Cobalt's team provides 'high quality advice' on a wide range of employment law matters. Practice head Karina Paatsi is very experienced in assisting with internal investigations, as well as handling claims brought by former employees involving allegations of discrimination. Employment disputes are prominent in Kadri Michelson's workload, and the group boasts wider expertise in advising foreign companies with operations in Estonia on employment litigation. Whistleblowing cases are a growing area of instruction for the group. On the non-contentious side, the department is well-versed in handling the employment law aspects of M&A deals and reorganisations. Johanna-Britt Haabu and Heili Haabu are key names to note for their experience in assisting with employment relations issues.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The Cobalt team is very effective, responsive and practical.’
- ‘Karina Paatsi and Johanna-Britt Haabu are a pleasure to work with. They are very responsive and provide technical, yet easy to understand, assistance.’
- 'For us, they're the best employment practice team in Estonia. They can think outside the box and are solution orientated.’
- ‘We work with Karina Paatsi. For us, she is the best employment lawyer in Estonia. She has tonnes of experience and is very knowledgeable. Furthermore, she is a solution oriented advisor.’
- ‘At Cobalt you can clearly see that once you raise a query with them, they bring in the relevant team member to support in case specific expertise is needed, and they always make sure they are all aligned internally, so there is no needless back and forth. You can clearly see that the communication within the team is very strong. ’
- ‘They respond to enquiries extremely quickly. Any clarifying questions have always been relevant, and the work delivered has consistently been fast and of high quality, with the key points important for the client additionally explained.’
Key clients
- Bayer
- AS TREV-2 Grupp
- AkzoNobel
- Johnson & Johnson
- Goodyear
- HUGO BOSS
- KONE
- Wienerberger
- Nutanix
- ITAB
- VKG (Viru Keemia Grupp)
- Silmet
Work highlights
Represented AS TREV-2 Grupp in a dispute with a former employee regarding alleged unlawful use of trade secrets.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Practice head
Karina Paatsi
Other key lawyers
Johanna-Britt Haabu; Heili Haabu; Kadri Michelson