Roman Zherebtsov has over 18 years of experience specialising in employment law. He represents clients in employment disputes and in dealings with trade unions, and has extensive experience in implementing motivation systems — including long-term incentive programmes, share option schemes, and the revision of bonus systems in light of recent amendments to the Labour Code of the Russian Federation. He also advises on the organisation of remote work, the transition to electronic document management (EDM), and other employment-related matters.
Selected Experience
roman advised:
a Swiss manufacturer of chocolate and confectionery products for seven years on a wide range of employment‑law issues, including employee guarantees, remuneration and benefits, incentive schemes, hiring and termination, all with a deep understanding of the client’s business model;
a major client in the operational analysis and comparison of regulatory requirements on higher pay for employees in the oil and gas sector and in adverse climatic zones across five foreign jurisdictions;
a client in workforce optimization and restructuring procedures, including successful interaction with established trade unions and the prevention of employment‑related litigation through detailed analysis of union structures and the development of effective negotiation strategies;
a major client on the resolution of disputes with employees under special legal protection during reorganization and the alignment of remuneration and benefit parameters;
a company in a reorganization involving the merger with another entity, including harmonizing pay and benefit levels, preserving existing compensation and avoiding discrimination, as well as addressing issues of interaction with trade unions;
a client in an arbitration‑court dispute against the Russian Social Insurance Fund concerning the qualification of civil‑law relationships as employment relationships, a case of significant precedential value for business;
a company in investigating and stopping theft of company property by employees in the regions, including organizing internal investigations, dismissing the responsible persons, and combining labour and criminal‑law tools to respond quickly to the crisis;
a subsidiaryof a petrochemical conglomerate in the dismissal of an employee on morally‑discreditable grounds, successfully defending the dismissals before courts of both instances;
major personnel‑audit projects, including the analysis and harmonization of HR documentation and internal work‑regulation procedures to prepare for labour‑inspection audits, as well as the implementation of recommendations in line with the client’s specific business processes;
a Chinese manufacturer of video‑surveillance systems entering the Russian market on the incorporation of a legal entity and the structuring of labour relationships with Russian and foreign employees (Chinese nationals), with due regard to migration law;
a major Chinese manufacturer of air‑conditioning and household appliances on the establishment of a Russian subsidiary, including the development of HR documentation and the adaptation of pay and remuneration systems for Russian top‑management based on the client’s corporate schemes.
achievements
Ratings and Awards
Roman is recommended in Russian legal‑firm rankings, including Pravo‑300 and Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Pravo‑300 in the nominations: Employment and Migration Law, TMT (Telecommunications, Media and Technology)
Rossiyskaya Gazeta in the nomination: Employment Law