The Legal 500

Baker & McKenzie – CIS, Limited has strength in depth with four partners. In 2011, Edward Bekeschenko successfully represented a leading medical supplies producer in several litigation proceedings across Russia. Moscow practice head Vladimir Khvalei’s strengths are ‘sound knowledge of the law’ and ‘his hard work and dedication’. Maxim Kalinin is now the key contact in St Petersburg, following Ivan Smirnov’s move to Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners.

Clifford Chance has strongly integrated teams in London and Moscow. In addition to international arbitration, the team has participated in an impressive number of cases in the Russian arbitrazh courts, has experience of handling cases before the European Court of Human Rights, and also assists clients in criminal investigations. Nicholas Munday heads the team, which recently successfully represented a major Russian telecoms company in the Russian Federation Supreme Court and a subsequent Moscow City Court retrial regarding the invalidity of a joint venture agreement. Timur Aitkulov is highly regarded.

Dechert Russia LLC’s Oxana Peters is ‘one of the most talented and successful litigators in the Russian market’, and ‘she wins those cases which other law firms consider unwinnable’. Ivan Marisin is acting in several multibillion-dollar arbitrations and court proceedings for two Russian businessmen. Vasily Kuznetsov recently led a team in a landmark case involving the first injunction granted by the Russian judiciary in support of an ICC construction arbitration. Senior associates Timur Djabbarov and Yuri Makhonin are also recommended.

Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners cushioned the recent departure of Grigory Chernyshov to White & Case LLC by recruiting Ivan Smirnov in Moscow, who was previously St Petersburg head of dispute resolution at Baker & McKenzie – CIS, Limited. International arbitration expert Dmitry Dyakin also joined as a result of the firm’s merger with Magisters. Recent work for the team includes successfully acting for the Russian Federation at the International Court of Justice regarding Georgia’s application against Russia in a racial discrimination dispute.

Linklaters CIS has been busy acting for banks in important insolvency litigation arising from the financial crisis; advising on corporate conflicts; and acting for big-ticket clients in fraud and corruption matters. Highlights included successfully acting for Société Générale in a precedent-setting series of proceedings involving novel litigation tactics to recover international loans. Other clients include TNK-BP, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Absolut Group. Alexei Dudko leads the team.

Alrud Law Firm acts in complex cases, often involving multiple jurisdictions, parallel proceedings and controversial points of law. Vassily Rudomino recently advised key client Alfa Bank Ukraine on a substantial debt recovery project which involved tracing assets of individuals and legal entities in numerous jurisdictions.

Chadbourne & Parke LLP’s ‘professional, proactive and thorough’ Julia Romanova is advising Canada-based gold mining company Kinross Gold regarding several ongoing matters involving labour law and regulatory issues. The vastly experienced Mikhail Rozenberg leads the team, which has ‘high ethical standards’.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer recently appointed Maxim Kulkov, previously of Goltsblat BLP, to head its dispute resolution team following the departure of Yaroslav Klimov and two associates to Norton Rose (Central Europe) LLP. Recent work includes acting for Telecominvest, a Megafon shareholder, in the first major dispute arising from federal laws on strategic investments.

Dmitry Kurochkin’s team at Herbert Smith CIS LLP represents clients in Russian courts, and can call on Vladimir Melnikov’s substantial courtroom experience. Kurochkin is advising lender ING Bank in a multi-jurisdictional dispute regarding a defaulted loan. Complex cross-border disputes and international arbitrations are led from Moscow with the assistance of colleagues in London and Paris.

Monastyrsky, Zyuba, Stepanov & Partners has a high level of competency in litigation and arbitration, including in the highest courts in Russia, as well as in arbitrations locally and internationally. It has acted for clients such as IKEA. Yuri Monastyrsky is the main figure.

Muranov, Chernyakov & Partners has a strong reputation in energy-related dispute resolution. It is acting for Rosneft in its ongoing multimillion-euro litigation with Yukos Capital regarding the enforcement of arbitration awards. Alexander Muranov and Dmitry Chernyakov are team co-heads.

In 2011, Norton Rose (Central Europe) LLP recruited its new practice head, Yaroslav Klimov, from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he was also head of dispute resolution. Klimov arrived with two experienced associates who bring added expertise in cross-border disputes, international arbitration and insurance litigation.

Pepeliaev Group’s litigators have ‘a great ability to win cases before they get to trial, but at the same time are real trial lawyers who win in the courtroom’. Denis Bykov is ‘a talented and highly motivated lawyer who always ensures that the client is safely protected’; Varvara Knutova ‘manages to find a solution in any complicated situation’. New recruit Julia Litovtseva is a former judge, which clients perceive to be ‘a major advantage’.

Salans’ record includes precedent-setting cases alongside the ability to achieve favourable out-of-court settlements. St Petersburg practice head Mikhail Ivanov won a landmark decision for Ciments Français, persuading a Russian court to recognise a foreign arbitral award which had been set aside. Moscow practice head Alexei Panich acted for Cargill in one of Russia’s largest commercial disputes to date.

White & Case LLC is representing Nestlé in the Moscow Commercial Court in a trade mark dispute with Unilever. Practice head Alexey Barnashov obtained denial of jurisdiction rulings in three regional commercial courts for Credit Lyonnais concerning a $34m claim over on-demand bank guarantees.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is well placed to handle complex international arbitration and litigation. Ilya Rybalkin represented Renova Industries, one of the Alfa Access Renova (AAR) group of Russian shareholders, in successfully obtaining an injunction to restrain BP from pursuing its $16bn deal with Rosneft.

Baker Botts L.L.P. mainly acts for high-profile Russian clients, including the Russian Federation and high-ranking government officials. Recent work includes acting for Gazprom entities in various legal proceedings brought by Moncrief Oil International regarding rights pertaining to a Siberian gas field. Other clients include Troika Dialog and Caterpillar. Michael Goldberg and London-based Jay Alexander co-chair the practice.

CMS Russia has a solid and well-rounded disputes practice, for which recent work includes defending Henkel in a complex and potentially precedent-setting case regarding minority shareholder claims. Practice head Sergey Yuryev is ‘very meticulous’ and ‘very efficient’.

DLA Piper successfully acted for Gazprom in its dispute with NAK Naftogaz concerning natural gas transit and supplies. Moscow practice head Yaroslav Moshennikov is ‘very talented and creative’, and Olga Litvinova gives ‘good strategic advice’. Oleg Skvortsov leads in St Petersburg.

Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP recently recruited new practice head Nane Oganesyan from Norton Rose (Central Europe) LLP, along with an associate. The team is acting for ENR Russia Invest SA in two land lease payment lawsuits brought by the Moscow’s city government against the client’s subsidiary.

FBK Legal’s lawyers are consistently praised for their superior client service and dedicated approach: ‘if they take somebody’s task, it means that they are absolutely sure in the result, and they will not let their client down.’ Alexander Ermolenko is ‘a great negotiator and mediator’, and Anna Grishchenkova is also highly rated. One client commented, ‘we have never encountered such a skilled team of litigators, with such a profound knowledge of the industry and oil and gas practice’.

Goltsblat BLP has added new clients such as Novorossiysk Grain Terminal and RenCap to existing relationships such as Oriflame and Danone. In late 2010, the team successfully represented Panasonic Russia in a property dispute with its former landlord. The team recently lost practice head Maxim Kulkov to Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

Hogan Lovells (CIS)’ global network gives the team excellent cross-border capability. Although the team has experience conducting arbitrations under a diverse range of rules, it is particularly strong representing clients in MKAS arbitrations in Moscow and LCIA arbitrations in London. In the Russian arbitrazh courts, the team predominantly focuses on representing foreign parties. Counsel Alexander Scard heads the practice.

Ivanyan and Partners has ‘a grasp of the particularities of Russian law, while also providing an international perspective’. The ‘very thorough and diligent’ Khristofor Ivanyan has ‘a very good sense of the commercial aspects’, and is experienced in managing crisis issues with federal and regional state authorities, as well as in fraud and white-collar crime cases.

Korelskiy Ischuk Astafiev and Partners, Attorneys at Law is highly praised. It recently won a $28m-plus payout from reinsurer Infrassure relating to the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydropower plant accident in 2009. Konstantin Astafiev and Andrey Korelskiy ‘are excellent on communication and strategy, true litigators at heart’. Energy specialist Ilya Ischuk and tax expert Oleg Bazhenov are also recommended.

Mannheimer Swartling has received several new instructions, most notably from Russian development and construction companies. In litigation, the team is also representing DnB NOR Monchebank in a maritime dispute with a major Russian insurer. Richard Chlup leads the team, which also includes Kaj Hobér and specialist counsels Liubov Erigo and Irina Selezneva.

Ilia Rachkov heads Noerr’s team, which successfully represented Scanklin Invest OOO against a German company concerning the international supply of goods before the International Court at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Orrick (CIS) LLC’s lawyers combines court and in-house counsel experience and represent clients at all levels of the Russian court system, up to and including the Supreme Court. Oil and gas expert Olga Anisimova is the key contact.

Vegas Lex recently overturned a $10m fine imposed on CJSC Mosenergosbyt, one of the largest energy distributors in Russia, for alleged misuse of its dominant market position. Alexander Sitnikov heads the team.

Law Office Yukov, Khrenov and Partners recently acted for Vim Avia Airlines in payment disputes relating to aircraft lease contracts. Andrey Yukov and Alexander Khrenov are highly regarded.

YUST Law Firm’s clients include OJSC Mobile TeleSystems. Arthur Rokhlin heads the practice.