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Sophie Berg

Partner
Lawyer

Picture of Sophie Berg

Sophie Berg

Partner
Lawyer

Contact
T +32 2 743 69 22
F +32 2 743 69 01
CMS DeBacker
Chaussée de La Hulpe 178
1170 Brussels
Belgium
Languages French, Dutch, English, Swedish

Sophie is a partner in the Employment and Pensions department. She practices various aspects of labour and social security law (both contentious and non-contentious).

In addition to assisting clients in the day-to-day management of human resources (recruitment and redundancies, remuneration policies, working conditions and working time arrangements),  Sophie advises many national clients on complex transactions such as restructurings (reorganisation of activities and collective redundancies), social aspects following mergers and acquisitions (due diligence, disclosure or “information” and consultation, negotiation and harmonisation of working conditions, complementary measures following the acquisition, etc.) and social consultation.  Sophie has also dealt with numerous issues on privatisation or restructuring of public entities. Sophie has developed strong expertise in labour law aspects and social and parafiscal aspects of the collaborative economy.

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“Sophie Berg is very good – understands our business and is willing to go the extra mile to support us”

Legal 500, 2020

"Sophie Berg provides ‘commercial and spot-on advice’"

Legal 500, 2018

“Sophie Berg is very good – understands our business and is willing to go the extra mile to support us”

Legal 500, 2020

"Sophie Berg provides ‘commercial and spot-on advice’"

Legal 500, 2018

Relevant experience

  • Advising a leading newspaper distributor on the reorganisation of the company, including closing a department and collective dismissal
  • Advising various companies on the introduction of new work organisation systems, in particular work duration and flexibility (e.g. the introduction of 24h/7 day working schedules in a company active in the food sector)
  • Assisting a bank group with the transfer and integration of employees within the scope of C.B.A. 32bis
  • Advising a European cement industry group on the social aspects connected to the restructuring of its business
  • Assisting various international groups on the social aspects of a cross-border merger
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Education

  • 2005 - Bar admission (Brussels, Belgium)
  • 2005 - University of Ghent, RUG (Master European Law)
  • 2004 - University of Louvain, UCL (Law Degree)
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Publications

  • S. Berg, G. de Sauvage, V. Frémat, J-F. Goffin, Continuïteit van ondernemingen, Artikelsgewijze commentaar bij Boek XX WER en CAO nr. 102, Antwerp, Intersentia, 2018, 540 pages.
  • « Je perçois un salaire fixe, augmenté de primes pour prestations le matin, le samedi et le dimanche, mon employeur doit-il octroyer ces primes pendant la période de salaire garanti ? », The law of July 3, 1978 on employment contracts, Trends, September 2014
  • « L’obligation de motiver: la porte ouverte à une recrudescence des procédures », Collective labor agreement 109 (CCT 109), Echo, February 2014
  • « Un employeur prévenu en vaut deux », Collective labor agreement 109 (CCT 109), Trends, February 2014
  • « Le projet de statut unique prévoit des mesures pour améliorer l’employabilité des personnes licenciées.  En quoi consistent-elles ? », The law « Single Status », Trends, January 2014
  • « La période d’essai va sans doute disparaître.  Vais-je encore pouvoir évaluer les nouveaux engagés et m’en séparer s’ils ne conviennent pas ?, The Single Status Bill, Trends, November 2013
  • « La suppression de la période d’essai », The Single Status Bill, Echo, October 2013
  • « Mon sous-traitant ne respecte pas ses obligations en matière de sécurité sociale, fiscale et de salariale.  Y-a-t-il un risque pour ma société ?, La responsabilité solidaire, Trends, September 2013
  • « Mon sous-traitant ne respecte pas ses obligations en matière de sécurité sociale, fiscale et de salariale.  Y-a-t-il un risque pour ma société ? », Le système de responsabilité solidaire, Trends, September 2013
  • « Conclure une convention de non-concurrence après la fin du contrat de travail est-il encore financièrement intéressant ? », Royal decree 21 December 2013, Trends, August 2013
  • « Remplir aujourd’hui les conditions d’accès au régime de chômage avec complément d’entreprise (anciennement « prépension ») mais plus demain : existe-t-il une solution pour maintenir les droits des salariés et la flexibilité de l’employeur ? », Trends, Royal decree 20 September 2012 and the Collective labor agreement 107 (CCT 107), May 2013
  • « Mon entreprise est transférée, quels sont mes droits ? », Collective labor agreement 32bis (CCT 32bis), Trends, April 2013
  • « Pourquoi un tel intérêt pour cette catégorie de la population ? » as part of « Europe stratégie 2020 », in Trends, April 2013 
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Lectures list

  • “Lockdown in practice: what is the concrete impact on the individual and collective labour relations?” ; webinar, April 2020.
  • “Licenciement des travailleurs – cas particulier des travailleurs protégés et des malades de longue durée”, Comeos seminar, March 2020
  • “Key employment considerations in the framework of the covid-19 pandemic”, webinar, March 2020
  • “Transfert conventionnel d’entreprise, transfert sous autorité de justice, changement d’employeur en cas de reprise d’actifs après faillite : aspects sociaux”, Training lunches, June 2016
  • “Les aspect sociaux de la loi relative à la continuité des entreprises »,dans le cadre du séminaire « La loi relative à la continuité des entreprises : une réalité utile pour les entreprises dans le contexte actuel de la crise”, (Chambre de commerce et d’industrie du Luxembourg belge), October 2009
  • Seminar “Alcool et drogues dans l’entreprise”, (Business Professional-training), October 2009 and March 2010
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Expertise

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24 June 2020
We­bin­ar re­cord­ings - Cov­id-19 (Coronavir­us) in Bel­gi­um
Publication Coronavirus (COVID-19)
10 June 2020
Re­turn­ing from lock­down to the work­place
CAN COM­PAN­IES OR­DER EM­PLOY­EES WORK­ING RE­MOTELY DUE TO COV­ID-19 TO RE­TURN TO THE WORK­PLACE? Home­work­ing re­mains re­com­men­ded to the ex­tent pos­sible. However, if home­work­ing is not pos­sible, com­pan­ies need...
Law-Now Coronavirus (COVID-19)
16/06/2020
Re­turn­ing from lock­down to the work­place
A brief guide to the ap­plic­able rules as em­ploy­ees are re­turn­ing from COV­ID-19 lock­down to the work­place.
Guide Coronavirus (COVID-19)
08 June 2020
New law on post­ing
The Cham­ber of Rep­res­ent­at­ives re­cently ad­op­ted a new law con­cern­ing the post­ing of work­ers in Bel­gi­um. This law mainly amends the le­gis­la­tion con­cern­ing post­ing and tem­por­ary work. The main changes are...
Law-Now Employment & Pensions
07/05/2020
The no­tice to be per­formed dur­ing a peri­od of tem­por­ary un­em­ploy­ment «...
Newsletter Coronavirus (COVID-19)
27 April 2020
New law sus­pend­ing la­bour elec­tions
The Bel­gian Par­lia­ment has just ad­op­ted a law to reg­u­late sus­pend­ing the 2020 so­cial elec­tions be­cause of the COV­ID-19 pan­dem­ic. The law will shortly be pub­lished in the Bel­gian Of­fi­cial Gaz­ette. The...
Law-Now Coronavirus (COVID-19)
24/04/2020
New law re­gard­ing the sus­pen­sion of the la­bour elec­tions
Newsletter Coronavirus (COVID-19)
20 September 2018
Su­preme Court rules on fraud­u­lent A1 cer­ti­fic­ates
1. Con­text When send­ing em­ploy­ees to work abroad, an em­ploy­er must ap­ply for cer­tain cer­ti­fic­ates, such as an A1 second­ment cer­ti­fic­ate. This cer­ti­fic­ate is a de­clar­a­tion re­gard­ing the so­cial se­cur­ity...
Law-Now Employment & Pensions
20/03/2020
We­bin­ar Re­cord­ing: Cov­id-19 (Coronavir­us) – Key Em­ploy­ment Con­sid­er­a­tions
Publication Coronavirus (COVID-19)
16 April 2018
The le­gis­lat­or in­tro­duces an ob­lig­a­tion of con­sulta­tion on dis­con­nec­tion...
As work­ers are in­creas­ingly con­nec­ted, in­clud­ing out­side nor­mal work­ing hours, blur­ring the line between work and home life, the le­gis­lat­or has in­tro­duced art­icles 15 to 17 of the Act of 26 March 2018...
Law-Now Employment & Pensions
17/03/2020
CMS as­sisted In­vest­corp in the ac­quis­i­tion of the Brus­sels Headquar­ters...
Deal (News) Real Estate & Construction
11 April 2018
Short­er no­tice peri­ods for early part of em­ploy­ment con­tracts
The Act of 26 March 2018 re­gard­ing the strength­en­ing of eco­nom­ic growth and so­cial co­he­sion was pub­lished in the Bel­gian of­fi­cial journ­al on 30 March 2018. This Act mod­i­fies no­tice peri­ods for ter­min­a­tion...
Law-Now Employment & Pensions
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