Severance in Berlin – Your Options Without Upfront Legal Fees

Severance in Berlin: what to know now

A termination or a termination agreement in Berlin is rarely the end of your options. In most cases there is real room to negotiate – if you act quickly and correctly.

Berlin is the largest labour market in Germany with over 1.9 million employees covered by social security. The Arbeitsgericht Berlin sees tens of thousands of cases each year, and the negotiation paths between employers and counsel are well established.

Responsible labour court

Employment matters across all of Berlin fall under the Arbeitsgericht Berlin, Magdeburger Platz 1, 10785 Berlin-Tiergarten. It is one of the largest labour courts in Germany.

Appeals go to the Landesarbeitsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg in Magdeburger Straße. In most cases there is no need to appear in person before filing – the process runs through legal representation, with a conciliation or chamber hearing scheduled only after the claim is filed.

The 3-week deadline: the single most important date

Once a termination is delivered, you have exactly three weeks to file a wrongful-dismissal claim (§ 4 KSchG). The deadline applies in Berlin too.

Miss the deadline and the termination is treated as legally valid – regardless of how weak the grounds were. With it, the leverage for a meaningful severance typically disappears.

The same urgency applies to termination agreements: have the document reviewed before you sign. Rescission afterwards is only possible in narrow cases.

Berlin labour market: who is most affected

Berlin's job market is diverse, with a few clear focus areas:

• Public service & administration: federal and state authorities with structured tariff frameworks.
• IT & tech: startups, scale-ups and tech corporations – frequently restructuring after the 2023–2024 funding correction.
• Healthcare & social services: Charité, Vivantes and large non-profit operators.
• Media & creative industries: publishing, advertising, film and music.
• Retail, logistics & transport: BVG, Deutsche Bahn, e-commerce.

In tech especially we have seen, since 2023, termination agreements offered with very short deadlines and clear pressure to sign quickly. A review is worth it in nearly every case.

What severance is realistic in Berlin?

There is no statutory severance entitlement. In practice a rule of thumb has emerged:

0.5 gross monthly salaries × years of service

Example: 8 years × €4,500 gross per month ≈ €18,000 severance – as the starting point of the negotiation.

In Berlin we regularly see 0.75 to 1.0 gross monthly salaries per year of service once a case is properly negotiated. With weak grounds, social-selection errors, or special protection (pregnancy, disability, works-council activity), considerably higher figures are realistic.

How your case runs with us

1. Free first call: you describe the case, we assess prospects and likely severance.
2. Engagement: you sign a litigation-funding agreement – no upfront payment.
3. Out-of-court negotiation: our partner lawyers approach your employer.
4. If needed: litigation: we file the wrongful-dismissal claim at the Arbeitsgericht Berlin.
5. Settlement or judgement: most matters settle for a severance at the conciliation hearing.

No cost risk – even if we litigate

Unlike a classic legal mandate we carry the full cost risk: legal fees, court fees, expert reports if needed. You pay nothing upfront.

If we succeed, we keep a transparently agreed share of the severance. If nothing is achieved, you owe nothing – including court fees in Berlin.

Bottom line: don't wait. The 3-week deadline runs from the day the termination was delivered. Have your case reviewed today.