GeorgMikes

Of Counsel

Frankfurt + 49.69.9726.3914

Connect:

Share

Georg Mikes has focused on labor and employment law since 1994 and has been a Fachanwalt für Arbeitsrecht (certified German labor law specialist) since 1999. He advises employers on all types of labor and employment law (including most recently coronavirus/COVID-19 topics) and represents them in litigation and disputes with employees and works councils before various courts.

A large part of Georg's practice also involves the labor and benefit aspects of transactions, namely share transactions and asset transactions, transfers of undertakings, mergers, and spin-offs. He has advised on many high-volume multijurisdictional acquisitions (several of them in excess of US$1 billion), particularly in the chemical and pharmaceutical, IT, metal, and media industries.

Georg conducts negotiations with works councils and other employee representative bodies for clients on co-determined matters, including the conclusion of reconciliation of interests and social plans for major restructuring, and advises on employee benefits such as the introduction of international stock option plans. In addition, his practice is focused on employment-related EU law, including employee data protection and privacy law and next to benefit issues such as the implementation of international stock option plans or other equity-based plans.

Before joining Jones Day in 1997, Georg acquired industrial experience while working in the legal department of a giant software company.

Georg also frequently speaks and authors articles geared towards international audiences and coauthored a book on company restructuring and employment law.

Experience

  • Multinational chemical conglomerate successfully defends against works council seeking declaratory judgment against operational changeJones Day is successfully defending a multinational chemical conglomerate against its works council seeking declaratory judgment against an operational change trying to prevent the establishment of an arbitration board.
  • Multinational chemical conglomerate successfully litigates against works council to enforce operational changesJones Day represented a multinational chemical conglomerate against a works council denying the company's right to perform major operational changes.
  • NEP Group acquires SOS Global ExpressJones Day advised NEP Group in its acquisition of SOS Global Express, an independent international freight forwarding and full-service logistics company that specializes in supporting clients in broadcast, entertainment, music, and professional sports teams and leagues.
  • Huadong Medicine announces £169 million (US$222 million) takeover offer for and acquisition of Sinclair Pharma PlcJones Day advised Huadong Medicine Co. Ltd. ("HMC") and its subsidiary, Huadong Medicine Aesthetics Investment (HongKong) Limited ("Huadong"), on Huadong's takeover offer for and acquisition of Sinclair Pharma Plc with a total value of approximately £169 million (US$222 million).
  • ABB divests terminal block business to TE ConnectivityJones Day advised ABB Ltd. in the sale of its ENTRELEC® terminal block business, which is part of ABB's Electrification Products division, to TE Connectivity Ltd.
  • CVC Capital Partners acquires Teva's International Women's Health assets for $703 millionJones Day advised CVC Capital Partners in its $703 million acquisition of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's International (non-US), Women's Health assets.
  • NEP Group acquires Outside Broadcast and RecordLab TV & Media from BNP ParibasJones Day represented NEP Group, Inc., a large broadcast and live event company, in connection with its acquisition of Outside Broadcast NV, a technical service provider for the broadcast industry, and RecordLab TV & Media GmbH, a provider of outside broadcast solutions for the sports and entertainment industries, from BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity Expansion NV.
  • NEP Group acquires Mediatec GroupJones Day advised NEP Group, Inc. in its acquisition of Mediatec Group, one of Europe’s largest corporations in delivering integrated technical solutions for event and television productions with activities across Europe (including Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the UK, and Spain).
  • Valmet acquires Metso's Process Automation Systems business for €340 million (US$369.3 million)Jones Day advised Valmet Corporation in its acquisition of Metso's Process Automation Systems business for €340 million (US$369.3 million).
  • PLDS Germany GmbH sells business units to Magna International Inc.Jones Day advised PLDS Germany GmbH in its sale of the head-up display and electronic components business units in Wetzlar, Germany and the ultrasonic sensor business in Hsinchu, Taiwan to Magna International Inc.
  • International industrial manufacturer successfully completes merger negotiationsJones Day successfully completed highly complex works council negotiations for an international industrial manufacturer regarding the split of a production plant, allocating hundreds of employees to three different future owners, all of which remained on the same production premises and in part mutually exchanged certain services. The plant split was difficult to implement under operational, legal, space, and access aspects as it was dominated by EU merger control requirements, in order to make the merger of two major company groups permissible on an international basis.
  • Mitsui Chemicals acquires Heraeus Dental for €450 million (US$578 million)Jones Day advised Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. in its acquisition of the dental business of Heraeus Holding GmbH for €450 million (US$578 million).
  • Eastman Chemical acquires Solutia for $4.8 billionJones Day advised Eastman Chemical Company, a global chemical company that manufactures and sells a broad portfolio of chemicals, plastics, and fibers, in its $4.8 billion acquisition and related $3.5 billion financing of Solutia Inc., a global leader in performance materials and specialty chemicals.
  • Hilite International completes sale to 3iJones Day represented Hilite International, Inc., a manufacturer of hydraulic drives and timing systems for the automotive industry, in connection with its sale to 3i, a Germany-based private equity fund.
  • Attachmate acquires Novell for $2.2 billion; sells certain IP assets to Microsoft-led consortiumJones Day advised Attachmate Corporation in the $2.2 billion acquisition of Novell, Inc. and a related $450 million sale of intellectual property assets to a consortium led by Microsoft Corporation.
  • Sherwin-Williams acquires Becker Acroma Industrial Wood Coatings from AB Wilh. Becker, SwedenJones Day advised The Sherwin-Williams Company in connection with the acquisition of Becker Acroma Industrial Wood Coatings from AB Wilh. Becker, Sweden.
  • Hansteen Holdings acquires €330 million German industrial portfolioJones Day advised the UK REIT Hansteen Holdings plc in relation to the approximately €330 million (US$453.8 million) acquisition and related financing of the German portfolio of the Halverton Babcock Industrial Fund (HBI).
  • Timken sells needle roller bearings business to JTEKTJones Day advised The Timken Company in the $330 million sale of its needle roller bearings business, which primarily serves customers in the automotive original-equipment sector, to Japan's JTEKT Corporation.
  • International Automotive Components acquires Stankiewicz and GimotiveJones Day advised International Automotive Components Group, LLC in its acquisition of certain operations of Stankiewicz GmbH and Gimotive GmbH from German administration.
  • Sodexo acquires Zehnacker GroupJones Day advised Sodexo, Inc. in its €172 million ($239.7 million) acquisition of a controlling interest in Zehnacker Group from Burkart Verwaltungen GmbH.
    • View All

    August 2021 White Paper

    2021 Mid-Year Review: Key Global Trade Secret Developments

    March 2021 White Paper

    2020 End-of-Year Review: Key Global Trade Secret Developments

    October 2020 Commentary

    Beyond Masks: German Works Councils Play Key Role in Employee Safety

    September 2020 White Paper

    European Court of Justice Ruling on Daily Registration of Working Time—One Year Later

    July 2020 White Paper

    Mid-Year Review of Key Global Trade Secret Developments

    May 2020 White Paper

    Coronavirus in Germany—What Employers Must Keep in Mind

    February 2020 White Paper

    Key German Labor and Employment Law Developments of 2019 and What’s to Come in 2020

    June 2019 Jones Day Publications

    European Court of Justice: Employers Must Implement a Daily Working Hours Registry

    February 2019 Commentary

    When Fixed-Term Employment in Germany is Actually Indefinite: Understanding Recent Labor Court Decisions

    October 2018 Commentary

    Brexit and German Employment Law—A New Type of Interaction
    View All

    Speaking Engagements

    • 18 mai 2017
      Conférence Droit du Travail en Europe - 2017
    • May 18, 2017
      European Labor & Employment Conference 2017
    • 19 mai 2016
      European Labor & Employment Conference 2016
    • May 19, 2016
      European Labor & Employment Conference 2016
    • October 30, 2015
      Presentation on German collective bargaining law to a trade delegation from South Korea
    • May 21, 2015
      Jones Day’s European Labor & Employment Conference 2015: Managing Change Across Europe
    • May 15, 2014
      European Labor & Employment Conference 2014: Managing Today’s Employment Relationships Across Europe
    • July 3, 2013
      Company Pensions, Employee Benefits and HR-Issues in M&A-Situations, International Employee Benefit Association (IEBA) Meeting
    • April 18, 2013
      2013 Annual European Labor & Employment Conference
    • October 4, 2012
      German Labor & Employment Seminar
    • June 21, 2012
      European Labor & Employment related compliance issues: The latest developments in Labor law impacting local or multi-national employers
    • October 13, 2011
      Lecture on Company Pensions and the Impact on M & A Transactions in Germany
    • 26. Mai 2009
      Vortrag zu Betriebsrenten bei Mergers and Acquisitions, International Pension and Employee Benefit Lawyers Association Conference (IPEBLA)
    • May 26, 2009
      Lecture on Company Pensions in the Context of Mergers and Acquisitions, International Pension and Employee Benefit Lawyers Association Conference (IPEBLA)
    • March 4, 2009
      One day Seminar on Legal Aspects of Company Pension Schemes for Managing Directors, Head of HR, and in-house counsel, Forum, Institute for Management
    • 4 March 2009
      Arbeitsrechtliche Aspekte der betrieblichen Altersversorgung, Forum Institut für Management
    • April 28, 2007
      Emerging Trends in European L&E Law and their Impact on Multi-National Corporations
    • April 26, 2007
      European Labor and Employment Issues Facing the Financial Services Industry

    Before sending, please note:

    Information on www.jonesday.com is for general use and is not legal advice. The mailing of this email is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Anything that you send to anyone at our Firm will not be confidential or privileged unless we have agreed to represent you. If you send this email, you confirm that you have read and understand this notice.