Ruth Mbitumueni
Associate
Ruth is an experienced employment lawyer, advising French and international clients on strategic employment law matters - both advisory and litigation.
Associate
Ruth is an experienced employment lawyer, advising French and international clients on strategic employment law matters - both advisory and litigation.
Languages - French and English
Jurisdiction - France
Ruth's practice covers a wide range of individual and collective employment law matters, including reorganisations and restructurings, senior executive negotiations, high-risk terminations, employment audits and due diligence, workplace investigations, international mobility, employee representative matters and litigation before French labour and civil courts.
She assists French and international clients in navigating employment law challenges, ranging from day-to-day advisory matters to sensitive workforce issues, and high-stakes disputes.
Prior to joining Stephenson Harwood, Ruth spent five years practising employment law at leading French employment law firms.
She holds a Master's degree in Labour and Employment Law from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, which she completed while working within the European HR Legal Department at Kering.
Ruth was admitted to the Paris Bar in 2021.
Confidential - Multi-jurisdictional workforce reorganisation
Advised a US-based technology group on the transfer of +70 employees as part of a multi-jurisdictional workforce reorganisation, working alongside counsel in several jurisdictions to coordinate the employment law aspects of the project and ensure a seamless implementation.
Confidential - High-profile collective employment dispute
Contributed to the successful defence of a leading luxury group in a complex collective overtime and discrimination dispute brought by employee representatives, involving significant financial exposure and strategic employee relations considerations.
Confidential - High-value discrimination and harassment litigation
Advised on a €1 million+ discrimination and harassment claim which, during the proceedings, led to a parallel investigation into the alleged misappropriation of highly confidential company information. Worked alongside White Collar Crime and IP/IT teams to assess related criminal, data protection and confidentiality issues. The dispute was ultimately resolved on highly favourable terms for the company.
Confidential – Large-scale employee representative elections
Advised on the implementation of professional elections within a French Economic and Social Unit (“UES”) comprising more than 2,000 employees, including strategic issues relating to the determination of establishments and the allocation of employees. Successfully assisted in defending subsequent electoral litigation before the Judicial Court.
