Oliver Zöll

Partner / Attorney / Board-certified in labor law

Oliver Zöll

+49 69 / 76 80 73-252
o.zoell@ags-legal.com

AGS Legal
Senckenberganlage 19
60325 Frankfurt am Main

Being prepared for a dispute is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.

nach George Washington

Profile

Oliver Zöll is a specialist lawyer for labor law. He advises and represents clients in all areas of individual and collective labor law—both out of court and before labor and civil courts.

His practice focuses on providing labor law advice to companies and executives on all aspects of operational human resources management. Mr. Zöll advises on compliance, white collar, investigation, and D&O cases at the interface with labor/employment law and (employee) data protection. In addition to project management in this area, he represents aggrieved companies or accused individuals in all aspects of employment contracts or labor law in compliance cases.

Mr. Zöll supports change management processes on both the company and employee sides, particularly for executives, managing directors, and board members.

Thanks to his many years of experience in renowned large law firms, he has extensive experience in advising international clients. His track record also includes providing labor law support for M&A and outsourcing transactions as well as a wide range of personnel restructuring projects.

Oliver Zöll regularly publishes articles on labor, data protection, and compliance law topics. He is a member of the editorial team of juris PraxisReport Compliance & Investigations.

He is regularly recommended in renowned rankings—including Legal 500, Handelsblatt, and Best Lawyers—for his expertise at the intersection of labor law, data protection, and compliance.

Fields of activity

Labor law & data protection

Awards

  • Legal 500, Employment Law 2025: "AGS Legal's team led by Oliver Zöll focuses on employment law compliance, litigation, and internal investigations, and also covers related criminal law issues."
  • Legal 500, Compliance in Germany 2022, core attorneys AGS Legal "Oliver Zöll plays the interface with labor and data protection law".
  • JUVE Commercial Law Firms 2015/16: Experienced attorney at the intersection between data protection and labor law
  • Top attorney for labor law: WirtschaftsWoche 10/2017
  • Handelsblatt and Best Lawyers: Germany’s best lawyers 2018 - 2025

Publications

  • Zöll Oliver, in Taeger/Gabel: Commentary on the GDPR, BDSG, and TDDDSG (since 1st edition (formerly § 32 BDSG-Alt) to date: 5th edition 2025).
  • Zöll Oliver and Prof. Dr. Harrer, Sebastian: Participation rights of employee representatives, in: Insam / Reuter, Compensation law for banking practice 2025.
  • Zöll Oliver: Forwarding work emails containing personal data to a private account constitutes a gross breach of duty, comment on LArbG Frankfurt, decision of March 10, 2025, in: jurisPR-Compl 4/2025, note 5.
  • Zöll, Oliver and Johanna Böning: Burden of proof and presentation of evidence on the part of the employee in cases of alleged invalidity of dismissal due to violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act and the prohibition of reprisals, comment on LArbG Hannover, judgment of November 11, 2024, in: jurisPR-Compl 3/2025 Note 1.
  • Zöll Oliver and Ruben Soeder: Intangible claims for damages under Art. 82 (1) GDPR against Facebook in the scraping complex, comment on BGH, judgment of November 18, 2024, in: jurisPR-Compl 1/2025, note 4.
  • Zöll Oliver and Johanna Böning: Compensation for age discrimination in hiring (“digital native”), comment on Heilbronn Labor Court, judgment of January 18, 2024, in: jurisPR-Compl 3/2024, note 4.
  • Zöll Oliver: Termination without notice due to comments made in a private chat group – No evidence – and prohibition on the use of factual statements due to lack of expectation of confidentiality, comment on BAG, judgment of August 24, 2023, in: jurisPR-Compl 1/2024, note 2.
  • Zöll Oliver and Dr. Florian Junkers: Unconscionability of the promise to pay retirement benefits and its strategic impact on internal investigations, comment on Berlin Labor Court ruling of September 20, 2023, in: jurisPR-Compl 6/2023, note 2.
  • Oliver Zöll: „Company acquisition in tax practice“ Published by Prof. Dr. Patrick Sinewe (3. Auflage, 2022), on preliminary labour law considerations in the preparation of the sale of a company.
  • No right of access in case of disproportionate effort, comment on LG Heidelberg judgement of February 21st, 2020 – 4 O 6/19 (with Jacek Kielkowski), in: ZD 2020, 313 ff.
  • Scope of the right of access under GDPR Article 15 for internal investigations, comment on State Labor Court of Stuttgart judgment of December 20, 2018 (with Kielkowski Jacek), in: jurisPR-Compl 2/2019 comment 1.
  • Inadmissibility of statements of facts obtained through excessive employer monitoring under data protection law, comment on State Labor Court of Frankfurt judgment of September 21, 2018 (with Kielkowski Jacek), in: jurisPR-Compl 1/2019 comment 5.

  • The digital personnel File, (in collaboration with Christian Schönbach), in: AuA (Arbeit und Arbeitsrecht) 04/2018, p. 217f.

  • Zöll Oliver, Dr. Jan Kappel and Dr. Florian Junkers: „Dealing with intentional corporate harm - embezzlement, theft, fraud: a guide.“, Compliance-Berater 3/2018, 55.
  • Zöll Oliver and Schüssler Lennart: “EU General Data Protection Regulation and Employee Data Protection,” Datenschutz und Datensicherheit (DuD), Issue 10, 2013, pp. 639-643.
  • Zöll Oliver and Nebeling Martin: “Co-determination does not extend to Facebook page operated by employer” - German Works Constitution Act Section 87(1)(6) - Labor Court of Düsseldorf judgment of June 21, 2013 (14 BVGa 16/13), Issue 09, 2013, pp. 470-473.
  • Zöll Oliver and Kielkowski Jacek: “Agreeing on a termination notice period of 18 months” German Civil Code Section 307(1, 2), Arbeit und Arbeitsrecht (AuA) Labor Court of Heilbronn judgment (5 Ca 307/11) of May 8, 2012, Issue 12, 2012, p. 732.
  • Zöll Oliver and Kielkowski Jacek: “Implementing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies in conformity with labor law,” BB 42/2012, pp. 2625-2630.
  • Zöll Oliver: Let’s try it in-house, Personalmagazin, Issue 10, 2012, pp. 66-67.
  • Zöll Oliver and Paul Jörg-Alexander: “Seizing opportunities, avoiding mistakes,” Personalmagazin (Cloud Computing), Issue 08, 2011, pp. 16-17.
  • Zöll Oliver: “The preserved vacation entitlement,” Personalmagazin (vacation rights), Issue 06, 2011, pp. 71-72.
  • Zöll Oliver quoted in Barbara Sommerhoff: “The two-job dilemma,” Süddeutsche Zeitung (online) of July 10, 2010 (https://www.sueddeutsche.de/karriere/hauptberuf-und-nebenjob-standbein-spielbein-1.972606)
  • Zöll Oliver: AuA 2010, 54 comment on Federal Labor Court judgment of December 9, 2008 (3 AZR 431/07) on contracts with third-party beneficiaries.
  • Zöll Oliver, Schielke Christian and Langen Markus: “No more bonuses? Compensation at institutions after the MaRisk amendment,” BB 46/2009, pp. 2479-2485.
  • Zöll Oliver quoted in “Condemned to silence,” FAZ, Work and Opportunities section, October 14, 2009 
(https://www.faz.net/aktuell/beruf-chance/recht-und-gehalt/arbeitsrecht-zum-schweigen-verurteilt-1852339.html)
  • Zöll Oliver: “Forfeiting the right to object.” Comment on Federal Labor Court judgment of July 24, 2008 – 8 AZR 175/07. In: BB, Issue 15, 2009, p. 784.
  • Zöll Oliver and Sehr, Sonja: “Age and labor law – age-based discrimination,” Personalmagazin, Issue 2, 2009, pp. 72-73.
  • Zöll Oliver and Heuchemer, Frank-Karl: “In-depth background research – The legal framework for background checks,” Personalmagazin, Issue 12/2008, p. 70 f.
  • Zöll Oliver: “FAQs on occupational retirement schemes in the event of transactions,” in Arbeit und Arbeitsrecht (AuA), Issue 6/08, p. 364 f.
  • Zöll Oliver: Betriebs Berater, Issue 15/2008, p. 788 f., Discussion of the Federal Labor Court judgment on classifying settlements for partial retirement agreements for bankruptcy purposes.
  • Zöll Oliver: Interpreting the small-company clause in German Termination Protection Act [KSchG] Section 23(1) sentences 2 and 3 – Federal Labor Court, reference no. 2 AZR 840/05, in Arbeit und Arbeitsrecht (AuA) Issue 2/2008, pp. 118-119
  • Zöll Oliver and Plümpe Sabine: Article on forfeiting the right to object to a transfer of operations in HANDELSBLATT, Law & Taxes section, September 5, 2007.
  • Zöll Oliver and Insam Alexander: Comment on the Federal Labor Court judgment of September 21, 2006 (2 AZR 840/05), in: DB 2007, pp. 694-695.
  • Zöll Oliver: “New deadline for objections,” comment on the State Labor Court of Munich judgment, reference no. 2 Sa 990/05 in FINANCIAL TIMES Deutschland, March 13, 2007
  • Zöll Oliver and Heuchemer Frank-Karl: Applying time as a general manager to protection against wrongful termination (Federal Labor Court November 24, 2005, also comment on the State Law Court of Berlin judgment of February 15, 2006, on “written form” under German Civil Code Section 623). In AuA (Arbeit und Arbeitsrecht), 2007, p. 117.
  • Zöll Oliver: Review of Ramrath - Termination of employment contracts. In: AuA (Arbeit und Arbeitsrecht), 2006, p. 693.
  • Zöll Oliver and Insam Alexander: Transfer companies - reliable reorganization? In: AuA (Arbeit und Arbeitsrecht), 2006, pp. 389-393.
  • Zöll Oliver and Insam Alexander: Protection against wrongful termination in small businesses: grandfather clause of German Termination Protection Act [KSchG] Section 23(1) - Can replacing employees reduce company size? (reply). In: DB (Der Betrieb), 2006, p. 1214 f.
  • Zöll Oliver and Insam Alexander: German Termination Protection Act [KSchG] does not apply to companies with no more than 10 new employees and fewer than 5.25 old employees. In: DB (Der Betrieb), Düsseldorf, 2006, pp. 726-728.
  • Zöll Oliver: Information letters matter: Duty to inform when transferring operations. In: AuA (Arbeit und Arbeitsrecht), Berlin, 2006, pp. 18-21.

To overview