Baker McKenzie LLP

Katja Häferer is a partner with more than 15 years of experience in labor and employment law. She co-heads the German Employment & Compensation practice and is an active member of the Firm's European Labor Law and Global Labor Law practice groups. Recognized as a Stand-out Legal Talent by Acritas in 2021 and listed among Wirtschaftswoche’s most renowned employment law practitioners from 2021 to 2024, Katja’s experience is well-regarded in the legal community. Her international perspective is enriched by her tenure in the Firm’s San Francisco and Palo Alto offices.

Katja also co-leads Baker McKenzie's FeMale Leaders Initiative, promoting diversity and leadership opportunities for women in the legal sector and business community. A regular speaker and panel moderator at conferences, she conducts training on a variety of employment topics and frequently publishes in law journals, legal commentaries, and business newspapers.

Katja provides strategic and comprehensive employment advice on domestic and multi-jurisdictional projects, including pre- and post-merger corporate restructurings, collective dismissals, negotiations with works councils and unions, cross-border secondments, global equity plans, and gender pay audits. She supports several multinational clients in the management of their global workforce regarding, addressing global working conditions, cross-border personnel deployment, and global HR compliance matters. Katja often leads multi-jurisdictional employment projects.

Katja has extensive experience advising companies on employee representation in Societas Europaea (SE) supervisory boards and works councils, as well as European Works Councils (EWCs). She also provides strategic guidance on navigating the complex process of transforming into a Societas Europaea (SE). Katja authored a legal commentary on German SE-legislation “SEBG,” published in “AR - Kommentar, Kommentar zum gesamten Arbeitsrecht” (2021). She is also an experienced litigator in complex employment and SE law matters, including cases before the Federal Labor Court (BAG) and the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

Katja's client base ranges from Germany- and EMEA-headquartered clients with global operations to local subsidiaries of multinationals.