The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Salans is a second tier firm,

‘One of the best’, Salans advises on complex cross-border financings, refinancings, restructurings and bank equity transactions. Experienced practice head Timothy Stubbs advised the holding company of RGS, Russia’s leading insurer, on a $639m loan from VTB to finance preparations for its planned IPO. Stubbs also advised EBRD on two loans to SDM Bank for the purpose of financing private SMEs throughout Russia. Andrei Strijak is ‘a very seasoned business lawyer with a pragmatic approach’, who delivers ‘superb legal services’.

Within Moscow , Salans is a third tier firm,

Salans has been assisting blue-chip clients across various sectors. Mathieu Fabre-Magnan advised Lesaffre on the difficult acquisition of a Russian yeast producer, and Jane Tarassova advised HeidelbergCement on the creation of one of the largest cement facilities in Europe, and is also advising clients on implications of the UK Bribery Act. Practice head Todd Culyba’s clients include JSFC Sistema.

Within St Petersburg, Salans is a second tier firm,

Salans acts for major companies and has advised on some challenging and novel transactions in emerging sectors. In 2011, it advised Noble Carbon on its purchase of carbon credits and Otkritie on the acquisition of various GE Money subsidiaries from parent company GE. Glenn Kolleeny heads the team.

Within Dispute resolution, Salans is a second tier firm,

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.

Within Employment, Salans is a first tier firm,

Salans attracts top-drawer clients such as AstraZeneca and Barclays. Practice head Marina Ryzhkova has an excellent reputation, thanks to ‘great communication skills’ and the provision of ‘tailored service’. The team has recently scored numerous wins in dismissal proceedings, and handled several actions involving trade union members.

Within Energy and natural resources, Salans is a third tier firm,

Salans recently acted on a number of pioneering transactions in the energy sector. It acted for Noble Carbon on its purchase of carbon emission reduction units, and advised GDF Suez on its energy savings and efficiencies joint venture with a Gazprom subsidiary. Jane Tarassova heads the practice.

Within Intellectual property, Salans is a second tier firm,

Salans’ Denis Voevodin is among ‘the best in Russia for IP’. He recently successfully represented BMW AG in a utility model patent case and BP in its first ever Russian trade dress litigation. Victor Naumov’s expertise makes the team ‘an excellent choice for IT law related work in Russia’.

Within Public private partnership, Salans is a first tier firm,

Salans’ ‘superior’ team was reinforced by the recruitment of Ilya Skripnikov from Magisters; as a member of two PPP expert councils, Skripnikov is one of the developers of federal and regional PPP and project financing legislation. Global practice head Theodore Matheny is advising on the construction of a portion of the Tashkent-Shymkent toll road in Kazakhstan. Russian practice head Karina Chichkanova is ‘a real team leader’.

Within Real estate, Salans is a first tier firm,

Salans’ very structured real estate practice fields various partners specialising in areas such as M&A, finance structuring, retail, and greenfield and brownfield projects. Recent work includes advising UniCredit Bank Austria regarding one of the largest single asset real estate loan restructurings in Russia. Anna McDonald and Andrei Soukhomlinov are the team co-heads.

Within TMT, Salans is a first tier firm,

‘Time and again’, Salans’ TMT lawyers ‘have proved themselves to be professionals with a deep and solid knowledge not only of general aspects of legal work but also specific solutions’. Victor Naumov is ‘undoubtedly the most experienced and strongest IT lawyer’. Georgy Pchelintsev and Anastasia Amosova are also very highly regarded. Clients of the practice include Diebold, Walt Disney and MTS.

Within Tax , Salans is a first tier firm,

Salans’ tax practice remains ‘one of the best on the Russian market’, despite the loss of Evgeny Timofeev to Goltsblat BLP. Alexei Panich’s team includes international tax expert Boris Bruk, who has ‘very strong technical experience’; tax litigator Dzhangar Dzhalchinov, who has ‘excellent business acumen and industry knowledge’; and Anna Zvereva, who focuses on accounting, due diligence, audits and consulting.