The Legal 500

Baker & McKenzie – CIS, Limited’s well-stocked 19-lawyer office is headed by its Australian managing partner John Connors, who is backed up by Curtis Masters and disputes head Azamat Kuatbekov. The full service offering is especially strong on banking, finance and capital markets as well as mining, energy, and corporate work, both on the contentious and non-contentious sides.

Chadbourne & Parke LLP advises domestic and international clients across the energy, mining, metals, banking and telecommunications sectors. The firm continues to advise China National Petroleum Corporation on two multi-billion dollar oil pipelines to China. In the mining sector, it advised Satimola on its acquisition of a Kazakh company holding subsurface rights. Managing partner Kenneth Mack heads the highly active 15-lawyer office.

Energy and Asia head, Marla Valdez, 
and banking and capital markets expert, 
Joel Benjamin, are the two main partners at Denton Wilde Sapte’s impressive 22-lawyer Kazakhstan office. Among the highlights for 
2008, it advised Alnair Capital on its acquisition 
of a $500m 25% stake in Kazkommertsbank. It 
also represented the Kazakh mining company ENRC on its $2.77bn IPO on the London Stock Exchange and subsequent listing on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange.

Headed by Aset Shyngyssov, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP’s Kazakh office has been particularly busy on the financial services side, where it advised Allianz on its acquisition of JSC ATF Policy, one of Kazakhstan’s leading insurance companies. The firm is also highly recommended for oil and gas work.

Managing partner Aigoul Kenjebayeva has been running Salans.’ highly rated practice since it first opened in 1994, and enjoys an excellent reputation in the market. The firm is unique among Western firms in that it also has an office in the city of Atyrau, headed by Abai Shaikenov. With nearly 30 lawyers on the ground, the firm is especially recommended for dispute resolution, and energy and natural resources work

In office head and corporate finance expert, Yuriy Maltsev, White & Case Kazakhstan LLP boasts one of the best-known lawyers in the market. Aside from corporate, banking and privatisation work, the ten-lawyer office is also highly recommended for energy, natural resources and project finance, areas where partner Daniel Walter is recommended.

Aequitas offers its clients, which include ExxonMobil, World Bank, JPMorgan, HSBC, Tengizchevroil and Kazakhmys, a quality service in the full range of contentious and non-contentious matters. Managing partner Olga Chentsova heads the six-partner firm.

Gregory Vojack heads Bracewell & Giuliani LLP’s nine-lawyer office, which acts for a mix of state run and international businesses on their commercial legal matters.

With offices in both Almaty and Astana, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP continues to impress. Askar Moukhtidinov heads the expanding office, which recruited five associates in 2008. The firm is active in oil and gas, and recently advised KazMunayGas on the development of the Kashagan Field and its negotiations with the North Caspian Sea consortium of oil majors.

GRATA Law Firm is a major law firm within the Central Asia and Caspian region, which has offices in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan, with representative offices in the UK, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, USA and Turkey. Clients have included Air Kazakhstan, Shell Chemicals, ING and Lufthansa.

Macleod Dixon ELP’s two partners include managing partner Maxim Telemtayev, who is recommended for energy and natural resources work, and Yerzhan Kumarov, who is strong on the corporate finance side. Recently it advised the Polish company Petrolinvest on its $200m acquisition of shares in a Kazakh oil and gas company. It also advised the IFC in a $160m syndicated loan to Jambyl Cement Production Company and Mynaral Tas Company.

Yuri Bolotov is recommended at McGuireWoods Kazakhstan LLP which has been practising in the country since 1994. The firm is particularly strong on IP matters.

Michael Wilson & Partners is a prominent player in the Kazakh legal market and is well-versed advising clients on their interests throughout the Caspian region. The firm’s two partners, Michael Wilson and Michael Dark, both enjoy an excellent track record, especially on energy, infrastructure and corporate matters. Clients include BHP Billiton, Goldfields, BP, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.