the largest global airline companies and have extensive experience in the aviation sector, as well as in the road, rail and maritime sectors, including overseeing day-to-day employment related needs, restructuring processes and workforce reductions, and negotiating industry collective agreements. The same applies to the infrastructure and construction sector, where we have been involved in various projects on a global scale, particularly in supporting relevant market participants, acquiring various assets, and assisting in reorganisation processes.

Examples of our recent workstreams in the ICT sector include:

• Monitoring relevant transport market players’ bidding and acquisition procedures, as well as evaluating their operations and providing guidance during the personnel transfer process;
• Monitoring various RIF processes in recent years, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic;
• Supporting clients with personnel relocation procedures, making sure that there is effective coordination across several jurisdictions to ensure that operations are managed in an integrated way;
• Reviewal of several CLAs.

Our global Employment Group advises a wide range of firms within the insurance and reinsurance sector, including brokers, underwriters and managing agents, often working alongside other specialists as part of a cross functional team where there is an overlap of regulatory and employment law issues. The breadth of firms that we work with across the globe and our deep experience of working alongside regulators gives us a unique insight on what is market custom and practice relating to people issues and strategy across the whole sector, including the Lloyds market. We quickly see trends within the sector, recurring issues, and key concerns for employers. We understand the importance of attracting, retaining and developing the right talent is of utmost importance in the sector. We share our knowledge with our clients to help them make better decisions on their people issues and to help them to deliver on their people agenda. 

We have established teams in all of the major insurance hubs which helps us to anticipate global trends and challenges that insurance firms face. 

Examples of our recent workstreams in the insurance sector include: 

• Aviva on its GBP900 million bulk purchase annuity transaction with the Kingfisher Pension Scheme. Aviva will insure the defined benefit pension liabilities for over 8,000 members;

• Supporting an insurance client on implementing its global employee share plan;

• Advising an insurance client in multiple jurisdictions on TUPE & redundancy complications and termination/re-hiring.

Our global Employment Group advises Life Science companies across more than 40 jurisdictions. Our clients span the full life sciences ecosystem, from suppliers and distributors, contract research organizations and diagnostics companies, through to pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, biotech and healthtech innovators, as well as investors, payers and care providers. We are frequently exposed to the latest innovations, including mRNA vaccines, new cell and gene therapies, cutting-edge healthtech, medicinal cannabis and psychedelic therapeutics. We have experience advising Life Science companies ranging from large pharmaceutical companies to mid-sized medical device and startup biotech companies.

The breadth of Life Science businesses that we work with across the globe gives us a unique insight on what market custom and practice relating to people issues looks like across the whole sector. We quickly see trends within the sector, recurring issues, and key concerns for employers. We share our knowledge with our clients to help them make better decisions on their people issues.

Life sciences businesses are increasingly recognising the importance of embedding their ESG efforts into their growth strategies and paying closer attention to “S” challenges around their people.

Examples of our recent workstreams in the Life Science sector include:

• Advising a global biotechnology company on the employment aspects of a multibillion-USD takeover of a global bio-pharmaceuticals company across over 50 jurisdictions including advice and support on post-acquisition integration activities such as multinational restructures, role re-alignment, severance entitlements and terms we well as the HR elements of the operational merger;
• Providing and co-ordinating legal advice from 50+ countries to a pharmaceutical company with a data simplification project arising from a major internal restructure to include construction and simplification of employment contracts;
• Co-ordination of legal and practical advice on whistleblowing across 16 countries to a multinational clinical research organisation;
• Assisting a US pharmaceutical company with the employment law aspects of its first start-up operations outside the US in 5 different jurisdictions including template contracts and handbooks as well as data privacy documentation;
• Supporting a US healthcare company with its launch into the EU with immigration, employment and data privacy advice;
• Advising pharmaceutical companies on the inherent employment and reputational risks in their business models and use of contingent workforces including employment status and misclassification as well as acquired rights and employee transfer obligations in certain jurisdictions;
• Advising a medical device company on collective redundancies/RIFs.

Our global Employment Group regularly advises Media Sport and Entertainment companies ranging from international media companies, sports bodies and clubs, entertainment businesses and the broader spectrum of governing bodies, professional trade organisations, regulators and those entrusted with governance.

We support with day-to-day employment matters, such as policies and procedures, redundancies and through to facilitating difficult managed exits and disputes. We also deal with the complexities of sensitive matters such as discrimination and whistleblowing where employers are in the public eye, and boardroom issues. We regularly handle complex cross border projects across the sector, navigating varying legal systems.

Examples of our recent workstreams in the Media, Sport and Entertainment sector include:

• Advising an international music company on a project regarding the proposed global restructure of the client’s finance department across over 40 countries;
• Advising an international media company on a series of confidential senior executive hires and dismissals;
• Advising a competitive gaming company in employment matters related to the drafting of template employment agreements for e-sports league employees in various jurisdictions globally;
• Advising a news agency on all their labour and social security laws matters, including successfully assisting them in a highly sensitive case before an appellate court;
• Advising on contracts and terms with internet based influencers.

Our global Employment Group advises clients in the Real Estate sector which has a number of specific characteristics.

Indeed, beyond the day-to-day employment needs of our real estate clients, we assist in the context of outsourcing transactions associated with the servicing of their own clients, whether outbound or inbound. We also assist with any related disputes where employees or unions will expect a TUPE compliance while the underlying transaction might not qualify for the application of TUPE.

In the hospitality field there are variations of “ownership” of the staff by the owners or the operators of hotels or resorts, as negotiated in the hotel management agreements. Such structures have consequences for both owners and operators, as well as with respect to employee representation bodies, collective agreements or profit sharing.

There are variations of these subject matters in the diverse jurisdictions bearing significant consequences which our teams help navigate.

Examples of our recent workstreams in the Real Estate sector include:

• Advising a global owner of hotels and resorts on a complex multi-jurisdictional restructuring project;
• Providing continuous support to a Real Estate client on diverse employment matters, including contract issues, benefits and working time related matters;
• Advising a global hotel group on strategic employment matters across EMEA.

Our global Employment Group advises Technology companies ranging from start-up and emerging growth companies to mature multi-nationals. The breadth of Technology businesses that we work with across the globe gives us a unique insight on what is market custom and practice relating to people issues and strategy across the whole sector. We quickly see trends within the sector, recurring issues, and key concerns for employers. We understand the importance of attracting, retaining and developing the right talent is of utmost importance in the sector. We share our knowledge with our clients to help them make better decisions on their people issues and to help them to deliver on their people agenda. 

We have established teams in all of the major global technology hubs (including Silicon Valley) which helps us to anticipate global trends and challenges that Technology companies face. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and our Technology sector clients were the first to successfully transition to remote working, we were able to quickly identify the key issues for employers to consider around remote working and produced a market leading global guide, sharing these insights with all of our clients. 

Examples of our recent workstreams in the Technology sector include: 

• Representing gig economy companies on the inherent employment and reputational risks in their business models, including employment status and misclassification;
• Advising many global Technology companies on their global RIF’s during the big 2022/2023 Tech lay-off, to execute the consultation process and lay-offs quickly, efficiently whilst appropriately managing legal and reputational risks, often concurrently across multiple jurisdictions;
• Helping clients with their AI governance frameworks, including the challenges of bias in the recruitment and decision making process and consultation strategy with employee representative bodies on the roll out of new AI; and
• Advising Technology companies when bidding for business transformation or other outsourcing opportunities from potential clients, helping them to understand their acquired rights and employee transfer obligations so they can quantify their people costs and liabilities if their bids are successful.