LEADELL Academy

Work disputes are a prevalent issue in both local and international labor markets. Our employment law specialists most frequently provide legal assistance in situations where the cause of the dispute is a breach of contract or workplace regulations, termination or dismissal of employment, or where disagreements often arise from...

Storm damage and the need to mitigate it is an issue is an issue faced not only by rescue services and those who have suffered physical or material harm in Latvia. It also affects the relationships between employers and employees and is here to stay. What should be done...

1. Registration data of the business partner, information about persons authorized to represent the business partner, and limitations on representation The first step should be to check the company registration status.  It is essential to check whether the company even exists. Moreover, checking authorized signatories is essential to identify...

2. Sanctions screening Adherence to international sanctions is crucial for preserving integrity and legality in business transactions. Screening Latvian companies and their stakeholders against reputable sanctions lists helps prevent unwitting involvement in prohibited activities or associations with entities engaged in illicit practices. When beneficial owners and directors of the...

3. Type of commercial activity, turnover, changes in share capital, liabilities, volume of material and technical resources, and average number of employees of the company. Information is available in published annual reports, which can be obtained for a fee using private Latvian Enterprise Register database providers: lursoft.lv and firmas.lv....

4. Tax debts administered by the State Revenue Service for the business partner. Unpaid tax debts can indicate potential financial instability and can lead to suspension or termination of business activities. Latest information can be obtained at https://www.vid.gov.lv/lv/nodoklu-paradnieki (available only in Latvian*) 8 Steps for Trusting a New Business...

5. Bankruptcy proceedings and status, including historical information about terminated proceedings. Companies can undergo suspension or termination by either the tax authority or the commercial register office under various circumstances. In the event of activity termination, the Latvian company undergoes liquidation proceedings. It is prohibited by law for any...

6. Licenses and Permits If the company’s operations involve excise goods such as alcohol, tobacco products, or petroleum, it’s prudent to verify any licenses held by the company. It’s crucial to check if a company has the right licenses to avoid potential legal issues and keep all operations running...

7. Information on payments made by businesses to the state budget This includes information on the total amount of taxes paid by taxpayers (businesses) to the State Revenue Service in the previous years, including the total amount of personal income tax and mandatory state social insurance contributions, as well...

8. Reputation and Background check Beyond official documentation, assessing a company’s reputation and the background of its key personnel provides valuable insights into their trustworthiness and reliability as business partners. Online searches and reviews can uncover red flags that may not be evident from formal records alone. This can...

LEADELL Vītols experts of cross-border deals recommend 8 precautionary steps before trusting a new business partner from Latvia. In the best interests of the foreign company interested in doing business in Latvia, it is essential to acquire thorough insights into potential business partners. Such insights enable the assessment of...

Whistleblowing is a set of systematic actions aimed at promoting lawful, ethical, open and transparent operations within organizations in both the public and private sectors. This is done by exercising the right to freely express one’s opinion. The Whistleblowing Law helps prevent violations and harm to public interests while...

Workplace mobbing or harassment must be addressed not only for ethical reasons but also due to legal liability. Unfortunately, experience shows that mobbing situations are often ignored out of fear, ignorance, or other reasons. How to avoid mistakes when identifying mobbing? Not every failed joke among colleagues will be...

To ensure that video surveillance aligns with personal data protection requirements, its user must adhere to a series of legal requirements. These include establishing a legal basis and documenting the surveillance, adhering to data minimization principles, implementing proper data storage procedures, assessing recording formats, enforcing security measures, respecting the...

On 24 April 2023, the Council of the European Union, following the adoption of the European Parliament,  approved the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council to endorse the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women (so-called Pay...

General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679) is a prevalent topic among entrepreneurs; however, the day-to-day work of our law firm sheds light on an ever-present confusion – entrepreneurs do not always have a clear road map for fulfilling the mandatory requirements. In addition, very often the reason for disorganized processes...

An overview of the most important amendments to laws and regulations, most of which will enter into force already on 1 January 2023, has been prepared by LEADELL Vītols legal experts. Among them – several regulatory changes concerning shares and their owners. Performers of economic activities in the field...

Amendments to the law “On Maternity and Sickness Insurance” regulate the procedure for paying paternity allowance, as well as aid to solve the issues related to the allowance in situations where the child’s paternity is not established. Amendments also affect paternity leave. Amendments to the law “On Maternity and...

On 1 July 2023, the reform of joint stock companies will enter into force, as well as a series of changes in the regulation of the payment of share capital and access to information. In like manner, the daily management of capital companies will be affected by novelties in...

As of 1 January 2023, amendments with regard to the electronic environment enter into force – changes in the regulation of electronic addresses and electronic identification. Please note that the regulation on the need for an official electronic address applies to all legal entities. Amendments to the Law on...

As of 1 January 2023, procurement specialists should take into account a series of novelties, including divergences in the approach to tax payment arrears, professional misconduct, unfulfilled contractual obligations, etc. LEADELL Vītols team offers to get acquainted with the most important of them. Amendments to the Law on Public...

In public administration, 2023 will bring new Law on Municipalities, while in the field of real estate – the Law on Termination of Forced Shared Property in Privatized Apartment Buildings.  Law on Municipalities When expropriating real estate (land, buildings), the right of first refusal will not have to be...

In the framework of cooperation with the magazine iTiesibas, Lauris Broks – LEADELL Vītols lawyer – analyzes whether it is possible to agree that an employee works seven days in a row from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. with a two-hour break, followed by seven days off. Is it...

An employer has given notice of termination to an employee. The employee’s trade union had not consented to this notice, hence the employer is demanding the termination of the employment contract in court. In parallel with the legal proceedings, the employer issued another notice to the employee, which the...

Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decision has expanded the scope of sensitive personal data, viz., at the end of the summer, CJEU adopted a judgment of significant importance regarding the protection of personal data that, while not being directly considered special categories of data, reveal other...

In the framework of cooperation with the magazine iFinance, Lauris Broks – LEADELL Vītols lawyer – analyzes whether an allowance for a business trip can be considered remuneration and in which cases can the daily allowance paid to an employee be considered as part of his wage. In this...

In collaboration with the magazine iFinanses, labor law expert Ilze Jankeviča frequently helps to resolve uncertainties that the readers of the magazine encounter. This time, lending a helping hand is needed in a situation where it is necessary to find out how and whether the time when the employee...

Expert in labor law Ilze Jankeviča, in cooperation with the magazine iTiesibas, frequently helps to resolve uncertainties that the readers of the magazine encounter. This time, assistance is needed in a situation where a distinction needs to be drawn between calendar, rest, and working days in context with the...

To protect both the people and the economy, Baltic States have been making serious efforts to contain and control the spread of the Covid-19 virus. All three countries have developed and implemented unique approaches for managing the spread of the virus. Given that legislation often “lags one step behind”...

On 9 October 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia adopted Order No. 720 “Regarding Declaration of the Emergency Situation” (hereinafter – the Order), declaring an emergency situation in the entire territory of the state from 11 October 2021 until 11 January 2022. In collaboration with...

Continuing the series of articles on the information to be included in the employment contract, in the final article we will look at the information that can be included in the employment contract based on an agreement of the parties. There are a number of details to be included...

Where and by which date to register true beneficiaries? Amendments to the law stipulate that the true beneficiaries must be revealed until 1 January 2021. If the branch or representative office is registered in the Register of Enterprises of the Republic of Latvia, the information on the beneficial owners...

An employment contract is a fundamental document that governs the employer-employee relationship, henceforth, it is important understand its components and be aware of their purport. In cooperation with the magazine “iTiesības”, we begin a series of articles in which we are going to explain the nuances of the employment...

Continuing the series of articles on the information to be included in the employment contract, this time we will look at the information that must be included in the employment contract, as well as the information that can be included on an optional basis, i.e. based on an agreement...

Continuing the series of articles on the information to be included in the employment contract, we will look at the information that must be indicated in the contract regarding employee’s occupation and remuneration. Choosing the occupation in conformity with the Classification of Occupations The Labour Law (LL) stipulates that...

When the requirement to register beneficial owners comes into force? As of 1 July 2020, branches and representative offices of foreign entities registered in Latvia are obliged to register information on their beneficial owners. This obligation follows from the amendments to the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist and...