Insight

Briefing counsel after an internal review

Internal employment contract assessment saves time only if the handoff is crisp. Counsel should not have to reverse-engineer your worry from a highlighted PDF.

Use four headings: facts, clauses of concern, business intent, and questions. Facts cover role, start date, and whether a works council is in play. Clauses of concern quote the exact sentences. Business intent explains what the company is trying to achieve — for example, protecting product knowledge without blocking ordinary job mobility.

Questions should be answerable. “Is this okay?” wastes a billable hour. “Does this secondary employment clause conflict with our stated need for weekend on-call freelancing?” invites a usable opinion.

During employment consultations in Germany, employees may already have their own advisor. Your brief should note what was already said in the consultation so counsel is not surprised by commitments managers made casually.

We practice this structure in the final module of the Assessment Studio.