Leading Individuals

Firms To Watch: Employment

BDO Law advises on recruitment and systems of assessment and remuneration in the workplace, as well as providing contractual review and drafting services. The practice continues to grow, specialising in serving innovative technology companies. Vita Liberte and Janis Zelmenis lead the practice.

Employment in Latvia

Cobalt

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.

Practice head(s):

Toms Šulmanis


Other key lawyers:

Kristine Patmalniece; Ivo Maskalans


Key clients

Cabot


Evolution Latvia


Fragomen LLP


Goodyear


Hugo Boss


IBM


Johnson & Johnson


Nutricia


Rīgas Piena Kombināts


Solvay


Volvo Truck Latvia


Work highlights


  • Successfully represented Food Union group company Rīgas Piena kombināts AS in a court dispute against its former employee regarding invalidation of termination notice and recovery of unpaid wages.
  • Employment law advice to IBM in the reorganization and the establishing of Kyndryl in Latvia.
  • Employment law advice to Hugo Boss in relation to operations in the Latvian market.

Ellex

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.

Practice head(s):

Irina Kostina


Other key lawyers:

Daiga Zivtiņa; Andris Lazdiņš; Iveta Ceple; Katrina Eimane; Ints Skaldis


Testimonials

‘Coming from abroad, the explanation of Latvian laws and regulations has been excellent, both overall and on specific cases. Professional and broad knowledge. Provides examples from case law and also how other companies are implementing  legal requirements.’

‘We have had a full day of training on Latvian labour law. It was kept interesting and to the point on what we needed.’

‘Ellex Klavins has really showed us that they are working closely with each other in their organization. We have always received a prompt and detailed response to all our questions.’

Key clients

Beam Suntory


Embassy of Switzerland


Oracle


Coca-Cola HBC Latvia


Booking.com


Merck Sharp & Dohme


Cognizant


Developer of IKEA brand in Latvia


EIS Group


Novartis


Lofbergs Baltic


EcoLab Sp. Z o. o.


Interogo Holding AG


Allnex


Zentiva


Work highlights


  • Advised Heisterkamp Transportation Solutions on the appropriate application of the EU Mobility Package and its implementation in the company’s day-to-day activities.
  • Advising Kyndryl on local gender equal pay reporting obligations and employer’s obligations on ensuring safe work environment.
  • Provided training for Allnex’s HR team and its new regional lead on employment law regulation in Latvia, best practices and approaches to management of employment relationships.

Eversheds Sutherland Bitāns

Eversheds Sutherland Bitāns assists major Baltic regional clients including RB rail with non-contentious employment matters, as well as regularly acting in termination disputes. The firm’s position within an international network ensures it is well positioned to assist in cross-border matters. Practice head Elina Mucina formerly worked for Latvia’s Ministry of Welfare and draws on this experience, as well as her previous 15 years in practice, when supporting on employment regulatory advice and data protection matters. Jānis Siliņš has experience in reorganisation and redundancy projects, as well as in cases dealing with collective labour agreements and trade unions.

Practice head(s):

Elīna Muciņa


Other key lawyers:

Jānis Siliņš


Key clients

Ventspils nafta “Termināls” (Ventspils Oil Terminal)


LSC (formerly Latvian Shipping Company)


Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre


Rīgas satiksme


Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks


TNT Latvia


SIA “LatRosTrans”


CGI IT Latvia


UADBB “Aon Baltic” affiliate in Latvia


Work highlights


  • Development of employment documentation for RB Rail, the central coordinator for the Rail Baltica project aiming to develop a railway infrastructure to link five countries.
  • Representing one of the largest crude oil and petroleum shipment companies in the Baltics in several labour disputes with an employee.
  • Representing the historic Chekhov Theatre in Riga in multiple labour disputes.

Sorainen

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.

Practice head(s):

Andis Burkevics; Eva Berlaus


Other key lawyers:

Nauris Grigals


Testimonials

‘I’m very happy with this firm’s services. They were quick and efficient.’

‘The team is very experienced and all its employment law experts are well known already for years. I am turning to Sorainen employment law experts in all cases the matter requires not only local but also EU level expertise.’

Reliable, practical advice.’

‘Sorainen assisted and represented our company well at the Labour Law Inspectorate in different situations.’

‘Andis Burkevics – very quick, precise, cooperative. Always available at short notice.’

‘I have mostly worked with Andis Burkevics. I appreciate his in-depth knowledge of all fields of employment law and his responsiveness to any request.’

‘Andis Burkevics – perfect knowledge of local labor law. Very detailed oriented. Kind, open person. He had never refused consultation if needed in different situation.’

Key clients

Tomra


Rīgas brīvostas pārvalde (Freeport of Riga)


RIMI Latvia


adidas Baltics


Webhelp Latvia


ChessX


Danfoss


Tradecube Srl


Sandoz d.d. branch in Latvia


Vitabalans


Ogras rajona slimnīca (Ogre regional hospital)


VMF Latvia SIA


Work highlights


  • Represented Freeport of Riga in two employment disputes with an employee (one in relation to dismissal and the other regarding disciplinary penalty).
  • Represented Ogres regional hospital in a court dispute when an employee challenged his suspension from work due to the reason that he as an employee employed by a hospital and required to work on-site refused from vaccination against Covid-19 and from regular testing as an alternative.
  • Advised Sandoz d.d. branch on employee related Covid-19 restrictions.

TGS Baltic

TGS Baltic‘s comprehensive Latvian employment law practice is jointly led by disputes specialist Andra Rubene, transfers and restructuring expert, Linda Štrause, and the highly recommended Toms Tīdemanis. The trio acts for clients in a number of sectors including retail, food, technology, automotive and pharmaceuticals, and also represent state bodies such as the Academy of Sciences. The practice covers complex disputes, transfers and restructurings, among other matters. Associate Ilga Valko recently joined the firm from Ellex.

Practice head(s):

Andra Rubene; Linda Štrause; Toms Tīdemanis


Other key lawyers:

Ilga Valko


Testimonials

‘Excellent knowledge of the case, attention to detail and to the client – this is what makes TGS Baltic so unique. Also, the fact that TGS Baltic teams in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia can work together on one case is exceptional.’

‘Toms Tidemanis is really great on details, legal consulting and drafting of documentation. You always get the answer very quickly.’

‘I value Mr. Tidemanis as he is always precise, quick and responds to my queries in an appropriate length. He provides answers with a very practical approach.’

‘The TGS Baltic team is ahead of its competitors. It has outstanding advisory capabilities, procedures, and automated templates for starting, changing, and terminating employment; for employment organization and internal rules; for enumeration, incentives, and share options. The team also has very impressive employment litigators.’

‘Toms Tidemanis is a competent, charismatic, and to-the-point employment law expert who focuses solely on the employment law area and offers advice tailored to the most recent trends and most contemporary solutions on the market. Andra Rubene is excellent at staffing and employment projects (setting up, transfer, restructuring, etc.) management. Linda Štrause is a capable employment disputes litigator with decades of practice deploying winning strategies.’ 

Key clients

Latvian Academy Of Sciences, Derived Public Entity


Unilever, Unilever Baltic LLC, SIA / Marga B.V.


Peek & Cloppenburg, SIA


Mars Latvia, SIA / Mars, Incorporated And Its Affiliates / Royal Canin Latvia SIA / Mars Petcare


Intrum Global Technologies SIA


Invitae Corporation


Food Union Group – Rīgas Piena Kombināts, AS /


Valmieras Piens, SIA / Food Union Management, SIA


AS Spodrība / AS Naujoji Ringuva / UAB Premium


Capital / Ferund, SIA


Revolut Bank UAB


Euroaptieka , SIA / Azeta, SIA


Inchcape Motors Finland


Sia Europark Latvia / UAB Lords Lb Asset


Management / UAB Modus Grupe


Meawallet AS / SIA Meawallet Latvia


Latvian Hockey Federation, Association (Biedrība Latvijas Hokeja Federācija)


Grindeks AS Marsh SIA / Marsh Mclennan Regional Holdings Limited


Aldaris AS / Carlsberg Sweden Holding 2 Ab / Carlsberg Group


Krūza SIA / Kurtasia


Santos Dumont


AH Property SIA / Bassadone Automotive Nordic Oy / Auto Halle


Acme Grupė


Work highlights


  • Assisted the Latvian Academy of Sciences, a derived public entity, with the comprehensive restructuring of the administration and disputes with several employees.
  • Assisted Intrum Global Technologies SIA with the transfer of a part of employees to the transfer a part of the business to Accenture the branch in Latvia (Accenture Latvijas filiāle) due to outsourcing of certain specific programming and consultancy operations by Intrum to Accenture.
  • Advised Mars and Royal Canin on engaging, amending, and terminating employment relations, appointment to and resigning from the registered management positions, issuing and revoking procedures and commercial powers of attorney, continuous development of employment structures, and employment contracts.

VILGERTS

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.

Practice head(s):

Jūlija Jerņeva


Other key lawyers:

Janis Kubilis


Testimonials

‘Excellent and dedicated.’

Key clients

Air Baltic Corporation AS


Merks SIA


A.P.N. Promise SIA


Altum| |kapitāla| fonds AIF


BAO AS


BGS ADR SIA


Biļešu| |paradīze| SIA


Conexus Baltic Grid AS


DECATHLON SA|


Fondia| Baltic |Oü


GLINAR SIA


GroGlass SIA


MANITOU


Marcin |Walawski| |Doradztwo| |Prawne


Mikrotīkls| SIA


Nordic Homes SIA|


Nyor| Investments Limited (BVI)


Omniva| SIA


Soil Association Certification Limited


SPC legal, |Advokatų| |kontora


Sveaskog| |Baltfor| SIA


Triple Bounce SIA


VGP |Latvija| SIA


Zenith Family Office OÜ


Work highlights


  • Advising airBaltic in more than 10 collective and individual disputes, initiated by Latvian Aviation Trade Union and its members from 2018 to 2020.
  • Advising Groglass in a collective redundancy process in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • Advising Decathlon, following its entrance into the Latvian marketplace in 2022, on all employment law-related matters.

Kronbergs Cukste Levin

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.

Practice head(s):

Valters Kronsbergs


Other key lawyers:

Vineta Cukste-Jurjeva


Key clients

Luther Law Firm


Moller Auto Baltic


Gefco Baltics


Suncrisp SIA


DHL Latvia SIA, DHL Logistics SIA


Vesta Consulting


Microsoft Latvia SIA and Microsoft Corporation


Reckitt Benckiser


Avesco SIA


Bridgestone


whiteCryption


Aspect SIA


Violeta Fedina


Essity Latvia SIA


Electrolux


Radisson Blu Hotel Latvia and Radisson Blu Daugava


Zalaris HR Services Latvia


Reckitt Benckiser


Avon


Work highlights


  • Advised a leading automobile retailer on employment agreements and the transfer of employees from one legal entity to another against the backdrop of organizational restructuring. Drafting related agreements.
  • Advising a Fortune 500 company on employment termination and hiring of country manager; draft related shareholder resolution and employment agreement.
  • Advising Luther law firm on re-employment agreement content for the management of a new market participant in the convenience store sector of the local economy.

LEADELL Vītols

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.

Practice head(s):

Ilze Jankevica


Key clients

Chemical Works of Gedeon Richter Plc.


Hille Tanavsuu Cancer Treatment Foundation


SIA “Merrild Baltics”


Work highlights


  • Advised Chemical Works of Gedeon Richter Plc. on its internal whistle-blower system and allocation of liabilities.
  • Advised Chemical Works of Gedeon Richter Plc. on a dispute concerning the termination of employment relations during the probationary period.
  • Advised Hille Tanavsuu Cancer Treatment Foundation on the organisation of voluntary work relationships.

NJORD Law Firm

NJORD Law Firm is chosen by foreign embassies, other law firms and major Latvian and multinational enterprises seeking employment law advice. Terminations are a key strength of practice, with the firm frequently assisting with the structuring of dismissals and drafting of post-termination agreements. Review of employment contracts, tax consultation and advice on collective agreements are also major elements of the practice. Dmitri Nikolaenko leads the team, supported by Anna Kosinska, Jekaterina Chernenko and Gunta Miltina.

Practice head(s):

Dmitri Nikolaenko


Other key lawyers:

Anna Kosinska; Gunta Miltina; Jekaterina Chernenko


Key clients

Ineco


Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Latvia


SIA “Bolt Services LV” (Bolt taxi)


3S Money Club, Representative office in Latvia


DORDA Rechtsanwälte


Zalaris HR Services Latvia


Lokalise


SIA EthnoExpert


Ignitis renewables, UAB


CORAL TRAVEL Lithuania, UAB


Service for Europe Development SIA


SIA Juku īpašums


Work highlights


  • Continuously advising Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Latvia on employments matters, including termination of employment relations.
  • Consulting a global leader in infrastructure engineering and consultancy INECO on general questions of Latvian employment law.
  • Advising 3S Money (a UK company) on Latvian employment procedure in relation to its representative office in Latvia.

Rödl & Partner

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.

Practice head(s):

Inese Lazdupe; Sanda Lāce; Dace Driče


Key clients

Swisscom (Switzerland) Ltd.


SIROWA Group


Dinair Filton SIA (AAF International BV)


LLOYD Shoes GmbH


Fusion Consulting AG


Quintessence consulting GmbH


Thales Group


Stockholm School of Economics in Riga


HÖGL shoe fashion GmbH


VAN GRAAF Latvia SIA (VAN GRAAF GmbH (Peek & Cloppenburg)


Work highlights


  • Advised a client on the set-up of a stand-by regime at the company, as well as on employees’opportunities to work remotely from abroad.
  • Advised a client on a complex dismissal case, as well as consulted on conclusion of the collective bargaining agreement.
  • Provided legal assistance in obtaining state support (downtime compensation) during the Covid-19 restrictions.

WALLESS

The employment practice at WALLESS 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.

Practice head(s):

Sintija Radionova


Other key lawyers:

Ieva Gaile


Key clients

Pulsar Optics SIA


Edge Autonomy (formerly UAV Factory)


TAV Airport Holdings


Iron Mountain Inc


Mandatum Life Insurance Company Limited


Nuvalo Latvia SIA


RhoWorld


CSK Steel SIA


SIA L-Ekspresis


SIA Sapiens Software Solutions


 


Work highlights


  • Allocation of employees (non-EU citizens) and opening a manufactory for Pulsar Optics SIA.
  • Day-to-day assistance with respect to Covid-19 associated employment issues for CSK Steel SIA.
  • Assistance with employment matters in connection with sale of insurance business for Mandatum Life Insurance Limited.