Marc Ph Prinz heads VISCHER's labour and employment law practice group and has many years of experience in all aspects of labour and employment law.

Marc advises employers and executives in employment-related issues and represents them in court proceedings, in particular in relation to executive compensation and bonus plans. He regularly assists corporate clients in all labour law issues surrounding reorganisations or transactions, particularly in the context of transfers of undertakings and collective redundancies.

What has been your greatest achievement to date?

I let others judge on that but I am particularly proud of the wonderful labour and employment team I have been able to establish at VISCHER over the last years, and which I have the privilege of leading.

What do you enjoy most about your role as head of VISCHER’s labour and employment group?

I like many aspects of my role but the most interesting (yet most challenging) part is to watch, develop and influence the interpersonal dynamics within the team. The fantastic team spirit we have in VISCHER's labour and employment team gives me great satisfaction.

Which key traits and skills would you encourage the up-and-coming generation of labour and employment lawyers to develop?

An employment lawyer typically handles numerous cases at the same time (rather than just focusing on one big transaction or dispute). This requires an efficient personal work organisation and diligent allocation of a lawyer's most precious resource: time. This can and should be trained, developed and perfected.

What are the most common sources of employment disputes and how do you think clients can minimise the risks of them occurring?

In our practice, the most common sources of employment disputes are terminations and benefits (in particular bonus).

There is no silver bullet to avoiding disputes. Obviously, having a proper, state-of-the-art employment documentation in place (contract, regulations, policies) helps. However, more and more employees have legal insurance and don't have to bear legal costs personally, e.g. for a senseless reference letter dispute. Also, I think that in general in today's society the psychological barrier to sue an employer is lower than it used to be. Therefore, some employment disputes are unavoidable and clients should not only try to minimise the risks of disputes occurring but also establish a consistent approach to address such disputes.

How will technological innovation impact the labour and employment practice in the next five to 10 years?

I expect that some elements of our work will be done by cognitive computing systems, e.g. contract drafting. We will have to adapt to this inevitable reality. Also, I think that remote work is here to stay and that more and more flexible work schemes will be implemented. We will have to figure out ways to replace the interaction with colleagues at the coffee machine. With the shift from real face-to-face interaction we need to look at how we adapt our interpersonal skills which are so essential across the board - from establishing trust to assessing credibility.

How is the generational shift changing legal practice at your firm? What do younger lawyers do differently?

I try to stay young at heart and I don't see significant differences. Younger lawyers are of course more tech-savvy and adapt very quickly. But they are just as hard-working, dedicated and passionate as we used to be.

Where, in your opinion, does the future of the practice area lie?

I strongly believe that there will always be a demand for excellent employment law advice, despite technological innovation. Unlike other practice areas, employment law always has a human factor that cannot be replaced by a computer. Nevertheless, we have to constantly adapt to technological developments including using all the facets of available IT tools. At VISCHER, we also continue to explore and expand interesting interface areas with other legal fields that typically have an important employment law angle (like data privacy, immigration, social security, pension and white-collar claims).

What advice would you give to young lawyers starting out in this field?

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.