• Dr. Holger Thomas
  • Dr. Holger Thomas
  • Very high expertise, very good service attitude and very good business perspective

    JUVE
  • Very high pragmatism, strategic input and very good communicator

    JUVE
  • ...absolute benchmark for outstanding legal advice combined with the best responsiveness, excellent service attitude, pragmatism and understanding of risk.

    Legal 500

Partner
thomas@pwwl.de
+49 (0) 69 34 87 63 9-0
vCard

Dr. Holger Thomas advises national and international corporations and groups of companies on all matters of individual and collective labor law. He has particular expertise in negotiating with employee representative bodies and trade unions.

He focuses on all aspects of restructurings of any kind, e. g. conciliation of interests and social plans, cutbacks in staff, transitional companies as well as outsourcing. He supports national and international clients comprehensively in developing the employment side of company acquisitions. Moreover, Dr. Holger Thomas has comprehensive knowledge and experience in advising on all contractual issues as well as collective bargaining law. Dr. Holger Thomas also advises on the implementation, review and operation of compliance structures, assists corporations with internal investigations and advises on any employment-related issues in this respect.

Furthermore, Dr. Holger Thomas advises and represents companies in litigations at all court levels, including the Federal Labor Court, as well as in all kind of out-of-court proceedings, such as arbitration committee proceedings and mediation.

Language: German, English
Location: Frankfurt am Main

  • Career

    1989 – 1993
    Study of Law in Bochum and Berlin

    1994 – 1996
    Compulsory legal training in Bochum

    1996 – 1997
    In-house-lawyer at an international airline, Düsseldorf

    1997
    PhD thesis on binding effects of labor court decisions on other disputes, supervised by Prof. Dr. Rolf Wank

    1997
    Admission to the German Bar

    1997 – 2002
    Lawyer at Andersen Legal (today Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft), Frankfurt am Main

    1999 – 2000
    Post-graduate studies, commercial and business mediation, University of Hagen

    2000
    Certified labor and employment law specialist

    2003 – 2011
    Partner at SJ Berwin LLP (today King & Wood Mallesons), Head of Employment, Frankfurt am Main

    2004
    Master of Mediation, MM, University of Hagen

    2011 – 2016
    Partner at WilmerHale, Head of Employment, Frankfurt am Main

    2016
    Partner at Pusch Wahlig Workplace Law, Frankfurt am Main

  • Publications

    Der Widerruf von Gehaltsbestandteilen braucht Gründe – Kommentar zum Urteil des BAG, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

    Mediation als Beruf, Co-Autor

    Konfliktmanagement im Individual- und Kollektivarbeitsrecht, Buchbeitrag

    Compliance: Die Einhaltung der Zweiwochenfrist bei Ausspruch fristloser Kündigungen im Rahmen von unternehmensinternen Ermittlungen, Betriebs-Berater

    Das neue Mediationsgesetz – Wesentliche Inhalte und Folgen für die Mediation im Steuerrecht, DStR

    all publications
  • Awards / Activities

    • Lecturing on subjects relating to employment law and compliance for various seminar organizers, e.g. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung (DGFP e.V.)
    • Training on subjects related to alternative dispute resolution and conflict management for various training institutions, e.g. Dr. Otto Schmidt Verlag
    • Lecturing at the Goethe University (Frankfurt am Main) and University of Hagen
    • Regularly publishing articles and book chapters on employment and labor-related issues and on alternative dispute resolution
    • Member of the European Lawyers Association (EELA)
    • Named as exclusive recipient of 2012, 2013 and 2014 Client Choice Award from International Law Office (ILO) in the area of employment in Germany
    • Since 2003, recommended by JUVE for work in the labor and employment field. Described as “extremely solution-oriented,” “speedy and hands-on,” “absolutely service-oriented and committed,” and praised for the “understanding of business interests.” Described by competitors as a “very good communicator” with “high professional skills.”
    • Listed by Best Lawyers as one of the recommended employment law specialists in Germany since 2020

Partner
thomas@pwwl.de
+49 (0) 69 34 87 63 9-0

Dr. Holger Thomas advises national and international corporations and groups of companies on all matters of individual and collective labor law. He has particular expertise in negotiating with employee representative bodies and trade unions.

He focuses on all aspects of restructurings of any kind, e. g. conciliation of interests and social plans, cutbacks in staff, transitional companies as well as outsourcing. He supports national and international clients comprehensively in developing the employment side of company acquisitions. Moreover, Dr. Holger Thomas has comprehensive knowledge and experience in advising on all contractual issues as well as collective bargaining law. Dr. Holger Thomas also advises on the implementation, review and operation of compliance structures, assists corporations with internal investigations and advises on any employment-related issues in this respect.

Furthermore, Dr. Holger Thomas advises and represents companies in litigations at all court levels, including the Federal Labor Court, as well as in all kind of out-of-court proceedings, such as arbitration committee proceedings and mediation.

Language: German, English
Location: Frankfurt am Main

Dr. Holger Thomas
  • Very high expertise, very good service attitude and very good business perspective

    JUVE
  • Very high pragmatism, strategic input and very good communicator

    JUVE
  • ...absolute benchmark for outstanding legal advice combined with the best responsiveness, excellent service attitude, pragmatism and understanding of risk.

    Legal 500

Career

1989 – 1993
Study of Law in Bochum and Berlin

1994 – 1996
Compulsory legal training in Bochum

1996 – 1997
In-house-lawyer at an international airline, Düsseldorf

1997
PhD thesis on binding effects of labor court decisions on other disputes, supervised by Prof. Dr. Rolf Wank

1997
Admission to the German Bar

1997 – 2002
Lawyer at Andersen Legal (today Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft), Frankfurt am Main

1999 – 2000
Post-graduate studies, commercial and business mediation, University of Hagen

2000
Certified labor and employment law specialist

2003 – 2011
Partner at SJ Berwin LLP (today King & Wood Mallesons), Head of Employment, Frankfurt am Main

2004
Master of Mediation, MM, University of Hagen

2011 – 2016
Partner at WilmerHale, Head of Employment, Frankfurt am Main

2016
Partner at Pusch Wahlig Workplace Law, Frankfurt am Main