Valeriia Gudiy

Practice Areas

Valeriia Gudiy is a Partner at Ilyashev & Partners and Head of the Employment practice in Ukraine. She is recognised as one of the leading employment lawyers in Ukraine, advising multinational and Ukrainian companies on complex employment disputes in Ukraine and employment compliance matters.

As an experienced labour lawyer in Ukraine, she focuses on employment litigation, internal investigations into labour discipline violations, trade union disputes, HR legal due diligence, and regulatory defence against unlawful decisions. She provides strategic employment compliance advice to businesses operating in Ukraine, including companies listed in the Fortune 500 and Forbes Global 2000.

Career

Valeriia Gudiy has been working at Ilyashev & Partners since 2008 and became a Partner in 2023.

She is widely recognised for her work in employment and labour law in Ukraine. She represents multinational corporations and major Ukrainian businesses in high-risk labour disputes, complex regulatory inspections and strategically sensitive matters involving trade unions and state authorities.

Valeriia has managed and completed more than 100 HR legal due diligence projects across various sectors of the private economy.

Professional Memberships

• The Bar Council of Kyiv region;

• Board Member of the HR Committee of the European Business Association (re-elected in 2025).

Publications

Author of numerous publications and media commentaries on labour law developments in Ukraine, including issues related to general mobilisation, workforce restructuring and regulatory compliance.

Regular speaker at seminars and professional events for HR specialists and corporate legal departments.

Personal

Valeriia Gudiy is recognised as a leading employment lawyer in Ukraine. She is recommended in Employment (Ukraine) by Chambers Europe 2026 and recognised as a Leading Partner in Employment by The Legal 500 – EMEA 2025.

She is also recognised as No.1 Practice Leader in Employment for Ukraine by 50 Leading Law Firms of Ukraine 2025 annual research.

Clients

Advises major Ukrainian and international corporations, including companies listed in the Fortune 500 and Forbes Global 2000 rankings, on complex employment disputes in Ukraine, labour litigation and employment compliance matters.

Work Highlights

• Represented multinational corporations in high-value labour disputes involving reinstatement claims and executive terminations.

• Advised international companies on complex collective labour disputes and negotiations with trade unions.

• Successfully challenged decisions and actions of state authorities affecting companies’ operational activities.

• Conducted comprehensive HR due diligence projects in the context of corporate restructuring and business transformation.

Industry Sector Expertise

Extensive experience in employment and labour disputes across the FMCG, pharmaceutical, industrial and regulated sectors.

Advises on executive dismissals, collective labour disputes, labour inspections, compliance audits and internal investigations, including matters involving trade unions and state authorities.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

• Ukraine (employment litigation and regulatory proceedings before state authorities);

• European Union (advisory on EU labour law standards and regulatory framework).

Languages Spoken

English, Ukrainian, Russian

Experience

Over 19 years of experience representing clients in:

• Employment litigation in Ukraine;

• Complex employment disputes in Ukraine involving senior executives;

• Employment compliance advisory for multinational corporations;

• Labour law risk management and regulatory defence;

• Trade union and collective labour conflicts;

• Regulatory inspections and disputes with state authorities;

• HR legal due diligence and workforce restructuring;

• Internal investigations and corporate risk management.

Education