The Legal 500

BGI Legal is an excellent full-service option in Georgia, particularly for foreign clients. After a two-year lull in the capital markets, in 2011 the firm picked up numerous mandates including acting for the joint lead arrangers on a $250m Reg S Eurobonds issue by a state-owned issuer. British American Tobacco is a major client, including in several multimillion-dollar claims brought against its former joint venture partner. Other litigation clients include BTA Bank, Coca-Cola Bottlers Georgia and Oriflame. It is advising EBRD on financing relating to Poti Port’s infrastructure modernisation project. Real estate clients include Marriott International and the German Embassy. Founding partners Lasha Gogiberidze and Zaza Bibilashvili are highly rated, and experienced associates Tamara Tevdoradze, Ekaterina Aleksidze and Giorgi Kavlashvili have growing reputations.

DLA Piper Georgia LP fields ‘a strong team, which is willing and able to serve the client’ on contentious and non-contentious matters. Transport infrastructure and financial services are key sectors, as are oil and gas and mining. The firm advises key client BP on corporate matters and in litigation, including administrative proceedings pertaining to its oil pipeline network. The group is lender’s counsel to Asian Development Bank and US OPIC, and also represents other banks including Bank of Georgia and Rabobank. The ‘very good and valuable’ litigation team is advising clients including RRsat Global Communication Network and CNH Baumaschinen regarding debt collection. Managing partner Ted Jonas is a US-qualified attorney with huge experience in Georgia. Otar Kipshidze, and legal director Avto Svanidze are recommended. Vakhtang Paresishvili left the firm in March 2012 to accept a position in-house.

‘Very motivated and willing to assist’, BLC Law Office provides ‘cost-effective’, ‘extremely reliable’ and comprehensive service, and has top-end expertise in the energy sector. Its second office benefits clients operating nearer to Batumi, and it notably has a balanced mix of Georgian and foreign clients. Its energy practice has been instructed on numerous hydroelectric power plants, including acting for Anadolu Group on construction of the 85MW Paravani plant; for JV Group on the proposed 450MW Namakhvani site; and for Enerjisa on its bid for the Upper Mtkvari project. Banking clients include HSBC Georgia, BNP Paribas and EBRD. Georgian Railways is a regular client, for which the team handled a $250m Eurobonds offering in 2010, and followed that capital markets success with two large Eurobonds offerings for other issuers in 2011. Microsoft is a new client. Ketti Kvartskhava is one of the market’s most widely praised figures, being ‘an extraordinary lawyer –always reliable, very active, results-oriented and dedicated to the clients’. Alexander Bolkvadze is also recommended: ‘his leadership, in-depth knowledge and businesslike attitude make his services indispensable.’

Gvinadze & Partners LLC is ‘highly responsive, usually to the point and has a profound knowledge of local laws and regulations’. Its provenance traces back through legacy firms GCG Law Office and Ernst & Young Legal, as well as DLA Piper Georgia LP. The firm primarily focuses on general corporate and commercial advice, transactions and dispute resolution. It recently advised a property investor on plans to privatise six Tbilisi hospitals. Other clients include the Swiss Embassy, EMAC Capital, Avon and Nestlé. Managing partner Nick Gvinadze provides ‘knowledge, vision, in-depth thinking and swift feedback’, senior associate Zakaria Shvelidze is ‘hardworking, precise and thorough’, and of counsel Lesley Rogers is ‘very dependable regarding international agreements and contracts’.

Kordzakhia Jgenti GP Law Firm is a full-service practice with significant work in the real estate, infrastructure and IT sectors. It advised Mediapro Georgia on winning a tender to provide a new number portability system to help support Georgia’s fast-growing demand for electronic communications. Other clients include TBC Bank, Constanta Bank and Lisi Lake Development. Irakli Kordzakhia is ‘one of the best in the Georgian market’.

‘Another good firm’, Mgaloblishvili, Kipiani, Dzidziguri Law Firm is a full-service practice with notable expertise in banking and finance. It advised Asian Development Bank on a $50m dollar-denominated loan to Bank of Georgia; advised the EBRD and IFC on financial restructuring of TAV Urban Georgia (which operates Tbilisi International Airport); and acted on the divestment of a stake in Georgia’s Poti Sea Port Corporation. Litigator Archil Kbilashvili and managing partner David Dzidziguri are recommended.

Nodia, Urumashvili & Partners provides comprehensive and ‘highly satisfactory service’, most particularly its strong banking and tax law practices. It provides ongoing tax and corporate advice to Bank of Georgia, advised Chiyu Banking Corporation as lender on a ship mortgage, and represented Bank Republic in acquiring the bankrupt Begi Company, thereby optimising VAT on the assets. Lasha Nodia is ‘practical with a down-to-earth approach’, and Efrem Urumashvili is ‘one of the best tax legislation specialists in Georgia’.

Amirashvili, Gogishvili & Shengelia, G.P.’s three name partners – Marekh Amirashvili, Gocha Gogishvili and David Shengalia – are the key contributors in a full-service firm that represents numerous international clients.

BDO Legal’s key strengths are corporate and tax law. The team regularly represents GPC, the local partner of GlaxoSmithKline. David Khrikadze is the partner in charge.

Begiashvili & Co. Limited is a full-service, ten-lawyer firm in which litigator Giorgi Begiashvili and corporate partner Jaba Mamulashvili are the key names.