The Legal 500

Baker & McKenzie – CIS, Limited represents some of the biggest names in retail, pharmaceuticals, technology and financial services. Recent work includes advising on complex labour law issues relating to international mergers; an anti-corruption investigation; and the establishment of a trade union. Igor Makarov and Maxim Kalinin head the teams in Moscow and St Petersburg, respectively.

Salans attracts top-drawer clients such as AstraZeneca and Barclays. Practice head Marina Ryzhkova has an excellent reputation, thanks to ‘great communication skills’ and the provision of ‘tailored service’. The team has recently scored numerous wins in dismissal proceedings, and handled several actions involving trade union members.

Alrud Law Firm has ‘good depth of expertise’ and recently variously advised on employee share plans, multi-jurisdictional transfers and data protection issues. Irina Anyukhina is ‘a real specialist in labour and employment law’.

Boutique employment practice Personnel Law Bureau has an ‘excellent’ reputation and the ability to compete with larger firms. Sergey Kuska is a key figure in this experienced team, which continues to attract major new clients such as Russian retailer Detskiy Mir.

CMS Russia advises on routine and more complex employment matters such as dealing with trade unions and collective bargaining agreements. Recent work includes advising international corporations on the dismissal of senior employees. Christophe Huet leads the team.

Clifford Chance advised Siemens on transferring approximately 700 employees to a spin-off entity. Corporate partner Torsten Syrbe, litigator Timur Aitkulov and head of tax Alexander Anichkin all advise on employment matters.

DLA Piper advises several global brand names on Russian employment law. Practice head Vladislav Mazur is representing Radio Freedom in sensitive negotiations with local trade unions. Other clients include Saint-Gobain and Maersk.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer shows ‘an excellent knowledge of Russian employment law and the respective EU directives’. Recent work includes successfully representing an international company in an unlawful dismissal dispute. Practice head Olga Chislova is ‘a top-class professional’.

Goltsblat BLP recently lost its former group head Anna-Stefaniya Chepik to PricewaterhouseCoopers CIS Law Offices BV. Even so, the team continues to advise major clients and attract new mandates. Arthur Abouzov now heads the team.

Dmitry Kurochkin heads Herbert Smith CIS LLP’s team, which recently advised Goldman Sachs on various issues including dismissals and secondment structures.

Hogan Lovells (CIS) advises its diverse client base on routine matters as well as more challenging issues such as mass redundancies and employee transfers. Recent work includes assisting Marriott International with employment packages for senior employees. Ekaterina Petrova heads the practice.

Konstantin Astafiev at Korelskiy Ischuk Astafiev and Partners, Attorneys at Law is ‘outstanding in handling complex employment disputes; meticulous and business-minded’. Recent work includes successfully acting for ROSNO, Direct Group and OTTO Group Russia regarding the dismissal of senior employees.

The employment team at Linklaters CIS mainly supports the firm’s corporate group but also advises on cross-border share schemes. Evgeny Ulumdzhiev returned from studying in the US to head the group. Anna Ivanova joined Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners.

The ‘client-oriented’ Julia Borozdna at Pepeliaev Group is ‘very professional in solving complicated projects as well as in urgent cases’. The team is attracting increasingly complex mandates and new clients.

PricewaterhouseCoopers CIS Law Offices BV recently hired Anna-Stefaniya Chepik from Goltsblat BLP, where she had led the employment practice, and senior associate Maria Landau from Salans.