Cobalt stands at the cutting edge of employment law in Latvia, advising on complex immigration issues and high-level restructuring and terminations. The team is led by experienced and well-regarded employment lawyer Toms Sulmanis who, in addition to advising globally renowned names such as Hugo Boss and IBM, serves as a member of the American Chamber of Commerce and Foreign Investors’ Council. The team, which is home to senior associates Kristine Patmalniece and Ivo Maskalāns, regularly assists with contractual matters, dismissals, employee transfers and the employment aspects of M&A.

Ellex provides employment advice to large multinationals, state organisations and Baltic private enterprises on restructuring, the application of EU law and policy, gender pay equality and general HR issues. The practice has particular specialism in investigations into board members and terminations relating to criminal behaviour. Practice head Irina Kostina provides ongoing structural employment advice to her clients and is likewise an experienced litigator. Daiga Zivtiņa is a specialist in employment dispute resolution, with Iveta Ceple and Andris Lazdiņš also serving as further names to note within the sizable team.

Pan-Baltic firm Sorainen represent a range of multinational and regional clients. Eva Berlaus and new addition Nauris Grigals, who joined from TGS in February 2022, combine both corporate and employment law expertise. Andis Burkevics has considerable employment dispute resolution experience, with a particular focus on trade union matters. The team has acted on a number of significant disputes of late, including a dismissal case for the Freeport of Riga.

VILGERTS’ employment practice is led by Julija Jerneva, an EU and Competition law expert, who has previously advised on the interpretation of EU employment legislation for the Constitutional Court of Latvia. Her employment work also includes discrimination, harassment and unfair dismissal claims. Jānis Kubilis focusses on matters relating to civil liability. He covers the realms of real estate, media, tax and others as well as the employment law field. The practice advises on complex labour issues including major trade union disputes, most notably for AirBaltic, as well as group redundancies and the regulatory aspects of MNCs’ commencement of business in Latvia.

Kronbergs Cukste Levin acts for clients in several industry sectors, including energy & utilities, infrastructure, aviation, banking and fintech. The firm specialises in employee transfers and residency issues, as well as terminations and immediate replacement hiring advice. Practice head Valters Kronbergs is a highly experienced employment lawyer who has previously advised the government of Latvia on labour issues. Vineta Čukste–Jurjeva specialises in the employment-related aspects of corporate restructurings.

At LEADELL Vītols, Ilze Jankevica advises on a range of issues from volunteering agreements and whistleblowing through to gender discrimination in the workplace. The firm advises a number of multinational and pan-Baltic companies on the structuring of employment relationships and complex disputes in a variety of industries, including agriculture, energy and chemicals.

Rödl & Partner advises on various non-contentious employment issues, including remote working following the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as high level dismissals. Inese Lazdupe, Sanda Lāce and Dace Driče jointly lead the practice. Driče stands out for her experience in trade union disputes, redundancy matters and cases involving state institutions.

The employment practice at WALLESS (former Primus Derling) is led by Sintija Radionova; the team has acted on contentious matters, such as workplace bullying, as well as advising on the collective redundancy process and the restructuring of employment relationships in cross-border reorganisations. Ieva Gaile works on the development of employment agreements and regulatory compliance issues.