Matthias Rubner is a partner in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. He primarily advises on employment law.

Mr. Rubner provides French and international clients with labor law advice related to corporate reorganizations and downsizing, business outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions, and relationships with unions and employee representatives. He frequently engages in negotiations with unions, work councils, and the labor administration and related litigation.

Mr. Rubner has strong expertise in the area of data protection law, employee privacy, codes of business ethics, and whistleblower procedures. He regularly advises US clients on how to conduct investigations in France and how to reconcile export control legislation with EU and on French data protection and employee privacy rules.

Mr. Rubner is fluent in French, English, and German. He is a frequently featured speaker at seminars in France, the UK, Germany, and the US.

Recognition

Ranked in Best Lawyers 2023, and has been for the last 10 years.

Mr. Rubner is recognized as a Leading Individual. Chambers Europe 2022

“An excellent lawyer: he is easy to talk to, knows his subject and takes good care of clients.” The Legal 500 EMEA 2020

Recognized in Chambers Europe 2020 rankings. 

“Noted for his profound expertise in employment issues arising from M&A, including consultations with employee representatives. He also handles contentious matters concerning redundancies and social security.” Chambers Europe 2019

“Mr. Rubner, who is in sole charge, has deep and perfect knowledge of the German language and legislation.” Legal 500 EMEA 2018

His recent representative experience includes advising on the employment aspects of the following deals:

  • Albea in the sale of its Innovative Beauty Group (IBG) division
  • GGW Group on the acquisition of Assurever
  • PAI Partners in its majority investment in ECF Group
  • L’Oréal in its proposed acquisition of Aēsop
  • Webhelp in its US$4.8 billion combination with Concentrix Corporation
  • ZEPLUG, a leading European provider of electric vehicle charging services in multi-occupant and office buildings, in its €240 million fundraising and acquisition of Bornes Solutions
  • Bain Capital Private Equity in its acquisition of a 55% stake in House of HR, a European leader in HR services
  • MGN in the contemplated sale of Euronews
  • Vivalto Santé, the third leading group of private hospitals in France, in its acquisition by Vivalto Partners alongside a consortium of minority shareholders
  • Astorg and Goldman Sachs in the sale of HRA Pharma, a rapidly expanding, innovation-driven consumer healthcare company, to Perrigo
  • Burger King in its sale of Quick, one of the leading burger fast food chains
  • Astorg in its acquisition of Solina, the leading European manufacturer of ingredient and seasoning blends for the food industry from Ardian
  • Ardian in the acquisition of a minority stake in Inovie, the leading independent medical diagnostic provider in France
  • Carrefour in the sale of a majority stake in its fintech Market Pay to AnaCap
  • Almirall in a dispute with a former employee who challenged his dismissal from the company
  • Alcentra European Direct Lending in the context of the acquisition of the BVA Group, the third largest French market research and consulting firm
  • Tencent in the context of the minority investment in Voodoo, the world leader in hyper-casual games
  • Bridgepoint SAS on the employment law aspects in the context of the acquisition of CEP group (credit insurance brokerage and credit brokerage) from JC Flowers and CHG Participations
  • L’Oréal in the context of the sale of its Roger & Gallet brand, French firm specialized in cosmetics and fragance
  • TechnipFMC in the context of a planned spin-off transaction to separate into two industry-leading, independent, publicly traded companies
  • Redundancy plans in the industrial and services sectors, negotiation with works councils and unions of collective agreements
  • Implementation, for major international groups of corporate governance rules, codes of ethics, delegations of liability, employee mobility/working time policies, and contracts of employment - multijurisdictional: Europe, Middle East, and South Eastern Asia
  • Advice and implementation of compensation and retention plans in the financial sector
  • A solution-minded providing outstanding patient outcomes on the employment law aspects of its purchase through a public tender offer, of 100% of the outstanding ordinary shares by a French listed company
  • Redundancy plan in the chemical sector, negotiation with work councils

Bar Qualification

  • Avocat (Paris)

Education

  • Postgraduate Degree Employment Law (DEA), University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne), 1998
  • Graduate Degree Law, University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne), 1997
  • LLM German Law, University of Cologne, 1995