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Portrait ofEckhard Schmid

Dr. Eckhard Schmid

Partner
Rechtsanwalt | Fachanwalt für Arbeitsrecht (Certified lawyer for labor and employment law)

CMS Hasche Sigle
Nymphenburger Straße 12
80335 Munich
Germany
Languages German, English, French, Italian, Spanish

Eckhard Schmid has been an employment lawyer for over 30 years. On the law relating to board members, managing directors and executive employees he has been considered one of the top advisors in Germany for a long time and is also well connected internationally. His clients include multinational and national companies in all sectors of services and industry, and also well-known non-listed companies, family businesses and senior managers.

His focus is on the negotiated termination of employment agreements, often also contentious and requiring a tactful approach. In addition, Eckhard Schmid advises on contracts and remuneration systems, especially in regulated industries. He is particularly experienced in handling complex legal and compliance violations and major cases involving directors' liability. He also represents his clients in court and in alternative dispute resolution.

From 2010 to 2017, Eckhard Schmid headed CMS Germany's Employment & Pensions group. Since then the group has been consistently listed in tier 1 of relevant publications and legal handbooks such as the JUVE German Commercial Law Firms, the Law Firm Monitor of the German Association of Corporate Lawyers (BUJ) as well as the publications of Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 EMEA and has repeatedly won various sector awards. The JUVE German Commercial Law Firms has ranked Eckhard Schmid for years among the leading names in the executive field.

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„viel Erfahrung in der Führungskräfteberatung“, Wettbewerber

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024

„Oft empfohlen“ für Arbeitsrecht

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024

„Oft empfohlen“ für Arbeitsrecht

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024

"incredibly experienced fellow lawyer who calmly guides his clients through difficult situations", competitor

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2022 (GCLF)

"rare blend of expertise and unpretentiousness", "excellent, very reliable" (competitors)

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2016 (GCLF)

"professionally very good, personally very pleasant", competitor

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2013 (GCLF)

Memberships & Roles

  • German Bar Association's employment law working group
  • Deutscher Arbeitsgerichtsverband (German Association of Labour Courts)
  • Association of German Jurists (djt)
  • European Employment Lawyers Association (EELA)
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Publications

  • Kündigung und Kündigungsschutz in der Insolvenz, RWS-Verlag 1991
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Lectures list

Numerous presentations on employment law and service contract-related topics, inter alia

  • "The Internet: The right of privacy at work in the use of new technologies"
  • "Current employment law for executives"
  • "Termination without notice of managing directors and management board members"
  • "Investigation and securing of evidence relating to wrongful actions in companies – legal and technical possibilities"
  • "Liability risks for Managing Directors and Management Board Members – an overview of the current jurisprudence with recommendations for companies and executive members"

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Education

  • 1989: Staff member in the international branch of Bayerische Landesbank Munich
  • 1988: PhD under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Rüthers in Konstanz; topic: dismissal and protection against dismissal during insolvency
  • 1987: Legal staff member in the HR department of the Federal Ministry of Defence during his military service
  • 1986: Second state examination in law
  • German Academic Exchance Service scholar
  • Stints abroad with banks in Italy and Spain, the German-French German of Commerce in Paris and a law firm in Houston/Texas
  • From 1980: Law studies at the University of Konstanz and research assistant to Prof. Dr. Carsten-Thomas Ebenroth
  • Banking traineeship with Commerzbank in Heilbronn
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Feed

22/09/2020
CMS advises Afinum on majority stake in LISTAN
Munich – Afinum Achte Beteili­gungs­gesell­schaft mbH & Co. KG has acquired a majority stake in the Listan Group, a fast-growing supplier of components for high-performance computers. The investment is...
15/05/2020
CMS advises TV producers Rola Bauer and Tim Halkin on sale of shares to...
Munich – TV producers Rola Bauer and Tim Halkin have sold their shares in STUDIOCANAL TV/TANDEM PRODUCTIONS to European group STUDIOCANAL. The international company thus now holds 100% of the Munich-based...
10/03/2020
CMS advises shareholders on sale of WOW Tech Group to CDH Investments
Munich – Singapore-based cross-border investments unit of CDH Investments has acquired a significant interest in WOW Tech Group. The management of WOW Tech Group and other shareholders, advised by Rigeto...
26/09/2019
CMS advises AFINUM on scheduled sale of minority stake in com­mu­nic­a­tions...
Munich – AF Ei­gen­kapit­alf­onds für deutschen Mittelstand GmbH & Co. KG, a fund company managed by AFINUM Management GmbH, has sold its stake in Munich-based Avantgarde Gesellschaft für Kommunikation...
08/04/2019
CMS advises Canadian Calian Group on first transaction in Europe
Munich – The listed Canadian company Calian Group Ltd., (Calian) has acquired SatService Gesellschaft für Kom­munika­tionssysteme mbH (SatService), a leading company in the area of satellite communication...
22/08/2018
AFINUM advised by CMS on investment in organic food business Zeit für Brot
Munich – AFINUM Achte Beteili­gungs­gesell­schaft mbH & Co. KG has invested in the Zeit für Brot Group. Together with AFINUM, existing shareholder Dirk Steiger plans to expand the company, in particular...
27/06/2017
CMS advises on successful Vapiano IPO
Hamburg – CMS has advised Mayfair Beteili­gungs­fonds II on the IPO of Vapiano SE. As a major shareholder, Mayfair holds around 44% of the shares in Vapiano. A total of almost eight million shares at...
28/10/2016
JUVE Awards 2016: CMS Germany is Law Firm of the Year for Employment and...
Berlin – CMS Germany has won the JUVE Award "Law Firm of the Year for Employment". JUVE, the industry magazine for commercial lawyers, selects firms with outstanding achievements in the various fields...
25/09/2016
Employment law – in brief …
In a current ruling (judgment of 24 August 2016 – 5 AZR 703/15, not yet published), the German Federal Labour Court declared a preclusion period clause invalid because it included a reference to the...
06/09/2016
Employment law – in brief …
Starting from 1 October 2016, as a result of § 309 No. 13 of the German Civil Code (BGB) as amended, pre-formulated contract terms through which notifications and declarations to the contractual partner...
11/04/2016
Employment law in brief: Analysis of electronic communication
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in a recent decision that the an employer is allowed to evaluate the private communication of an employee at work under certain conditions. In our attached...
01/03/2016
Employment law in brief: Regulatory reform of temporary employment sector...
After severe criticism from all sides (regardless of political persuasion), a revised version of the Bill for the Regulation of Temporary Employment was presented a few days ago by the German Federal...