Employment and Migration Law - PRACTICE AREAS

The practice

The Firm’s employment and migration law team effectively addresses employment-related matters, providing reliable solutions to support the sustainable operation of our clients’ businesses. Large companies regularly face challenges related to efficient workforce management, management of the employment of foreign nationals, proper structuring of HR business processes and other labour law issues. In a rapidly evolving market, it is particularly important for businesses to adapt promptly and mitigate potential legal risks.

One of the key areas of the Firm’s employment and migration practice is the resolution of labour disputes. A commercially driven approach, a clear understanding of clients’ objectives and a focus on delivering outstanding results are the principles underlying our work. Our wealth of experience in successfully resolving labour disputes enables us to develop practical and effective strategies.

Our specialists regularly advise Russian and international companies on structuring employment relations with foreign nationals, participate in the preparation of long-term incentive schemes, and advise on the implementation of global option agreements, taking into account the requirements of different jurisdictions.

Our Employment Law practice provides legal advice on headcount optimisation, deals with complex cases regarding the variation and termination of employment contracts, conducts due diligence of HR documentation and represents employers’ interests during audits by State labour inspectors, employment authorities and migration authorities.

Particular note should be made of our lawyers’ experience in successfully resolving individual labour disputes and achieving pre-trial settlement of disputes.

The high professional standing of our employment and migration lawyers is recognised by leading rankings. The practice is ranked in Group 1 in the “Employment and Migration Law” category of the leading Russian legal ranking Pravo-300.

The work of our team is also highly rated by the Kommersant ranking in the category “Advising on Employment and Migration Law”.

Services

The Firm provides a full range of legal support, including:

conducting due diligence and compliance reviews of HR documentation for compliance with employment and migration legislation;
localisation and adaptation of global policies to local legal requirements;
drafting and revising personnel documentation in accordance with statutory requirements;
advising on employer-initiated changes to essential employment terms arising from organisational or technological changes;
drafting employment contracts, amendments thereto, and agreements on termination of employment, including all related documentation (including corporate approvals, where applicable);
negotiations with trade unions and resolution of collective labour disputes;
handling labour disputes and advising on compliance with labour discipline requirements;
advising on occupational health and safety matters, including workplace accident cases;
developing long-term incentive programmes for senior management, including implementation of international incentive systems and equity or option plans in compliance with national legislation;
preparation of document packages required to obtain work permits for foreign nationals and representation of applicants before employment authorities;
advising on immigration law matters, including those relating to foreign jurisdictions;
legal assistance with the acquisition of second citizenship or residence status, including through investment programmes;
assistance with residence permit application processes, including in foreign jurisdictions;
structuring employment arrangements for foreign managers from employment and migration law perspectives.

Reputation

"Litigation is the team's strong point - the lawyers can very effectively resolve difficult situations" (Chambers Europe)

”Provides a turnkey approach to any tough matters the client may face”, and the team has “an excellent understanding of targets, strategy and business needs” (The Legal 500)

“We are happy with the quality and speed of answers. They always offer a few options of creative solutions and describe the specific risks of each one” (Chambers Europe)