Vera Luickhardt

Vera advises

on the following:

• All employment law matters in Germany, in particular, drafting employment and termination agreements
• Parting company, with higher executives and within international set-ups
• Other intra-group employment law matters, in particular temporary agency work within a group and other forms of external staff engagement
• Negotiations of the central management of a company or group on the establishment of European works councils
• Transactions, restructuring and other human resources projects, such as e.g. concepts of mobile work
• Representing companies’ interests in court

Her approach is conflict-resolving, comprehensive and pragmatic.

She regularly writes specialised articles, provides training, lectures and workshops in employment law.

Career History

Previous Law Firms

• METIS Rechtsanwälte, lawyer and employment law specialist (Rechtsanwältin und Fachanwältin für Arbeitsrecht) in Duesseldorf in the area of employment law (05/2022 – 04/2025, Counsel)
• ALLEN & OVERY, lawyer and employment law specialist in Duesseldorf in the area of employment law (01/2011 – 04/2022, Senior Associate)
• KLEINER RECHTSANWÄLTE, lawyer and employment law specialist in Duesseldorf in the area of employment law (10/2004 – 12/2010)
• WHITE & CASE, lawyer in Duesseldorf in the area of employment und corporate law (07/2003 – 06/2004)

Memberships

• FFA Fachanwalt-Forum-Arbeitsrecht
• Deutscher Anwaltsverein DAV / Düsseldorfer Anwaltsverein
• Rechtsanwaltskammer Düsseldorf
• BPW Club Düsseldorf e. V. (one of the biggest networks for female entrepreneurs and working women worldwide)

Education

• Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf (doctor in employment law)
• Higher Regional Court, District Duesseldorf, Clifford Chance, Kliemt & Vollstädt (legal traineeship)
• University of Potsdam (studies)

Speeches/Workshops/Interviews

• You should be allowed to say that! – Freedom of speech at the workplace – brief lecture; Freedom of speech vs. peace at the workplace – Where does the debate end and the duty to act begin? – interactive workshop; both held at the HR Campus Mitteldeutschland, 21-22 May 2025, Quedlinburg
• Wolfsgruß, Klimakleber und Diversity – Politics at the workplace: Dos and Don’ts, keynote speech at the Rechtsforum Personaldienstleistung of the Gesamtverband der Personaldienstleister e. V. (GVP), 9-10 October 2024 (training measure within the meaning of § 15 FAO), Erfurt
• Employment law meets new work: the future of working time recording – brief lecture + Q&A as well as brief work shop + deep dive, both held at the HR Campus Mitteldeutschland, 15-16 May 2024, Quedlinburg
• Clocking in and out – or what needs to be recorded? Working time in terms of working safety, workshop at the 11th Potsdamer Rechtsforum of the Interessenverband Deutscher Zeitarbeitsunternehmen e.V. (iGZ), 14/15 November 2023 (training measure within the meaning of § 15 FAO), Potsdam
• Betriebs-Berater im Gespräch (video interview with Prof. Dr. Christian Pelke), The European Parliament calls for more rights for European works councils (EWC). Will a second annual meeting become standard in future? 25 August 2023, Frankfurt
• Challenges facing fast-growing companies – how can investors protect themselves from unpleasant surprises? Lecture together with Dr. Heinrich von Bünau at the M&A Conference 2023, M&A transactions in challenging environments, 23 January 2023, R&W Fachkonferenzen, Duesseldorf
• Damage report on the (Employment Terms) Evidence Act, lecture in the expert forum at the 10th Potsdamer Rechtsforum of the Interessenverband Deutscher Zeitarbeitsunternehmen e.V. (iGZ), 27 September 2022 (training measure within the meaning of Section 15 FAO), Potsdam
• Digitalisation and mobile working, what will be possible after Corona? Qualified electronic signatures for contracts on temporary agency work; mobile working, lecture at the 9th Potsdamer Rechtsforum of the Interessenverband Deutscher Zeitarbeitsunternehmen e.V. (iGZ), 6 October 2021 (training measure within the meaning of § 15 FAO), Potsdam

Publications

• New work-life balance, 2 days or 2 weeks of holidays for fathers or equivalent second parents? Blog by METIS Rechtsanwälte ‘Keep it simple’, 4 November 2022
• Mobile working – No claim, new (?) works council rights and greater protection for your employees, article on LinkedIn, 7 June 2021
• ‘Home office’ – Working from home, telework or mobile working? Article on LinkedIn, 18 May 2021
• Matrix, article on LinkedIn, 7 May 2021
• Engaging self-employed staff – considerations prior to a contract for services, article on LinkedIn, 2 May
  2021
• Working from anywhere, at any time, with anyone, in any way? Article on LinkedIn, 23 April 2021
• Generally, no adding of reasons for dismissal with retroactive effect after the dismissal of a severely disabled or equivalent employee, jurisPR-ArbR 48/2020 Note 5, comment on the ruling of the Regional Labour Court of Cologne of 15 July 2020 – 3 Sa 736/19
• Exclusion periods under collective bargaining agreements – minimum wage, Online Newsletter Forum Institut für Management, comment on the ruling of the Federal Labour Court of 20 June 2018 – 5 AZR 377/17
• How to safely hire external staff, Online Newsletter Human Resources Manager, February 2018
• No activity-neutral question about severe disability when hiring, jurisPR-ArbR 49/2017 Note 5, comment on the ruling of the Labour Court of Hamburg of 27 June 2017 – 20 Ca 22/17
• Notice of termination by registered letter via postal service (Einwurf-Einschreiben), Online Newsletter Forum Institut für Management, 1 December 2017, comment on the ruling of the Labour Court of Düsseldorf of 18 April 2017 – 10 Ca 7262/16
• Bonuses remain a hot topic when targets are not set, Online Newsletter Human Resources Manager, July 2017
• Works council hearing in the case of special protection against dismissal as a severely disabled person, jurisPR-ArbR 18/2017 Note 1, comment on the ruling of the Federal Labour Court of 22 September 2016 – 2 AZR 700/15
• Legislative amendment strengthens rights of the representation of severely disabled persons, Online Newsletter Human Resources Manager, 1 May 2017
• Status assessment of a pilot’s work on the basis of a freelance contract, jurisPR-ArbR 17/2017 Note 5, comment on the decision of the Regional Labour Court of Rostock of 25 October 2016 – 3 Ta 32/16
• Working on-call within a temporary agency work relationship – options for structuring employment contracts, Peter Lang Verlag, 1 January 2016 (dissertation)
• New & old regarding the dismissal of severely disabled employees – also comment on Higher Administrative Court of Hamburg 10 December 2014 – 4 Bf 159/12, Betriebs-Berater 45/2015, page 2741 ff.
• Supplements that do not please everyone, Personalwirtschaft 06/2013
• More pay – but correctly, FAZ, 1 November 2012, interview with Corinna Budras on the collective bargaining agreements for temporary agency work regarding industry supplements
• The new Temporary Agency Act: Initial practical experience and tips for dealing with the new regulations, Betriebs-Berater 15/2012, page 961 ff. (together with Tobias Neufeld)
• Equal pay and fundamental questions on contractually agreed exclusion periods, Betriebs-Berater 26/2012, page 1671 ff.
• Temporary agency workers in the operation, AuA 2/12, page 72 ff. (together with Tobias Neufeld)
• Drafting employment contracts for compliance officers correctly, HR-Services 5/2011, page 43 ff. (together with Tobias Neufeld)
• Hurdles in practice – the new Temporary Agency Act, AuA, special edition 2011, page 47 ff. (together with Tobias Neufeld)
• Book review of Breitkopf/Stollmann ‘Nichtraucherschutzrecht’ (Non-smoker Protection Law), Gewerbearchiv 2009, page 88
• New payment obligations for companies in the event of long-term illness – vacation from illness? AIP, 4/2009, page 9 ff.
• Drafting employment contracts for internal employees – pitfalls and traps – Part 2, AIP, 10/2007, page 3 ff.
• Drafting employment contracts for internal employees – pitfalls and traps – Part 1, AIP, 9/2007, page 3 ff.
• General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) – Practical Guide, AIP, 12/2006, page 5 ff.
• Irrevocable release of the employee. Is there a risk of a ‘social security gap’? AIP, 12/2005, page 3 ff.

Vera is a partner in gunnercooke GmbH, whose registered office is Kurfuerstendamm 15, 10719 Berlin, AG Charlottenburg, HRB 224488 B. All lawyers of gunnercooke GmbH are admitted either in Germany or Austria to practise as Rechtsanwalt or Rechtsanwaeltin and are members of and regulated by the relevant local Bar (Rechtsanwaltskammer).