The Legal 500

Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is a frequent presence in major Belarusian financings and is advising Eurasian Development Bank on its $1bn financing of Belaruskali, a state-owned company. Highly regarded managing partner Dennis Turovets has experience in capital markets as well as finance expertise. Anna Rusetskaya heads the corporate and M&A practice.

Baltic firm Sorainen has an established presence in the region and is highly regarded. It handles deals for a range of multinationals, and recent work includes advising Abbott Laboratories on a strategic acquisition in Belarus. Maksim Salahub, Alexey Anischenko and managing partner Kiryl Apanasevich are the main contacts.

Stepanovski, Papakul and Partners retains a strong position, despite Alexander Khrapoutski’s departure to form Sysouev, Bondar, Khrapoutski. The firm has five partners, including managing partners Alexander Stepanovski and Valery Papakul, and it has acted for clients such as Mars, Xerox and other international companies.

Vlasova Mikhel & Partners Law Firm mainly handles work for Russian and Belarusian clients. It advised EPAM Systems on its IPO on the NYSE – the first ever by an Eastern European outsourcing company. The six-partner practice includes managing partner Konstantin Mikhel and senior partner Liliya Vlasova.

'Aleinikov & Partners' law firm is advising the World Bank on its project to improve the Belarusian securities market. Other clients include Belarusbank and McDonald’s Corporation – the latter of which the firm is advising on an investment agreement with the Minsk City Administration. Senior partner Denis Aleinikov and Dmitriy Matveev are recommended.

Borovtsov & Salei’s clients include Franck Muller and AXA, and the team advised the latter on its purchase of an 80% stake in a Belarusian insurance company. Managing partner Vassili Salei and disputes lawyer Alexander Botian are the main contacts.

CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati handles a range of corporate work for clients such as Czech Export Bank, John Deere and several other multinationals. Sergei Makarchuk leads the team, which recruited senior attorney Nikita Tolkanitsa from Glimstedt Law Firm in August 2012.

Revera Consulting Group has an impressive reputation for construction, IP and tax law advice, as well as corporate work, and it provides ongoing corporate advice to GlaxoSmithKline. Dmitry Arkhipenko is ‘one of the most experienced lawyers in Belarus’, and fellow managing partner Pavel Tsarev is also recommended. Senior lawyer Oksana Kotel and lawyers Denis Bogdanov and Alexey Daryin are highly regarded by clients.

One of the two successor firms to Businessconsult Law Firm, Sysouev, Bondar, Khrapoutski recently acted on some impressive mandates in natural resources, telecoms and banking, and has a strong dispute resolution practice. Timour Sysouev and Alexandre Khrapoutski are ‘high-quality lawyers with a good practical insight into the Belarusian market’. Alexander Bondar is also recommended.

Verkhovodko & Partners is the other firm formed in 2012 following the dissolution of Businessconsult Law Firm. Highly regarded lead partners Igor Verkhovodko and Dmitry Bokhan recruited two litigation specialists from Businessconsult as partners. Bokhan ‘has profound experience in investments, tax planning and financing’.

Specialising in advising foreign investors Arzinger & Partners’ Minsk office has acted for clients such as Metzeler, IKEA and Bosch. Managing partner Sergey Mashonsky heads the three-partner team.

bnt Attorneys-at-law has a network of offices across Central and Eastern Europe, and its Minsk team acts on a variety of cross-border deals for a mostly international client base. Team head Alexander Liessem attracts praise for his negotiation and structuring skills, and is qualified to practise German law.

Dicsa represents a broad mix of Belarusian, Baltic and wider international clients. Vladimir Nemov heads the team.

Ernst & Young advised Aktor on its participation in a tender to build a mixed-use complex in Belarus. Andrei Chumakov heads the team, which has also acted for Yandex and Finstar.

Glimstedt Law Firm, headed by recommended managing partner Vitaly Kachelya, gained several new clients in 2012 and acted on some impressive real estate and construction projects. Darya Zhuk is the other key contact.