Employment in Czech Republic

Dentons is particularly well regarded for its employment advisory practice, within which it provides support on domestic and cross-border matters, such as employee transfers, collective dismissals and HR restructurings. The team also has a noteworthy contentious practice, which is led by Ladislav Smejkal, and focuses on discrimination, unfair dismissal and collective bargaining litigation. Smejkal co-heads the practice with ‘standout individual’ Tomáš Bílek, who is known for his work in the manufacturing and pharmaceuticals sectors. Counsel Andrea Spinová (Hámorská) joined Honeywell in 2021.

Randl Partners attorneys at law‘s first-rate team has ‘a unique combination of amazing legal knowledge and practical experience’. Its wide-ranging expertise includes collective bargaining, termination of employment, remuneration and working hours, as well as monitoring of employees. It also provides representation in employment investigations and litigation. Clients turning to the firm for advice include companies from sectors such as pharmaceuticals, retail, finance and hospitality. Nataša Randlová co-heads the practice with Michal Peškar, who is ‘a very open and friendly person, and is great to work with.’

bpv Braun Partners s.r.o. handles a wide ambit of employment issues for clients ranging from domestic family businesses to multinational corporates. Its work covers employee transfers, contractual matters, dismissals and remote working, among other areas. Managing partner Arthur Braun, who leads the team, has over 25 years of experience in litigation and employment-related tax matters. Associate Lucie Kalašová is known for ‘providing an exceptional service’ with a particular specialism in the intersection between data protection and labour law.

Deloitte Legal s.r.o., advokátní kancelář assists clients with managing issues relating to employee transfers, hiring, terminations, immigration law and new HR guidelines, among other areas. Digitalisation is also seen as a major source of work, with the team working with the IT practice to guide companies through remote working procedures. Jan Procházka leads the team, providing contentious and non-contentious employment support to blue-chip clients. Other recommended lawyers include Iva Bilinská, who provides contractual support, and Pavel Bejšovec, who advises on reorganisations.

Glatzová & Co., s.r.o. has a particularly strong reputation in the automotive sector, where it advises well-known companies on a wide range of labour law, employment and data protection issues. The team is heavily engaged in cross-border matters in this space, including the labour law aspects of engaging non-Czech managers, as well as non-competition clauses and the confidentiality aspects of contracts. Elsewhere, the firm has a strong profile among tech and financial services employers. Jiří Sixta leads the team, which includes ‘stand out senior associate’ Matej Mihálik.

Kinstellar's presence across the CEE region gives it the platform to handle cross-border employment matters, such as restructurings and transfers. In addition, other areas of expertise include collective dismissals, collective bargaining, special remuneration schemes and employment litigation. Kamil Blažek leads the team, which acts for domestic and international clients in areas such as real estate, automotive, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing. Karla Rundtová and Ladislava Jasanská are other practitioners of note.

Squire Patton Boggs s.r.o., advokátní kancelář is known for providing key strategic employment advice to its multinational client base. Its team has expertise in issues arising from large-scale events, with its work covering restructurings, mass layoffs and change management. It also advises on immigration, employee copyright and contentious matters. Hana Gawlasová is the head of the team. Of counsel Jaroslav Tajbr is recommended for his data privacy expertise.

In addition to providing M&A-related support, Clifford Chance‘s employment practice is highly sought-after in its own right for advice on wide variety of day-to-day issues. The group's expertise includes collective bargaining negotiations, restructurings and collective dismissals, as well as sensitive terminations and the implementation of remuneration and benefits schemes. Recent work included mandates related to Covid-19, such as advice on return to work policies and employee testing. Managing partner Alex Cook and David Koláček co-head the team. Veronika Kinclová is praised for being ‘very competent with fast turnarounds, and business practical in her legal advice’. 

Kocián Šolc Balaštík‘s employment team undertakes a full spectrum of transactional and advisory work for domestic and international clients. Its expertise includes union-related matters, terminations, employment contract drafting and tax-related employment work. Employment disputes are another cornerstone of the practice, particularly in the context of terminations. Practice head Václav Rovenský is known for his labour law advice, as well as his knowledge of health and safety law. Associate Michal Hanuš is also recommended.

UEPA advokáti s.r.o. provides ‘extremely dedicated and smooth support’ to clients on day-to-day employment matters. Its work covers contract drafting, the drafting of work rules and management agreements, employee terminations and foreign law (particularly German and Austrian law) matters. Andreas Ueltzhöffer, Lars Klett and Lucie Hladěnová co-head the team, which also provides key advice on digitalisation and M&A.

The Bird & Bird s.r.o. advokátní kancelář team advises on a full range of contentious and non-contentious employment issues at both local level and globally. It has particular expertise in restructurings and corporate investigations. Ivan Sagál leads the group, which includes Filip Hron .

The employment team at CERHA HEMPEL Kališ & Partners provides ‘complex services viewed from various angles and points’. Its advisory work covers remote working, employee terminations and data protection, among various matters. In addition to providing advice on a standalone basis, the group works closely with the firm's M&A, compliance and litigation teams. Martin Kartner and Nikol Jeništová co-head the practice, which generates work from clients in sectors such as retail, healthcare, manufacturing and automotive.

DLA Piper‘s employment advice is ‘clear, succinct and inspires confidence’. The practice is led by senior associate Ondřej Chlada, who joined from Randl Partners attorneys at law in late 2020, and has successfully grown the firm's volume of work from clients across a wide range of industries. The team is able to advise on a broad cross-section of mandates, such downsizing, disciplinary actions, data privacy and employment issues arising from COVID-19.

Wolf Theiss covers a wide range of employment issues for clients, with its team being praised for being ‘very quick, always reachable and business-oriented’. Led by counsel Kamila Seberová, its experience spans workforce restructurings, collective dismissals, TUPE-related issues, the drafting (and revision) of employment contracts, bonus schemes and severance packages, among other matters. Senior associate Sabina Krajíčková is active in handling the employment aspects of cross-border mergers and she is also noted for her data protection expertise.