Karina Lemmens
Of Counsel Partner | Mediator | Registered Confidential Advisorclemmens@thuispartners.nl
With a legal career spanning over three decades, Karina Lemmens has been a trusted advisor since 1987, specializing in labour law, conflict resolution, and family office services. Her extensive experience in employment-related disputes enables her to both resolve and proactively prevent workplace issues. Employers seek her guidance for mediation, legal advice, and litigation in matters such as dismissals, workplace conflicts, reorganizations, and restructurings. Additionally, she advises on employment conditions, employee participation, collective labor agreements, and disputes involving statutory directors.
Beyond her legal practice, Karina is a certified mediator and a registered confidential advisor. Her broad expertise and ethical approach make her a sought-after mediator and external confidential advisor for both family businesses and organizations in the profit and non-profit sectors. She is frequently engaged to assess and resolve complex or sensitive internal matters.
As an LVV-registered confidential advisor, Karina is a member of the Dutch National Association of Confidential Advisors (LVV) and co-founder of the Network van Vertrouwen (NVV), where she collaborates with experienced mediators and confidential advisors on cases involving misconduct and integrity issues.
Karina is known for her balanced and pragmatic approach, always respecting the interests of all parties involved. She navigates complex conflicts with integrity, patience, decisiveness, discretion, and clarity. Her no-nonsense style ensures effective solutions while making clients feel heard and valued.
Karina is known for her balanced approach, always respecting the interests of all parties involved. She resolves complex conflicts with integrity, patience, decisiveness, discretion, and clarity. Her no-nonsense approach leads to effective solutions, ensuring that her clients feel heard and valued.
Specialisations
Labour Law
Whether it concerns complex employment terms, large-scale reorganizations, personnel issues following mergers and acquisitions, grievance procedures, inappropriate behavior, or the position of statutory directors, Karina is a trusted advisor and problem solver. She is well-versed in the specific regulations of the (semi-)public sector and education. With decisiveness and clarity, she works towards finding solutions for sensitive collaboration challenges.
Dismissal Cases
Karina has successfully resolved numerous dismissal cases and challenging labor conflicts, often through negotiation and, when necessary, legal proceedings. Workplace conflicts are becoming increasingly complex. Together with her clients, she approaches these situations in a clear and empathetic manner, always considering the interests of all parties involved.
Employee Participation
Discussions with Works Councils (OR) and Employee Participation Councils come in various forms. It is wise to seek appropriate legal assistance, not for the sake of the conflict itself, but to ensure a resolution is reached within the legal framework of employee participation law.
Partnership Disputes
A partnership is a unique form of collaboration. Karina resolves partnership disputes with diplomacy and experience. Her solid, to-the-point approach ensures swift results.
Governance/Integrity
Governance issues frequently arise, including matters related to the Dutch Upper-Income Standard Act (WNT), misconduct, conflicts of interest, and disputes within governing bodies. These issues demand an ethical and considered approach. Strategy, experience, and persuasion are key. Karina is a reliable sparring partner in these conflicts, maintaining an overview throughout. Integrity concerns are often delicate and require a clear, meticulous handling. Combining her experience as a lawyer, mediator, and trusted advisor, Karina provides a decisive and thorough approach focused on finding genuine solutions.
Education Law
Karina possesses extensive expertise in the specific regulations governing the education sector. Her contributions have often resulted in effective solutions, addressing the real issues with a keen understanding of the educational landscape. She approaches challenges with a deep appreciation for the sector, ensuring that both legal and practical concerns are carefully considered.
Mediator
As a mediator, Karina is called upon to resolve complex and often deeply entrenched workplace conflicts. With her extensive experience and persuasive approach, Karina excels at facilitating discussions, making difficult issues open for conversation, and guiding all parties towards a genuine, lasting solution.
External Confidential Advisor
As an external confidential advisor, Karina provides professional and ethical guidance to employees who wish to discuss integrity issues or have experienced inappropriate behavior. She listens attentively, explores informal solutions, and provides your organization, employees, and works councils with relevant insights.
Karina ensures independence, objectivity, and discretion through her external position. She maintains appropriate distance while ensuring confidential and/or anonymized feedback on her findings. In delicate situations, she offers tailored processes and solutions based on her extensive expertise and experience.
Karina can be engaged as an external confidential advisor by both clients and organizations seeking expert input for investigations and advice.
Sparring Partner
With over thirty-five years of experience as a lawyer, Karina can provide significant value as a sparring partner and trusted advisor, especially in the early stages when there are suspicions of wrongdoing or sensitive issues. The focus is on resolving conflicts, not on scoring points or seeking to be right.
Karina serves as a trusted advisor for several entrepreneurs and organizations, actively engaging within family offices. She works discreetly in the background, offering integrity and availability to provide guidance on a wide range of matters, often addressing intergenerational or delicate issues. With her extensive experience and background, Karina is an invaluable resource for discussing challenging matters and helping to determine a course of action towards a resolution.
Solid and Reliable
Karina is committed to building a strong, trust-based relationship with each client. Strategic thinking and adding value are crucial in her approach. Seizing opportunities and setting clear directions are always a priority. Legal creativity and quality form the foundation of her work. Her drive and ambition to act in the best interest of the client are the keys to her success.
Of Counsel Partner
Karina was for twenty-five years a partner in the firm and served as the long-standing chairperson of Thuis Partners (TP). In this role, she played a pivotal part in the growth and development of the firm. While her role has evolved, she continues to proudly represent TP as an Of Counsel partner.
Memberships
Karina is a certified mediator (MfN Registermediator), a member the Association of Labour Lawyers in the district Limburg (VAAAL), and the Association of Labour Lawyers in the Netherlands (VAAN). She is also a certified confidant (LVV register vertrouwenspersoon).
In addition, Karina serves as the secretary/treasurer of the Juridisch Genootschap Maastricht. She is also a board member of the MVO Employers Platform in Parkstad: Sprinc.
Register of Legal Practice Areas
- Labour Law
- Employment Mediation
- Collective Dismissal
- Works Council Law
- Corporate Law