Leonhard is an Austrian qualified lawyer and a member of Freshfields’ global People and Reward team. He advises on a wide range of employment matters, spanning from senior management exits to compensation and incentives matters as well as pension issues. Further, Leonhard has extensive experience in coordinating and advising clients on the employment aspects of both multi-jurisdictional corporate transactions and national restructurings, where he frequently works in collaboration with the firm’s corporate and regulatory teams.
Leonhard is an excellent communicator and a trusted adviser. He is very well connected within the global People and Reward team, notably due to his secondments to the London, Madrid and Paris People and Reward teams.
He is continuously involved in cross-practice business development initiatives. Currently, as a member of the global People and Reward team’s AI working group, he regularly advises clients – together with the firms IT/IP team – on the employment aspects of the use of AI in the workplace.
Leonhard is a frequent contributor to various employment-related publications and regularly speaks at internal and external events. He is also actively involved in the firm’s pro bono practice and coaches participants in national and international employment law moot courts at the University of Vienna.
Leonhard’s experience includes advising
- UBS AG on the employment-related integration of the Crédit Suisse business into the UBS corporate structure
- Nippon Express Holdings on the employment aspects of the acquisition of global logistics group cargo-partner
- Trilantic on the acquisition of a 60% stake in Aerocompact Group, a leading solar technology provider from Austria
- An international financial institution on the sale of its German private client business to an Austrian purchaser (by way of a cross-border merger)
- RELX Group on its strategic exit from the Austrian exhibition market which comprised the sale of three entities
- An international vehicle dealer on all employment and social security law aspects, including works council negotiations and pension matters
- 3M Company on employment aspects in the context of the spin-off of the worldwide healthcare division which is now listed on the NYSE under the name Solventum
- Borealis AG on the sale of its nitrogen business to Agrofert for EUR 810m
- A NASDAQ-listed U.S. technology company on all employment and social security law aspects, including works council negotiations
- SEB Kort Bank AB on Austrian employment law aspects in connection with the acquisition of all shares in Lufthansa AirPlus Servicekarten from Deutsche Lufthansa
- The Western Union Company on employment aspects of the sale of Western Union Business Solutions to a private equity consortium of Goldfinch Partners and Baupost Group
- MM Board & Paper GmbH on employment aspects in connection with its sale of virgin fiber cartonboard mills to Oaktree
- A German-U.S. producer of pianos on employment contract matters
- A U.S.-listed international investment company on all employment and social security law aspects
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