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 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
Huadong Medicine announces £169 million (US$222 million) takeover offer for and acquisition of Sinclair Pharma Plc
Jones 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 Connectivity
Jones 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 million
Jones 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 Paribas
Jones 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 Group
Jones 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 negotiations
Jones 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 billion
Jones 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 3i
Jones 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 consortium
Jones 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, Sweden
Jones 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 portfolio
Jones 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 JTEKT
Jones 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 Gimotive
Jones 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 Group
Jones Day advised Sodexo, Inc. in its €172 million ($239.7 million) acquisition of a controlling interest in Zehnacker Group from Burkart Verwaltungen GmbH.
Resilience Capital acquires business unit of Andrew Corporation
Jones Day provided advice to Resilience Capital Partners LLC in connection with its acquisition of the Satellite Communications business of Andrew Corporation, a global leader in communications systems and products.
OM Group acquires Borchers
Jones Day advised OM Group, Inc. in its acquisition of Borchers GmbH, a Europe-based specialty coatings additive supplier.
EDS sells business unit of A.T. Kearney
Jones Day advised Electronic Data Systems Corporation in the management buyout of the worldwide consulting business of subsidiary A.T. Kearney, Inc.
Additional Publications
- July 2013Tax Issues for Internationally-Mobile Employees in Europe, Practical European Tax Strategies, Worldtrade Executive WTE
- November 2011The current Catchword: Whistleblowing, Der Aufsichtsrat
- September 28, 2011Whistleblowing, Handelsblatt
- August 3, 2011Squealing on someone is not a Human Right, Financial Times Deutschland
- August 1, 2004New Personnel Market with Stumbling Blocks, PERSONALmagazin
Speaking Engagements
- October 30, 2015Presentation on German collective bargaining law to a trade delegation from South Korea
- July 3, 2013Company Pensions, Employee Benefits and HR-Issues in M&A-Situations, International Employee Benefit Association (IEBA) Meeting
- October 13, 2011Lecture on Company Pensions and the Impact on M & A Transactions in Germany
- May 26, 2009Lecture on Company Pensions in the Context of Mergers and Acquisitions, International Pension and Employee Benefit Lawyers Association Conference (IPEBLA)
- 26. Mai 2009Vortrag zu Betriebsrenten bei Mergers and Acquisitions, International Pension and Employee Benefit Lawyers Association Conference (IPEBLA)
- 4 March 2009Arbeitsrechtliche Aspekte der betrieblichen Altersversorgung, Forum Institut für Management
- March 4, 2009One day Seminar on Legal Aspects of Company Pension Schemes for Managing Directors, Head of HR, and in-house counsel, Forum, Institute for Management
- April 28, 2007Emerging Trends in European L&E Law and their Impact on Multi-National Corporations
- Second State Examination (Bavaria, 1994); University of Augsburg (First State Examination 1989)
- Federal Republic of Germany
- Recommended in The Legal 500 Germany (2016), where clients say he "stands out due to his extensive expertise"
- German, English, Czech