The firms are placed in alphabetical order. The research period is the year 2021. Since 24 February 2022 when the russian federation started its aggressive war against Ukraine, many law firms in Ukraine have announced their termination of representing russian clients. For ethical and moral reasons, as many people have joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and found themselves in difficult life situations, we have taken the decision not to publish ranking tables this year. We genuinely believe that we should be united as never before, and hope that you support our decision.

Ukrainian law firm ADER HABER has notable experience of structuring the transfer and dismissal of personnel, collective bargaining agreements, relations with trade unions, employment structuring, labor safety, obtaining work permits for foreign workers. Complex employment litigation is another distinctive feature of the team. In particular, the firm acts for the Ukrainian subsidiary of a multinational producer of food and beverages in a dispute with an employee challenging dismissal and unpaid wage recovery. This past year the practice team advised one of the leaders of the tobacco industry in Ukraine, which employs around 500 employees, on changes in working schedules and retaining personnel for overtime. The extensive client list includes Technocom LLC, Kyivgaz JSC, British American Tobacco Ukraine, Coca-Cola Ukraine Limited, Primary Trade Union Organization of the Osterskyi Military Forestry, Novomyrhorod Sugar LLC and others. Anna Movchan, senior associate, is the rising star of the labor and employment practice. Aleksandra Fedotova took over the role of lead partner[1]. 

Andriy Kravets & Partners represented a number of private individuals in court disputes against employers; assisted a Ukrainian insurance company on the full range of legal issues related to hiring the deputy chairman of its board of directors; represented a Ukrainian industrial company on its potential dispute with a former employee. The practice is headed by Andriy Kravets.

Ante Law Firm possesses a robust labor practice offering both advisory and litigation services. The firm is particularly known for its exceptional following in the aviation sector, and significant presence in the pharmaceuticals and healthcare industries. The firm consistently advises many international airlines operating in Ukraine (Qatar Airways Group Q.C.S.C., Lufthansa Group, Air France-KLM and others) with their labor law issues. The firm also provides support in immigration issues and obtaining work permits, residence permits, cards for employees of representative offices. The firm led Perrigo Ukraine LLC, a subsidiary of international pharmaceutical company Perrigo, throughout the process of liquidation of the primary trade union. The firm resolved complicated staff dismissal issues for a few global pharmaceutical companies. Other clients include Sanofi-Aventis Ukraine, Zdravo LLC, Beko Ukraine, etc. Managing partner Andriy Guck supervises the firm’s team.

Asters has a multifaceted labor and employment practice, dealing with advisory and litigation. The firm is preferred by both sound multinationals and leading domestic business, retained for structuring employment relations and termination, structuring of bonuses and compensations, collective negotiations and development of collective agreements, relocation of employees. The strong litigation track record is featured with labor disputes related to disciplinary measures, recovery of salaries, staff redundancies. The firm recently advised Molson Coors Ukraine on a wide spectrum of labor and employment, occupational safety, data protection matters related to day-to-day business and employment law compliance; acted for a private individual, former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to several countries, on employment and pension law matters. Partner Vadym Samoilenko co-heads the practice. Inesa Letych, counsel, is traditionally active in the project and in practice development.

AVELLUM transformed its employment law practice into a standalone one, being enrolled for structuring employment relations, covering hiring and preparation of employment policies, dismissal of top managers and distressed dismissals, as well as employment matters as a part of large multijurisdictional deals, including procedures of cross-border transfer of personnel, employment law compliance. The firm regularly advises on various employment matters during major Ukrainian M&A deals and performs legal due diligence of Ukrainian assets. Among the recent highlights was advising ClinTec International on employment matters related to the structuring of employment relationships, hiring employees, and drafting employment agreements; TinyBuild Inc with assessing the availability of a “hidden employment risk” as a preparatory stage to the client’s headquarters company public offering on the London Stock Exchange as TBLD; Euromoney on structuring employment relations and on the replacement of top management; Volt Resources on various employment matters in connection with the post completion stage following the acquisition of a Ukrainian group of companies engaged in mining graphite. The project guidance is handled by the firm’s partners, Mykola Stetsenko and Yuriy Nechayev. Bogdana Parkhomchuk, senior associate, is the key figure of the firm’s employment practice.

With a well-established global position, the Kyiv office of Baker Mckenzie is a constant choice for multinational businesses to manage their employment needs in Ukraine. The firm advises on employment agreements with top managers and employees, employee terminations and reinstatement at work, employment compliance audits and developing the compliance function, dismissal and redundancies, internal corporate investigations, migration and COVID-related regulations, due diligence reviews of employment law liabilities in corporate acquisitions, employee privacy rights and data protection. The industrial breakdown of recent clients spans agriculture and transportation, retail and consumer goods, banking and financial institutions, embassies and non-government organizations, healthcare and pharmaceuticals. Mariana Marchuk, counsel, is one of the most reputable employment practitioners in Ukraine. Lina Nemchenko is lead partner of the employment and migration practice.

СMS is represented through two offices in Ukraine and their employment practices are part of a big CEE employment network.

CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang is a preferred legal counsel for a bench of international business on their operations in Ukraine, as well as multijurisdictional and transactional mandates. The team regularly acts on comprehensive employment due diligence, employment structuring and termination, benefits policies, implementation of incentive plan for Ukrainian employees, advice on change of management. The team advised Stakelogic BV on a complex analysis of the current structure of relations with the Ukrainian team, IP and employment law advice regarding restructuring of employment relations. The client portfolio includes areas of traditional strength – energy and natural resources, IT and technology, investment services, pharmaceuticals. Olga Belyakova is lead partner.

CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz centered its employment advice regarding senior management of its clients in Ukraine, including members of supervisory boards and boards of directors, compliance matters. The team handled employment contracts and ensuring work permits for foreign personnel. Maria Orlyk, Kyiv office managing partner, is the main contact.

The Kyiv employment team of Dentons benefits from its global standing and high-caliber clients. The office is called upon for traditional labor matters, employment aspects of transactions, often cross-border M&A, restructuring and reorganizational initiatives, as well employment disputes. Ukrainian subsidiaries regularly turn to it for support in hiring and firing top executives and employees, immigration related matters, labor rules and obtaining work permits, home working during COVID-19, personal data protection issues. The office advised Roku on employment law matters regarding their international expansion in Ukraine, as well as on streaming and media regulatory issues, including analysis of possible employment relationships with private entrepreneurs in Ukraine; acted for Solarisbank on employment law matters in connection with the contracting of Ukrainian software developers by a German entity. With over 20 years of experience, Volodymyr Monastyrskyy is the practice’s lead partner and also heads corporate and compliance projects.

Ukrainian law firm ESQUIRES is primarily noted for labor disputes, being especially retained to represent cases involving civil servants. For example, the team acted for the deputy head of the State Customs Service on dismissal and renewal to the position, canceling the decision adopted by the government. Partners Oleksandr Shkelebey and Opanas Karlin are the main contacts.

With a growing clientele from IT and the technology sector, EVERLEGAL spends the majority of its time advising clients regarding formalization of employment relations with employees as well as legal relations with independent contractors. This past year the team acted on the termination of employment relations, employment of foreigners in Ukraine, including obtaining work permits, temporary residence permits and Ukrainian visas; violation of migration rules and payment of penalties for such violations; employment disputes. Managing partner Yevheniy Deyneko is the practice head.

EXPATPRO law firm focuses on providing legal services in the field of immigration law for foreign citizens who live or relocate to Ukraine, in particular, support in the application for visas, work permits and residence permits. In 2021, the firm continued working with several IT companies from Belarus who moved part of their staff to Ukraine due to the political situation there. Thus, during 2021 the firm supported the relocation to Ukraine of more than 200 Belarusian IT specialists, and assisted with obtaining work permits and residence permits in Ukraine for top management. Vasyl Cherednichenko heads the migration team, and is supported by Kateryna Zatulko.

The employment practice of EY is traditionally involved in advising sound multinational clientele, supporting labor law issues accompanying corporate transformations, establishing a presence in Ukraine, employment of foreign individuals, employment termination cases. In 2021, the team advised on structuring of assignments from Ukraine abroad, employment measures connected with the COVID-19 situation in Ukraine, remote work arrangements, implementation of long-term incentive plans, appointment of high executives, advised on risks of reclassification of civil relations into employment ones. The notable feature of the offering is carrying out complex labor law due diligence projects. Olga Gorbanovskaya and Halyna Khomenko are the key figures.

Attorneys’ Association Gestors is experienced in general employment contracts, employment of foreign citizens, personnel policies, labor disputes. The firm represented McDonald’s Ukraine in court in a labor law case on renewal of an employee at the place of work, payment of salary for the period of forced leave; acted for Elsevier B.V. on drafting of the template of an employment agreement for employees of the representative office in Ukraine; provided legal advice to StatementIQ, LLC related to arrangement of cooperation between the US-based software development company and Ukrainian IT specialists, drafting of contractors’ agreements. Other selected clients include the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK), PJSC of Gas Supplying and Gasification Donetskoblgas, Reed Business Information Inc, Quanticate International Ltd and others. Andriy Tsvyetkov is the practice head.

The employment practice of GOLAW is known for its long-standing track record for resolving disputes related to dismissals, reinstatement, payment of salaries and compensation for non-pecuniary damage; material responsibility of employees and damage compensation, collection of administrative sanctions. This past year the team conducted successful representation of the interests of a private individual in range of the lawsuits against the Ukrainian Health Ministry on recognition as illegal and cancellation of orders for dismissal from the rectorship of Bogomolets National Medical University. The firm’s expertise includes advising retail, energy, IT and pharmaceutical companies on various general employment issues. Kateryna Manoylenko, partner, is the practice-dedicated partner focused on such disputes. Counsel Kateryna Tsvetkova is another visible member of the executive team. 

Gramatskiy & Partners has a consistent local client roster featuring notable players from real estate and construction, engineering, retail, engineering, IT, transport and logistics sectors. The firm assists with employment agreements and redundancies, relocation of foreign employees, compensation policies, disputes challenging dismissal, labor inspections, damages and recovery of financial assistance, recovery of average salary during the forced absence. The client list takes in City Capital Group, Seven Hills, Finrostorg Group, Celentano, Danfoss Group, Plant Quant, Playtech Software Limited, Clickmein, Skywind Tech UA LLC, PTS UA Services. Mykola Voitovich is the practice head.

ILF has a long-term commitment to labor and employment practice, being most recently focused on advising subsequent matters in the healthcare sector of Ukraine. The firm is sought after for drafting and implementing collective employment agreements for medical institutions, creating and implementing quality indicators in medical institutions, as well as consultations and labor disputes. The team acted for the municipal non-commercial enterprise Second City Polyclinic of Lviv, and developed a customized staff motivation system and a new collective agreement; drafted a new collective agreement, supported its adoption, and implemented a new wage system for the municipal non-commercial enterprise Skvyr City Center of Primary Medical Care. Furthermore, having acted for the  International Renaissance Foundation, the firm took part in the development of the Draft Law On Medical Practice, Medical Activities and Medical Self-Governance. The firm has two offices – Kharkiv and Kyiv, and is led by managing partner Tetyana Gavrysh. Olexiy Holovin is the main practitioner of the employment practice.

Ilyashev & Partners is particularly known for its extensive track record of employment disputes, acting on dismissal litigation, regulatory claims, and has standout expertise in negotiation and conflict resolution with trade unions. Other areas of recent focus were advisory, structuring corporate employment policies, employment compliance, employment aspects in the course of multijurisdictional transactions involving the transfer of employees, data protection and IP rights. The team represents their interests of the State Enterprise Ukrspetsexport in a dispute with an employee, bringing him to disciplinary accountability; acted for the State Enterprise Antonov in its dispute with a former vice-president on dismissal, reinstatement, recovery of salary and moral damages. The client list includes Coca-Cola Beverages Ukraine, Unilever Ukraine, Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Messer Ukraine and many others. The core executive figures of the practice are Leonid Gilevich and Valeriia Gudiy.

INTEGRITES offers an extensive offering in labor and employment services, particularly in industries in which clients operate – pharmaceuticals and healthcare, energy, IT, agro and food, retail, logistics and transportation. The recent practice portfolio included advising on the recruitment of new employees and top management, obtaining employment cards for foreign employees, transfer of employees in compliance with Ukrainian legislation, internal policies to implement remote working, personal data protection, employment aspects of legal due diligence in terms of corporate deals. Over the past year the firm advised EMERGY AS (former NBT AS) on a staff redundancy due to the suspension of project; Servier, the Ukrainian subsidiary of a French pharmaceutical company, on the replacement of the general director, employment of foreigners, obtaining/returning the Ukrainian work permit and residency certificate. The firm sees an increase in requests from the IT sector, having advised on Diia City and structuring the activity of IT companies, adoption of group policies to newly-introduced Ukrainian legislation. Clients include  Avia AM Leasing, MAI CEE Insurance Brokers, Leroy Merlin, Scatec, Sibelco Group, Kleffmann Group Ukraine. Corporate and M&A partner Illya Tkachuk additionally specializes on labor and compliance law matters. Dr. Julian Ries, senior partner, focuses on negotiations in conflict situations within and between enterprises, especially with intercultural aspects.

In June 2021, Kinstellar merged with DLA Piper Ukraine. The new team provided for both purely employment law advisory, as well as within M&A global transactions and outsourcings. The firm advises on hiring and firing, corporate policy, collective bargaining agreements, employee transfers and localization projects; develops a strategy and support its implementation for the termination of senior executives. The firm advised Qatari port operator QTerminals LLC on employment law matters in relation to the first ever and largest port concession tender; continued advising the Supervisory Board of Naftogaz on numerous matters, including labor and employment. Other clients encompass Kyivstar, Mondelez, EBRD, GIZ UA, Ukrenergo. The key lead partners are Margarita Karpenko and Iryna Nikolayevska. The core senior team in Kyiv includes Maksym Tesliar and Yulia Eismont. 

KM Partners is often retained for elaboration of employment agreements, collective bargaining agreements, labor dispute resolution. support during dismissal, audits on labor issues and outsourcing services. For example, the firm assisted the world’s largest cosmetics company in drafting, approving and registering a collective agreement, elaboration of a mechanism enabling a collective agreement with employees working remotely due to Covid-19. The team also assisted a global market leader in chemical distribution with conducting a planned inspection of the State Employment Service, including recommendations on the behavior of employees. Alexander Shemiatkin is lead partner.

KPMG Law Ukraine traditionally enjoys remarkable international clients and a local following coming from IT, energy, transportation, manufacturing sectors, acting for their labor and employment law queries and often those appearing in multidisciplinary assignments. The team recently supported clients with complex procedures involving replacement of CEOs; carried out numerous legal due diligences, including analysis of internal labor regulations, compliance with HR procedures, review of bonus payment policies, etc.; conducted labor law compliance diagnostics of a company providing outstaffing services. The key practice figures are Ivan Demtso, counsel, and Yurii Katser, director and head of legal. 

As a pharmaceutical and healthcare industry firm, Legal Alliance Company, is instructed by  sound market leaders on a broad range of employment issues, such as drafting subsequent agreements and their termination, consultation on job descriptions and internal compliance, implementation of the outstaffing work model and outstaffing agreement, disciplinary sanctions. The list of clients, among others, includes Alcon, Astellas, Berlin Chemie, Contrad Swiss, Delta Medical, Glenmark, Lekhim, Jadran Galenski laboratorij d.d., Orion Corporation, Takeda, Teva. Illya Kostin is lead partner. Yaroslav Furiaka, senior associate, is active across projects.

Nobles has strengthened its labor and employment team with the arrival of Oleksandr Aleksyeyenko and his team from Marchenko Partners (now – Ulysses). The expertise of the amalgamated practice team spans developing and implementing termination strategies, advising on labor aspects in M&A, drafting employment contracts and policies, obtaining work permits for non-Ukrainian employees, adapting stock options and other employee benefits. The firm deals extensively with confidentiality, data protection, intellectual property protection and non-compete matters which are often at the intersection with employment matters. Most recently the firm advised Ferring Pharmaceuticals on employment of the senior management of a Ukrainian subsidiary. Other clients included Salic Ukraine, H&M Hennes and Mauritz AB, Auto1 Group AG, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), Growth Technologies Limited. Oleksandr Aleksyeyenko and Volodymyr Yakubovskyy are lead partners.

The Kyiv office of Peterka & Partners is regularly retained by international business to handle labor and employment assignments of their Ukrainian subsidiaries. With a chain of offices, the firm acts for the entire CEE region, and is experienced in a wide range of sectors, namely IT/software/technology, heavy industry, gaming and entertainment, logistics, consumer goods, pet nutrition, pharmaceuticals, waste management. The team rendered advice to World Courier, one of the largest specialty logistics groups in the world and part of AmerisourceBergen Corporation, on changes in the organizational structure of a Ukrainian subsidiary, including drafting a new staff list, job descriptions, and full legal support in the transfer of employees, preparation and registration of collective bargaining agreements; provided full-scale legal assistance to Amesz Enterprises in connection with obtaining a recruitment license in Ukraine. Taras Utiralov, managing partner, is the main contact. 

Redcliffe Partners has an extensive international clients list, expanding its involvement in general advisory matters and employment litigation. Notably, the firm acts in hiring policy and the procedure for performing background checks in relation to employees, personal data protection requirements, employment of foreigners, labor protection issues, redundancies, employment matters in connection with acquisitions. The firm continues to advise the European Investment Bank on all employment matters that arise in connection with the bank’s operations in Ukraine. The team most recently advised Ukraine Energy/Ukrenergo? on employment matters in connection with the proposed hiring of workers; assisted UiPath in the hiring of top management and IT professionals for its StepShot project. Corporate and M&A partner Zoryana Sozanska-Matviychuk heads the practice. 

A market newcomer, the Kharkiv-based Roland Law Firm, was established in March 2021 by Serhiy Silchenko (former partner of ILF) and Tetiana Silchenko (previously worked as an attorney at Felix Law Firm). Labor law and employment is one of the key areas of the firm’s offering. The team focuses on labor disputes, local regulation of labor relations aimed at legalization and regulation of processes within the company, consulting in non-standard situations, such as accidents at work. The recent portfolio of the practice includes representing both employers and employees, covering issues of dismissal, non-payment of salaries, development and implementation of incentive programs, collective bargaining agreements, employment issues emanating out of reorganization of municipal enterprises. Managing partner Serhiy Silchenko has a strong reputation as an experienced litigator in complex labor disputes.

Vdovychen & Partners advises on labor law regulations, supporting the respective inspections of state authorities, employment agreements and labor disputes. This past year the firm provided support in a dispute over the theft of property by employees; appeal of disciplinary suspension from duties; advised on incentive policies and collective bargaining agreements. Oleg Vdovychen is lead partner.

Sayenko Kharenko has a robust labor and employment practice utilizing advisory, transactional work and complex litigation, amicable resolution of labor disputes and conflicts. Throughout the research period the team supported the transfers of several multijurisdictional employees as part of major M&A transactions; advised on various aspects of teleworking and other COVID-19 related employment issues; supported implementation of incentive plans by Ukrainian subsidiaries; personal data protection issues; acted on a variety of court issues and handled successful amicable resolution (particularly by remote quasi-mediation) of several challenging labor disputes and workplace conflicts. The firm’s clients come from a range of industries, inter alia, bank and financial, pharmaceutical and healthcare, agriculture, retail, communications, consulting, consumer goods, food and beverages, IT, technology, manufacturing, services, publishing, and private clients industries. The list of disclosable clients takes in Creatio, Greif and Kyivstar. The employment practice is co-led by Iryna Bakina and Dr Svitlana Kheda, with key contributions from senior associate Olga Kyriusha.

This past year the Kyiv branch of SBH Law Offices, which is headquartered in the Belarusian capital Minsk, continued to provide legal support on business relocation to Ukraine, covering relevant employment issues (work permit, residence permit, etc.). In particular, the office provided full legal support on migration issues for such companies as Expert Soft, iLogos Game Studios, Melsoft games, Moon Active, Sunmait Technologies, Zubr Capital, Itexus (Sampad LLC), Capital.com and Banuba. Furthermore, the firm acted for Apalon, a mobile application development company with offices in Belarus and USA, on issues of residency and the tax conditions of the legal regime of Diia City, as well as migration-related issues pertaining to relocation of foreign nationals to Ukraine. Marina Makarova is the practice head, who also heads the corporate and commercial front.

Shkrebets & Partners, a Kharkiv-based law firm, is a renowned legal counsel for dispute resolution, including labor litigation. In a recent highlight the firm represented employees in wage recovery disputes arising from dismissals, financial recovery caused by health injury within employment, disputes concerning collective bargaining agreements. Evgeniy Shkrebets is the main point of contact.

Wolf Theiss Kyiv advises on employment matters related to senior management and personnel of both Ukrainian companies and Ukrainian subsidiaries of foreign clients. On the advisory front the firm acted for the Ukrainian subsidiary of a large IT company called Snap Inc with respect to the company’s employees and executives; Federal-Mogul Aftermarket on hiring and dismissing employees, change of their financial labor conditions, financial support of an employee’s education, as well as assisting in obtaining temporary and permanent residence permits for its foreign employees; Delivery Hero SE in connection with the application of imperative provisions of Ukrainian employment law to relations between Ukrainian employees and the German company. The team is active in employment matters related to the operation of IT businesses, engineering, energy, insurance, real estate and trading companies. Employment aspects arising out of M&A and corporate reorganizations continued to be a standing feature of the office. Most recently the team conducted thorough legal due diligence of a target, including on employment-related matters in the course of the potential acquisition of one of the leading Ukrainian life insurers by VIG. Olga Ivlyeva and Olena Kravtsova co-head the practice.

Oksana Voynarovska and Valeriya Bezpala, partners at Vasil Kisil & Partners, received market recognition for their employment advice.[2]

 

 

[1] Counsel Tetyana Ivanovych left the firm.

[2] The firm has not submitted information for the current research.