Littler Mendelson offices. Photo: Jason Doiy/ALM

Rapidly growing labor and employment firm Littler Mendelson has found another partner for its expansion in Europe: the three-attorney Austrian firm Gerlach Rechtsanwälte.

The combination brings Littler's presence in Europe up to eight countries, and it's also intended to give the firm a gateway into Central and Eastern Europe. The firm is already in France, the U.K., Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and, most recently, Norway.

Littler co-managing partner Jeremy Roth first met founder Roland Gerlach, who boasts 25 years of experience, in Berlin in November 2016. At the time he was the member of an international alliance that competes with Littler, whose own international operations span four continents. And Stephan Swinkels, the Netherlands-based Littler shareholder who helps lead the development and integration of the firm's global practice, has known him for a decade.

"Roland is the most well-known employment lawyer in the country," he said. 

In addition to extracting itself from its prior alliance, Gerlach Rechtsanwälte also added young partner Markus Loescher, whose practice includes a particular focus on the intersection of technology and the workplace, after Roth's first encounter with Gerlach. Michaela Gerlach, with two decades of experience, is the third partner in the firm.

"They became a fit, but it took us longer to get over the finish line," Roth said.

The addition will be of particular value to the firm's German operations, home to five offices in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. Swinkels said he expected partners from both countries to join up for meetings and events, acknowledging that the firm's competitors offer combined German-Austrian solutions.

"The market is very similar," he said.

But Austria also faces the economies of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, where many of the firm's clients have moved their workforces in pursuit of cheaper labor. Swinkels and Roth acknowledged that the firm is looking eastward for future expansion.

Still, Littler intends to be cautious with further growth. Roth has repeatedly emphasized that the quality of a potential partner is just as important as the new market. Additions must function as stand-alone management-side labor and employment practices, or be willing to pare down to meet that criterion.

Thus far, in its European expansion, there haven't been any missteps, according to Swinkels.

"We do very thorough due diligence, not just to make sure we know how the firm works, but that we match up as well," he said. 

Postmerger integration is also a priority, he said. That involves helping transform the platform of new arrivals to meet the expectations of Littler's clients, and pan-continent meetings, not just for partners but also for associates.

In addition to growth in Europe, the firm also expanded to Singapore in late 2019, where the firm's two lawyers are currently helping employers move staff and products in response to the coronavirus.

The firm has also been eyeing Chile and Argentina, but the right opportunity has yet to emerge.

"We could place pins on the map tomorrow, but they would be people who have a different view of the practice than we do," Roth said. "The fact that we haven't found the right fit is not a positive thing, but it's a perfect example of the fact that we're not trying to rush things."

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