Next Generation Partners

Employment in Estonia

Magnusson

Magnusson benefits from its international presence, which includes offices in Sweden and Finland, by handling complex cross-border matters for international clients. The firm was frequently chosen by global clients for handling delicate Covid-19 related employment matters and is home to Jaanus Mägi who focuses on overseeing non-contentious and talent movement practice. Ketlin Peterson stands out for her work in advising clients on matters related to commencement of business activities, as well as everyday employment matters.

Practice head(s):

Jaanus Mägi; Denis Piskunov; Ketlin Peterson


Other key lawyers:

Ketlin Peterson; Maiki Virks


Key clients

KIKA


Inter Cars Estonia


Baltania


FlixMobility GmbH


Saint-Gobain Estonia


Antsla-Inno


Vičiunai Baltic


Remondikompanii


VetMinds Invest OÜ


Latakko OÜ


Work highlights


  • Advised Saint-Gobain Eesti AS on the transaction concerning the sale of its subsidiary Baltiklaas to AS Barrus.
  • Advised VetMinds OÜ on the merger of eight veterinary clinics in Estonia and Latvia.
  • Advised FlixMobility GmbH on compliance with the EU Whistleblower Directive.

Sorainen

Sorainen‘s employment team is well known across Estonia and the Baltic region in cross-border employment advice, employment-related dispute resolution and compliance. The firm benefits from its integrated and connected network, with its lawyers being able to collaborate from multiple areas in complex employment matters. Karin Madisson is the head of the employment practice, with areas of expertise including dispute resolution, employer-employee negotiations, and employee briefing and consulting processes. Madisson is also involved in cross-border matters such as special agreements and collective employment relationships.

Practice head(s):

Karin Madisson


Other key lawyers:

Pirkko-Liis Harkmaa; Kadri Härginen


Testimonials

‘Sorainen has a very experienced employment law team. Besides being highly competent in employment law their vast experience is definitely one of their strengths. We need solutions and advice that work best in the real world and they never fail to deliver. We really appreciate that they quickly come up with simple solutions to difficult situations and are able to think several steps ahead to avoid problems down the road.’

‘Extensive knowledge of law, flexibility and client-oriented approach. They smoothly navigate you through all details and nuances of Estonian labour law and litigation.’

‘Highly qualified specialists. Legal advice provided is practical, and is given from the business perspective, taking into account the needs of the company and business operation, so not just pure legal advice with legal jargon. 

‘Sorainen has recruited one of the best employment law specialists in Estonia – Pirkko-Liis Harkmaa.’

‘I highly value the very practical advice received from the team.’

Key clients

Bolt Operations


Veriff


Montonio


Pipedrive


JAS Worldwide


Dynatrace


Portage Ventures


Invalda INVL


Toyota Baltic


Work highlights


  • Advised on employment issues relating to the acquisition of Graanul Invest by Apollo Global Management.
  • Advised asset management group Invalda INVL on the acquisition of Mandatum Life’s Baltic insurance business, focusing on cross-border employment matters.
  • Advising Portage Ventures on all employment matters – including the implementation of new clauses on confidentiality into contracts with key employees and management – related to the €15m investment round into Tuum, a Tallinn-based fintech.

Cobalt

Cobalt fields a full-service employment practice, with experience in providing a range of counselling, litigation, and compliance service to local and international business clients. The firm recently worked on matters pertaining to Ukraine and Covid-19, with both domestic and international clients requesting advice with the immigration of employees from Russia and Ukraine. Karina Paatsi is described as a great lawyer with excellent capabilities in cross-border work, possessing wide-ranging expertise in matters concerning legal regulations in employer-employee relationship and disputes. Heili Haabu advises in all aspects of managing employment relations, including contracts and immigration matters.

Practice head(s):

Karina Paatsi


Other key lawyers:

Heili Haabu


Testimonials

‘The COBALT team has been very helpful in getting our registration and employee relationships established in Estonia this year. All questions were handled quickly and thoroughly.’

‘Cobalt Legal has an excellent corporate approach to every possible legal question we have had for the past 3.5 years.’

‘Firstly, I would like to mark personal approach, fast service and readiness to structure every single enquiry we made in detail. Quick resolution finding process, etc.’

Key clients

AbbVie


Wienerberger


HUGO BOSS


Sandoz


Olympus


KONE


Electrolux


Goodyear Dunlop


Saint-Gobain


Booking.com


Work highlights


  • Represented a former employee of Peaceful Tech OÜ (a Paxful group company, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency trading platforms), whose employment contract was terminated based on an allegedly-received written complaint about the client having sexually harassed one of his female colleagues at a non-work related event.

Ellex

Ellex fields a strong employment team that is well prepared to handle complex, international and large-scale employment matters. The team is frequently instructed in a range of sectors, such as retail and pharma, and offers advice on administrative regulations, local legislation and EU policies applicable to the relocation of employees. Martin Käerdi leads the team is well regarded for share option plans, management incentives and bonus arrangements. Arne Ots represents corporate clients in employment disputes, including litigation cases, internal investigations and in negotiations for out-of-court settlements. Hanna Pahk specialises in inspections performed by supervisory institutions and appeals on court decisions.

Practice head(s):

Martin Käerdi


Other key lawyers:

Arne Ots; Hanna Pahk


Testimonials

‘They react quickly, find solutions quickly, share topics among competent experts in the field, they are ready for innovative approaches, e.g. video training, etc; they are located in the Baltics. if I need, for example, information about Estonia or Latvia, I can always inquire from one contact and, if necessary, a competent colleague will consult.’

Key clients

Eesti Energia AS


Nordecon AS


Hennes & Mauritz AB


Skeleton Technologies


Proekspert


Checkout


Saint Gobain


Orkla ASA


DS Smith


Pfizer


Work highlights


  • Advising the Estonian entity of Dun & Bradstreet in connection with acquisition of Bisnode.
  • Advising the Estonian entity of Pfizer in everyday employment matters.
  • Advising Partners Group in relation to acquisition of Gren (formerly Fortum).

Eversheds Sutherland Ots & Co

Eversheds Sutherland Ots & Co holds a prominent position within the field of employment disputes. The group often acts on politically contentious matters and caters to both multi-national corporations and private individuals. Tambet Toomela has represented a number of clients in staff regulations and collective bargaining situations, while Erika Tuvike stands out for her experience in advising on high level employment disputes and cross-border employment matters.

Practice head(s):

Tambet Toomela


Other key lawyers:

Erika Tuvike


Testimonials

‘They are quick, flexible and yet profound.’

‘What makes this practice unique is the approach that I have felt throughout working with them. I felt like the people at the company became my team mates. They fought for my rights like real lawyers you only read about, always respected my time and made sure that I don’t waste money on things that might have felt important to me emotionally but had nothing to do with the law. With them I went through some of the darkest times in my life and came out of them a successful person and the team played a big part in that.’

Work highlights


TGS Baltic

TGS Baltic are on the forefront of dealing with complex issues such as restructuring, reorganisations, redundancies, and employment litigation. The firm regularly engages with international clients and is headed by Anu Kirss and Triin Kaurov. Kirss has broad experience in various sectors of employment law, dealing with clients in the pharmaceutical industry, while Kaurov offers counsel in employment law and dispute issues such as immigration matters, work health and safety matters.

Practice head(s):

Anu Kirss; Triin Kaurov


Testimonials

‘I have valued that my lawyer is always very helpful, easy to reach and very professional.’

‘TGS Baltic is exceptional – well-experienced professionals working with passion and always taking care of our needs. They are business-minded and focused on rational solutions. TGS Baltic has great availability and readiness to assistance, whether it is because of excellent organisation of work or specialization or ICT.’

‘We like that TGS Baltic goes along with new developments in sustainability matters and helps us in them too.’

‘Partner Triin Kaurov – she is our reliable partner for employment matters. She has exceptional experience. She can give quick and at the same time rational and well-considered solutions. Her strength is the ability to take an objective view on strengths and weaknesses of various possible courses of action. We trust her and her team.’

‘The TGS Baltic team is remarkable – highly experienced professionals working with passion and always taking care of our needs. They are always focused on rational solutions. We also appreciate that TGS Baltic is thinking along with the needs of client. They always have answers – be it questions about solving the pandemic situation, organizing work due to the geopolitical situation caused by the war in Ukraine, etc. TGS Baltic also focuses a lot on ESG issues, and for our business it has crucial importance.’

‘Partner Triin Kaurov – we have worked with her for a long time. She is a very experienced, solution-oriented, and trustworthy partner. We appreciate her professionality. It is remarkable how pragmatically and simply and at the same time so thoughtfully she solves all our matters. We appreciate her also because of responsiveness – she always finds time for us. Triin has also a talented colleague Siret Saks who is very experienced in immigration matters.’

‘The TGS Baltic employment team has always shown high level of knowledge and experience and offered practical solutions to our questions. They are quick and smart and of high responsiveness and we trust TGS Baltic! Also we are very content with the specialization (incl. new ESG issues) – we believe that because of that the service is much better.’

Key clients

Mars Eesti OÜ


Philip Morris Eesti OÜ


Opera Limited


AutoHalle AS


Solis BioDyne OÜ


Unilever Eesti AS


ERMI Group UAB


KM Element OÜ


OTICO SAS


Paxful (Peaceful Tech)


Tele2


Smarten Logistics AS


Cybernetica AS


Maxima Eesti AS


Merck Sharp & Dohme OÜ


Work highlights


  • Advised the Opera group on liquidation of their Estonian subsidiary Pocosys, including collective termination of employment agreements with all employees of the subsidiary in liquidation.
  • Represented KM Element, belonging to the Kodumaja group, in all court instances, including the Supreme Court, in a labour dispute over the termination of the employment, alleged breach of duties, as well as unpaid salary, overtime pay, holiday pay, daily allowance, late payment interests.
  • Advised Solis BioDyne, a leading PCR reagent supplier in Europe, on a number of complex recruitments, including in connection with the Employer of Record service.

WALLESS

WALLESS provides legal services to international and regional clients dealing with a wide range of labour issues, demonstrating a strong track record in disputes before the pre-court Labour Dispute Commission. The firm has also engaged with employers and assisting them in implementing different measure related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The ‘professional employment law connoisseur’ Toomas Taube heads the team and has represented clients in recruitment procedures, restructuring and redundancies.

Practice head(s):

Toomas Taube


Other key lawyers:

Liis Venelaine


Testimonials

‘They are familiar with specific field and work fast’

‘You can always count on professional and excellent team of Walless. Not only they provide an insightful and helpful advice, they will do so very quickly.’

‘Based on our experience, Mr. Toomas Taube is the only one professional employment law connoisseur in Estonia. The base of his experience and the depth of his knowledge are outstanding and incomparable. He is always available when you need him (especially in a moment of crises) and always provides a valuable help.’

Key clients

Kunda Nordic Tsement


Government of the Republic of Estonia


Solera group


LMT, Latvian Mobile Telephone


Primend


ELEKS group


AS Schenker


HAVI Logistics


éolane Tallinn


Fort Aero AS


Ampler Bikes OÜ


Optika Hulgikaubanduse OÜ


Work highlights


  • Advised Kunda Nordic Tsement, which is the Estonian subsidiary of one of the world’s largest manufacturers of building materials — the HeidelbergCement group, on issues related to employment law, employment and executive contracts, health and safety, on a daily basis.
  • Represented and advised the Government of the Republic of Estonia in court litigation in a high-profile dismissal case of a former top civil servant — a former permanent secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Rural Affairs.
  • Advised AS Schenker — an Estonian subsidiary of a leading international logistics and transportation company DB Schenker — on different employment law issues, including executive agreements, bonus schemes and benefit programmes, etc.

ALTERNA

ALTERNA ‘s employment team provide legal counselling and resolution in ongoing employment matters, including concluding employment contracts, cancelling employment contracts and employment disputes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the firm was active in counselling firm in setting up documentation needed for home working and hybrid-work conditions. Annika Vait is head of employment, IT, IP and business, and is active in the legislative process of legislation changes.

Practice head(s):

Annika Vait


Testimonials

‘One of their strengths is that law firm ALTERNA offers legal services in different areas, including employment law. This makes very easy to have every legal issue solved in one place. furthermore, another strength is the team working there – every individual team member contributes to the client’s aim as having different skill sets. This guarantees a great outcome for the client.’

‘The legal services provided in law firm ALTERNA are of high quality. The people working there have excellent communication and effective negotiation skills. Moreover, they have the ability to work with different personal styles and approaches, depending on the clients’ needs.’

‘Annika Vait, who is the attorney-at-law and partner of law firm ALTERNA, is an excellent legal expert, who is focused and has the ability to listen carefully the client’s necessities. She communicates with the clients openly, and she points out the possible obstacles or legal issues when dealing the matter, so, the client has a good overview of the perspective and possibilities of the case. I highly recommend her.

Key clients

Sulev OÜ


TaEthni OÜ


Varatõusja OÜ


E-Riigi Akadeemia Sihtasutus


OPTIMO Robotics OÜ


VMT Ehitus AS


MTÜ Typa


KRM Advisor OÜ


Estonian Association for Property Maintenance


Eventus Ehitus OÜ


OÜ Runforest


Uuesalu Arendus OÜ


Narva linn (Narva city)


Baltic Restaurants Estonia OÜ


Opus Development OÜ


BM Certification Estonia OÜ


Prokter OÜ


Intelometry OÜ


Work highlights


  • BM Certification Estonia court dispute against its former manager and former employees.
  • Counselling of many of the largest Estonian employers regarding remote and hybrid work systems. Including helping to work out the systems and composing all necessary documents (incl. modifying internal rules, composing separate remote and hybrid work guidelines and agreements with the employees etc.) as well covering all the legal aspects and questions related to it.
  • Everyday legal counselling of many of the largest Estonian employers in employment law matters. Incl. composing different internal documentations (for example composing and modifying internal rules, different guidelines, applications, consents etc.) and solving legal questions related to the employment relationships.

KPMG Law in Estonia

KPMG Law in Estonia have established a strong regional presence through its close collaboration with the firm's other offices.  The team advises international clients on employment-related matters involving cross-border elements, such as tax advisory work, restructurings and labour law policies. Karin Oras is an expert within HR consulting, incentive schemes, corporate policies, immigration and conflict management, having advised on a number of issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Kaia Kuusler stands out for her work advising in working conditions, HR policies and privacy, employment disputes and employee participation rules.

Practice head(s):

Karin Oras; Kaia Kuusler


Key clients

AS Barrus


Andritz AB


Leonhard Weiss OÜ


Stockmann Aktsiaselts


Polybius Tech OÜ


AS Tallinna Lennujaam (Tallinn Airport)


OÜ Jaesto


Transval Baltic OÜ


LOUD GRUPP OÜ


Nexuspolarisdmc OÜ


Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd


Work highlights


  • Advised Andritz AB on drafting the employment contract template, negotiating and signing an employment contract, advising in connection with employee benefits and assisting in immigration law matters arising in connection with their employee.
  • Advised Leonhard Weiss OÜ in various employment law matters, including amendment of employment contracts, dispute with the employee claiming damages for occupational disease and representation in court case.
  • Advised Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd on the implementation of PWD registration obligations as well as equal pay matters (minimal work and salary conditions).

LEADELL Pilv

LEADELL Pilv represents clients in both the Labour Tribunal and wider courts, having recently advised a number of clients on Covid-19-related issues. Marko Pilv has knowledge and experience in solving complex disputes, while Pirkka- Marja Põldvere  is known for being a seasoned litigator, representing clients in contentious matters arising from employment relations.

Practice head(s):

Marko Pilv


Other key lawyers:

Pirkka-Marja Põldvere


Testimonials

‘Very professional, very good experience, feedback and reference. Very good customer service.’

‘I have worked with the company’s partners (owners) and they have very good track record! Trustworthy and smooth service.’

 

Key clients

BeautySpa Baltic OÜ


Global Marine Supply OÜ


Eippa WSOperations OÜ


Hitachi Energy Estonia AS


Enefit Solutions AS


Siret Lillemäe


Linford Transport OÜ


Work highlights


  • Acting for Hitachi Energy Estonia AS in drafting different employment related contracts and corporate documents and counselling regarding employment issues.
  • Advising Enefit Solutions AS in a civil dispute with a former employee who claimed compensation for damages due to lack on future income which was caused by an accident in employers’ factory.
  • Advising Linford Transport OÜ and representing the client in a dispute where a former employee is claiming compensation for damages caused by an alleged working accident.

NJORD Law Firm

NJORD Law Firm is well known for handling contract and employment related disputes within sectors such as ICT, transport and logistics, financial and insurance, human capital management, technology, hardware and electronics. Katrin Sarap is an acclaimed employment litigation lawyer who has over eighteen years of experience in representing clients in employment disputes. Triinu Hiob is noted for her knowledge of international and domestic arbitration.

Practice head(s):

Katrin Sarap


Other key lawyers:

Triinu Hiob


Key clients

GoWorkabit Estonia OÜ


Estonian Business School SA


EBS Campus OÜ


Royal Embassy of Sweden in Estonia


Inchcape Motors Estonia OÜ


Nevotex Narva OÜ


Coolbet (VG Estonia OÜ)


Viking Line Eesti OÜ


Work highlights


  • Advised Coolbet in various employment law related matters.
  • Advised Estonian Business School in various employment law related matters, incl disputes.
  • Advised Viking Line Eesti OÜ in various employment law related matters, incl disputes.

Triniti

Triniti have a focus on providing legal assistance in the employment of foreign nationals, acting on such matters for both multi-national and domestic companies. Klen Laus has experience in representing clients in drafting of employment-related documents and also acted for clients in labour disputes. Mikk Põld, alongside Ramil Pärdi, are names noted for their collective experience in advising on immigration and work permits.

Practice head(s):

Klen Laus


Other key lawyers:

Ramil Pärdi; Mikk Põld


Testimonials

‘We have only great and better cooperation with Triniti team, their level of professionalism has been valuable to grow our business. If we send an email, the reply comes fast and is always very informative, the type of partnership we would expect. They are also proactive, asking how we have proceed with topics they have advised us. They have made us feel that we are their key customer even though we are a really small company.’

‘Applause to Ramil Pärti and the team; they are true experts and easy to communicate with.’

 

Key clients

AS Utilitas Eesti


ACNielsen Eesti OÜ


Kodea OÜ


Postimees Grupp AS


Navix Oy


FuseBox OÜ


The Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner


Work highlights


  • Advised Utilitas (large energy group) in variety of employment law related issues, incl. assisting the client, auditing the documents and drafting amendments in employment documents due vast changes in the employment law.
  • Advised Kodea in setting up the working environment and drafting of necessary employment law related documents, incl. option agreements for key employees.
  • Advised the office of the Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner in various employment and human rights law matters, incl. drafted a legal analysis as the basis for Commissioner’s written opinion in the lawmaking process.