Employment Law

The firm’s employment attorneys represent employers and executives in a variety of litigation and counseling matters both in the United States and in France.

In the United States, Cohen & Gresser employment attorneys represent clients in state and federal court actions; other forums such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the New York State Division of Human Rights, and the New York City Commission on Human Rights; court monitorships; and investigations.  We also counsel employers and executives on a wide range of contractual and business matters, including employment, privacy, and social media policies and incident response plans.

In France, Cohen & Gresser employment attorneys have significant experience in counseling French and international employers and top managers/executives, as well as representing them in litigation relating to various employment and labor-related issues, including individual and collective relations. Our Paris attorneys also represent companies on all employment law aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings and provide advice on status, remuneration, and social coverage of top management/executives and corporate officers. Our French employment group has been regularly recognized by The Legal 500, where clients have described the team as “very effective in working through problems and understanding issues to reach reasonable resolutions.”

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Cohen & Gresser advised Procuritas, a mid-market private equity firm with the longest track record in the Nordics, and its portfolio company Nature Planet, in its cross-border acquisition of American company Phillips International, known under the brand name Cool Jewels. Cool Jewels is a leading sustainability-focused provider of jewelry for the attractions industry in the United States.

Nature Planet was founded with a clear focus on building strong long-term relationships with its customers in the attractions industry, particularly focused on the zoo and aquarium segment. Today the company supplies more than 5,000 customers in Europe and the United States. The acquisition of Phillips International adds jewelry as a new product category, making Nature Planet a one-stop-shop for the attractions industry.

Cohen & Gresser served as counsel to our client Procuritas and its portfolio company Nature Planet on all aspects of the transaction. The Cohen & Gresser team was led by Daniel H. Mathias and Robert Gavigan, with assistance from associates Myia Williams and James Mossetto. C&G partners Karen Bromberg (Employment and Intellectual Property), Bonnie Roe (Corporate) and Nicholas J. Kaiser (Tax) provided additional deal support. The terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

Four Paris-based partners have been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in France. Angéline Duffour is recognized for labor and employment law. Muriel Goldberg-Darmon is recognized for banking and finance law, financial institutions, mergers and acquisitions law, and regulatory practice. Loïc Henriot is recognized for criminal defense and litigation. Johannes Jonas is recognized for corporate law. Best Lawyers relies entirely on peer review to determine and recognize professional excellence.
International law firm Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that its Paris office has once again been recognized in The Legal 500’s 2022 Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) guide for its work in five practice areas: Commercial Litigation, Employment, IT and Internet, Stock Market Litigation, and Tax. The Legal 500 recognizes practices that are “providing the most cutting edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel.” Clients recognized C&G for its “ability to synthesise, analyse and argue matters” and noted that the firm “has an extensive technical track record and is able to support French and foreign clients” on all types of issues. Two C&G lawyers received top-level rankings and have been recognized as “Leading Individuals” in their respective practice areas. The full list of C&G lawyers recognized in The Legal 500 2022 EMEA guide includes:  
Angéline Duffour spoke with AEF Info about the Paris Criminal Court’s decision to sentence Deliveroo for concealed work with a fine of 375,000 euros and a one-year suspended prison sentence for two former leaders. (Subscription Required)

Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that its Paris office has once again been recognized in The Legal 500’s 2021 Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) guide for its work in six practice areas: Commercial Litigation, Compliance, Employment, IT and Internet, Stock Market Litigation, and Tax. These practices were identified as “providing the most cutting edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel.” Clients recognized C&G as “extremely agile and user-friendly” and highlighted the firm’s “professionalism” and “pragmatic approach” when handling their most complex matters.

Jeff Bronheim spoke with The Telegraph about the impact of remote working on employees after the pandemic and its effect on compliance culture and training. (Subscription Required)

Tim Harris speaks with Law360 about the Financial Conduct Authority’s recent warning that financial services companies should maintain records of employee communication on messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, while employees work remotely.

Tim refers to a recent FCA case brought against an investment banker accused of destroying WhatsApp messages: "The case highlights the evidential importance that the FCA attaches to information contained on WhatsApp and other instant messaging applications. The FCA expects that if these applications contain information that they would be interested in that they must be preserved.” (Subscription required.)

Cohen & Gresser's Paris office has been recognized in The Legal 500’s 2020 Europe, Middle East, and Africa guide for its work in seven practice areas: Compliance, Commercial Litigation, Employment, Stock Market Litigation, Tax, White Collar Crime, and IT and Internet. Clients note that the team in Paris “shows great availability and responsiveness” and is “very effective in working through problems and understanding issues to reach reasonable resolutions.”

C&G welcomes the attorneys who joined the firm in 2017. "We’re very fortunate to have added these exceptional lawyers in New York and Paris," said Managing Partner, Lawrence T Gresser.  "We look forward to continuing to build our transactional and disputes practices in all of our offices in 2018."

Le Figaro interviewed Angéline Duffour about Macron's campaign promise to create a unique maternity leave for all women, regardless of their status (employee, independent worker, etc.).

Angéline Duffour spoke to Le Figaro about employers’ yearly obligation to declare which employees are exposed to certain risk factors. She also discussed the potential sanctions facing companies that fail to do so.

Nous profitons de notre première Newsletter de l’année pour vous présenter tous nos vœux pour cette nouvelle année qui s’annonce encore un peu particulière. L’activité partielle, l’APLD (activité partielle de longue durée) et le télétravail, qui sont devenus au gré de la crise sanitaire, incontournables en 2020, resteront des sujets d’actualité en 2021. Nous vous proposons d’analyser les principales nouveautés concernant ces dispositifs, sans oublier notre analyse des décisions qui ont marqué 2020.

With the shift to remote working and the convenience of chat applications for conducting business, it is critical for firms to understand that information relevant to their business may be created on personal devices and applications. The UK FCA’s failed prosecution of an investment banker for destroying WhatsApp messages taken together with the FCA’s ‘Market Watch 66’ publication highlighting the need to control electronic communications is a reminder to firms to address staff use of personal chat applications to conduct business.

Angéline Duffour and Anna Milleret-Godet discuss the legal status of business leaders and the legal implications surrounding their responsibilities.
Dans cet article, Angéline Duffour revient sur les contrôles renforcés annoncés par le gouvernement en matière d'activité partielle et livre ses recommandations pour les anticiper et limiter les risques. (Angéline Duffour analyses the French government’s plan to audit companies regarding partial activity, as well as how companies can best comply and limit their risk of sanctions.)
Angéline Duffour et Anna Milleret-Godet proposent des suggestions que les entreprises peuvent utiliser pour une reprise efficace en vue de la fin du confinement. (Angéline Duffour and Anna Milleret-Godet provide tips for how businesses can most effectively emerge from this period of containment brought on by the outbreak of COVID-19.) Lire plus en français Read more in English

John W Gibson, Thomas Shortland, and Ashley Collins outline the key factors company directors must consider when making business decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they may face scrutiny from a range of interested parties including creditors, employees, trade unions, landlords, customers, regulators, insolvency practitioners, and possibly law enforcement.

Bonnie J Roe discusses the key components of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), which was signed into law on March 27, 2020 with the goal of offsetting some of the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Karen H Bromberg and Lauren J Salamon examine the key provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Signed into law on March 18, 2020, it provides paid sick and protected job leave for employees who are unable to work because they, or their family members, are impacted by COVID-19, and is applicable to employers with fewer than 500 employees.
Karen H Bromberg discusses the recent guidance posted by the U.S. Department of Labor regarding common issues employers are likely to face, or are already confronting, with respect to employee wages when responding to different COVID-19 scenarios.

Regards croisés entre Muriel Goldberg-Darmon et Angéline Duffour, associées spécialisées respectivement en Compliance et Droit social.

(Muriel Goldberg-Darmon and Angéline Duffour discuss internal investigations and the associated employment law risks.)

Further to the “Professional Future” law, which entered fully into force last summer, new regulations have been adopted this year which reform the system for the secondment of foreign workers in France. Angéline Duffour, Anna Milleret-Godet, and Saruji Sambukumaran discuss how these new regulations, some applicable immediately and some going into effect in July 2020, aim to increase workers’ rights and employer obligations.

Nous vous proposons, dans cette newsletter, de revenir sur les nouvelles règles applicables au détachement de salariés en France, issues de la loi Avenir professionnel du 5 septembre 2018, applicables pour la majeure partie depuis le 1er juillet dernier. Nous ferons également le point sur les principaux changements apportés à la procédure de reconnaissance des accidents du travail et maladies professionnelles (AT-MP) à compter du 1er décembre 2019, sans oublier notre sélection de jurisprudence.

Karen H Bromberg and Eliza Sheridan discuss the importance of properly handling employee complaints and negative attitudes, as well as the difference between insubordination and protected griping in the workplace.

La Cour de cassation, dans deux avis du 17 juillet 2019 (n°15012 et 15013), s’est prononcée favorablement sur la conformité du barème Macron aux textes internationaux, mettant ainsi un terme au débat suscité par plusieurs conseils de prud’hommes refusant d’en faire application.

L’actualité sociale du premier semestre 2019 a été marquée par l’entrée en vigueur de l’index de l’égalité femmes-hommes ainsi que par l’adoption, le 11 avril dernier, de la loi (ou plan d’action) pour la « croissance et la transformation des entreprises » dite « loi Pacte ». Nous vous proposons, dans cette newsletter, d’analyser les principales mesures de ces nouveaux dispositifs, sans oublier notre revue de jurisprudence.

Angéline Duffour and Anna Milleret-Godet discuttent le dévélopment récent de la pratique du référendumd dans l'entreprise comme mode de validation d'un accord d'entreprise.

(Angéline Duffour and Anna Milleret-Godet discuss the effects of using a referendum as a means of validating collective bargaining agreements.)

In an article for Entreprise & Carrières, Angéline Duffour discusses the main changes brought by Macron’s decrees on staff representatives, known as Le Comité social et économique (CSE).

(Dans cet article, Angéline Duffour analyse les principaux changements apportés par les ordonnances Macron en matière de représentation du personnel.)

Angéline Duffour and Anna Milleret-Godet highlight the new responsibilities for employers established by the implementation of France's CSE (Le Comité social et économique).
C Evan Stewart outlines four different approaches for understanding the status of ex-employees as it relates to attorney-client privilege. Can they all be right?

Angéline Duffour et Anna Milleret-Godet analysent la jurisprudence relative aux plan de sauvegarde de l'emploi (PSE) depuis l'entrée en viguer de la loi de sécurisation de l'emploi du 14 juin 2013. Cette réforme a introduit un contrôle administratif renforcé du contentu du PSE et du la procédure applicable.

(Angéline Duffour and Anna Milleret-Godet analyze the case law relating to job protection plans (known as "PSE" in France) in light of the June 14, 2013 job security law, which introduced administrative control of PSE.)

Dans cette article, Angéline Duffour et Anna Milleret-Godet analysent les principales dispositions de la loi n°2016-1088 du 8 août 2016 relative au travail, à la modernisation du dialogue social et à la sécurisation des parcours professionnels, dite « Loi Travail ».

(In this article, Angéline Duffour and Anna Milleret-Godet analyze the main provisions of the August 8, 2016 law n°2016-1088 relating to work, the modernization of social dialogue, and securing professional careers, known as the “Labor Law.”)

This article addresses the existing Fair Labor Standards Act and  the June 2015 proposed amendments to the Act concerning the “white collar” exemptions under the FLSA including increased salary and compensation thresholds.  These proposed revisions to the FLSA could impact nearly 5 million white collar workers within the first year of implementation.
Angéline Duffour joined the International Forum of Senior Executive Advisors (IFSEA) to share best practices for senior executives accused of wrongdoing and facing an investigation. The panelists explored the employment, criminal, and regulatory overlap of investigations and offered practical guidance handling an investigation.
On September 22, 2019, Erica Lai moderated a panel on economic justice issues facing Asian American and Pacific Islander women, including equal pay, occupational segregation, wage theft, pregnancy discrimination, and sexual harassment.  Speakers included Jenny R. Yang (Urban Institute senior fellow and former U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair), Lisa P. Mak (Minami Tamaki LLP employment attorney), and Seri Lee (NAPAWF labor organizer).  The panel was part of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum Power Up Conference, held in Washington, D.C.
Partner Angéline Duffour discussed the necessary steps involved in successful business creation, risk anticipation and entrepreneurship at a Salon des Entrepreneurs Conference titled “Créateurs: anticipez, maîtrisez vos risques... Et provoquez votre réussite!” (Entrepreneurs: Anticipate, Control Your Risk… And Generate Your Success!) View photos from the event:  Photo 1;  Photo 2;  Photo 3;  Photo 4
C&G partner Angéline Duffour led a workshop on French Labor Law Reforms at Paris EUROPLACE's Expanding Your Business in Paris Workshop in London. President of the Paris Region, former Education Minister and Treasury Minister, Valérie Pécresse, introduced the workshop.
Les cinq ordonnances portant réforme du Code du travail, signées vendredi 22 septembre dernier par le Président de la République, ont été publiées samedi 23 septembre au Journal officiel. Certaines mesures prévues par ces ordonnances sont d'application immédiate, telles que le barème des indemnités prud'homales ou la réforme du télétravail, tandis que d'autres, comme la fusion des instances représentatives du personnel, écessitent des décrets d'application. Selon le gouvernement, une vingtaine de décrets est attendue d'ici le 31 décembre 2017. Les ordonnances devront toutefois, pour être pérennisées, être ratifiées par l'Assemblée nationale. Nous vous proposons, lors de cette matinale, de faire le point sur ces ordonnances et, plus particulièrement, de :
  • décrypter et analyser les mesures phares de la réforme,
  • identifier les impacts sur les pratiques existantes,
  • bénéficier de conseils opérationnels pour se mettre en conformité.
Intervenants :
  • Angéline Duffour
  • Anna Milleret-Godet
Date : Mardi 17 octobre 2017 Heure : 8h30 - 10h30
Actionnariat salarié et épargne salariale: opportunités offertes par la loi Macron La loi du 10 juillet 2015 pour la croissance, l'activité et l'égalité des chances économiques a introduit des aménagements techniques concernant la mise en place de plans d'Attribution Gratuite d'Actions. Cette loi présente également un assouplissement des conditions d'éligibilité des sociétés aux BSPCE ("Bons de Souscription de Parts de Créateur d'Entreprise") et simplifie certaines règles relatives à l'épargne salariale. Au cours de cette Matinale, seront abordés :
  • les modifications juridiques et fiscales concernant l'émission d'actions gratuites, de BSPCE et les dispositifs d'épargne salariale (participation, intéressement et Perco)
  • les modifications apportées au traitement fiscal et social de ces dispositifs
  • les impacts de la réforme sur la situation des bénéficiaires non-résidents et des plans étrangers bénéficiant à des résidents français
  • la revue des aspects juridiques et pratiques à intégrer pour l'émission de nouveaux plans conformes aux conditions de la Loi Macron