The Legal 500

Baker & McKenzie – CIS, Limited’s practice encompasses employee relations, trade union negotiations and representation in court. The team provides ongoing employment advice to Microsoft and Ford, and acts for several other multinationals on matters including employee migration. Igor Makarov and St Petersburg-based Maxim Kalinin are the main contacts. Senior associate Elena Kukushkina is also recommended.

Dentons’ ‘excellent’ employment practice provides full-service support to clients such as BNP Paribas, Citibank and John Deere, including on matters from reorganisations to employee disputes. Practice head Marina Ryzhkova and associate Sergey Shishkin are ‘very competent, smart, and quickly get to the core of the problem’.

Alrud Law Firm advises clients such as L’Oréal and Cirque du Soleil on complex issues including Russian regulations regarding recruitment, remuneration and working hours. Ekaterina Guryeva and team head Irina Anyukhina are recommended.

DLA Piper handles contentious and non-contentious matters for clients such as Symantec and JDA Software Group. Vladislav Mazur is representing Benteler in collective bargaining negotiations with trades unions, and advising Saint-Gobain on termination matters, as well as general labour issues.

Pepeliaev Group is advising a multinational on the outsourcing of its global payroll operation. Julia Borozdna’s team also has an impressive recent track record in employment litigation, with recent successes including two wins in a regional court for a ‘Big Four’ accountancy firm.

PricewaterhouseCoopers CIS Law Offices BV’s substantial practice has separate remuneration and migration teams. Overall practice head Anna-Stefaniya Chepik has been advising the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games Organising Committee on labour law.

Christophe Huet heads CMS’ ‘very professional and client-oriented’ team, which advises on routine and complex matters including immigration, employee benefits and collective bargaining agreements for multinational clients.

Clifford Chance’s strength lies in corporate-related advice on issues such as employee stock option and bonus plans. Alexander Anichkin is the main contact, and head of dispute resolution Torsten Syrbe handles redundancies and termination of employment matters. Clients have included Barclays and Siemens.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is advising Telecominvest on the transfer of employees to another city; and two multinational banks on dismissal issues. Team head Olga Chislova and associate Marina Sokolova are ‘very professional, knowledgeable and client-oriented’.

Goltsblat BLP’s recent contentious work includes successfully defending a multinational bank against a former employee’s compensation claim. New team head Nadezhda Ilyushina joined from Mannheimer Swartling in February 2012.

Herbert Smith Freehills CIS LLP focuses on contentious work for clients including several major investment banks. Senior associate Marat Agabalyan has strong experience advising such clients on dismissals of senior employees.

Hogan Lovells (CIS)’ recent work includes advising Texas Instruments on various issues including termination support and service contracts, and assisting Ciena with employee bonus and compensation packages. Counsel Ekaterina Petrova leads the employment group.

Konstantin Astafiev leads the ‘highly professional, committed’ team at Korelskiy, Ischuk, Astafiev and Partners, Attorneys at Law, which mainly advises international clients such as Rockwool and Direct Group on contentious labour matters. Astafiev is ‘fantastically good at dispute resolution and employment issues’.

Linklaters CIS advised Unilever on employment and benefits issues relating to its acquisition of Concern Kalina, and provides ongoing advice to Macquarie. Associate Evgeny Ulumdzhiev heads the team, and is ‘result-oriented, professional and disciplined’.

Personnel Law Bureau’s Sergey Kuska has a strong reputation in the field, and his firm was one of the first niche Russian employment law practices.

Squire Sanders Moscow LLC’s employment practice enters the rankings, having gained clients such as Kelly Resources and Marriott following its merger with Hammonds in 2011.