The Legal 500

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

Salans’ highly experienced, ‘most attentive and helpful’ Timothy Stubbs heads up a team that excels in its ‘high level of industry knowledge and response time as well as flexibility in remuneration issues plus excellent teamwork worldwide’. The team assisted Eurasian Bank (Kazakhstan) with an SPA for the acquisition of 100% of the shares in Troika Dialog Bank. It also advised Syneron Holdings on the successful restructuring and refinancing of secured debt to VTB Capital in connection with the earlier acquisition financing of Kapital Insurance Group, the leading corporate insurer in Russia. Andrei Strijak is ‘one you can rely on’.

Within Corporate and M&A: Moscow, Salans is a third tier firm,

Salans recently advised European Refreshments, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, on the acquisition of Nidan Juices from the UK-based private equity fund, Lion Capital. Head of the Moscow office Mathieu Fabre-Magnan, head of the firm’s corporate and M&A practice group Todd Culyba and Alexei Knyazhev are all recommended.

Within Corporate and M&A: St Petersburg, Salans is a second tier firm,

Salans’ lawyers ‘are really very dedicated professionals’. Glenn Kolleeny and his team advised Ciments Francais on the proposed sale of its assets in Turkey for €600m in cash and shares to Sibirskiy Cement. The deal did not close and Salans continues to represent Ciments Francais with matters relating to Sibirsky Cement. Artem Zhavoronkov is highly regarded.

Within Dispute resolution, Salans is a second tier firm,

Salans recently represented Setra Lubricants, a subsidiary of BP, in a dispute over cargo seized and retained by a freight forwarder and two warehouse keepers. In St Petersburg, Mikhail Ivanov ‘has a deep knowledge of Russian law’, while in Moscow, Alexei Panich is a ‘very good speaker and has excellent presentation skills while speaking to the court at hearings’.

Within Employment, Salans is a first tier firm,

‘Excellent firm’ Salans ‘has a very good team and is excellent value for money’. It remains the market leading force in employment law in Russia. Practice leader Marina Ryzhkova is recommended for her ‘experience, passion for her work and client focus’. The firm’s clients include both international and Russian companies such as AstraZeneca, Baltschug Kempinski, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Bourjois, Caterpillar, CNN, Coca-Cola, Richemont and Volkswagen.

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

Salans’ energy and natural resources practice is led by Jane Tarassova. Her team is currently representing Gazprom Pererabotka in several disputes with a foreign purchaser of gas condensate and advising Setra Lubricants on a dispute over cargo seized and retained by a freight forwarder and two warehouse keepers. Alexander Skoblo is also recommended.

Within Intellectual property, Salans is a second tier firm,

Denis Voevodin’s IP and trade marks team at Salans has ‘good industry knowledge and a very good level of expertise’. The firm successfully represented BMW AG in a domain name litigation matter and Evian in a parallel import case. IP, IT and telecoms expert Victor Naumov ‘clearly stands out’.

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

Theodore Matheny continues to lead the PPP practice group at Salans. Recent highlights include advising on the Western High Speed Diameter Motorway Project in St Petersburg as well as on the Moscow-St Petersburg M-10 toll road project. Glenn Kolleeny and Karina Chichkanova have impressive experience in this field.

Within Real estate, Salans is a first tier firm,

Salans’ lawyers have ‘a perfect understanding of real estate combined with a profound knowledge of legislation’. ‘They are very responsive and highly professional’, and ‘the advice we receive is both cost-effective and efficient’. The firm recently advised UniCredit Bank Austria AG on one of the largest single asset real estate loan restructurings in Russia, confirming its commitment to the Vivaldi Plaza Project in Moscow. Anna McDonald and Andrei Soukhomlinov co-head the group that includes the new head of global retail practice, Florian Schneider

Within TMT, Salans is a first tier firm,

At Salans in St Petersburg, TMT group head Victor Naumov is praised for his ‘knowledge of the subject matter, analytical skills, practical advice and communication’. He is ‘one of the best, if not the best adviser on issues affecting the IT industry in Russia’. The firm recently advised Vkontakte on data protection, privacy, e-payment and regulation and assisted Google with various legal issues relating to service regulation in Russia. The firm is also advising Cogent on telecommunications regulation and licensing in Russia.

Within Tax , Salans is a first tier firm,

Salans’ standalone tax group has grown over the last year, reflecting its increasing appeal to clients. Group leader Evgeny Timofeev is praised for his ‘diversified theory and practical knowledge, strong experience and outstanding logic’. He has a ‘creative approach in finding solutions, an open mind and gets results fast’. The firm is instructed by HeidelbergCement, Sara Lee, Diebold, Alstom, Schlumberger. Recent client gains include Siemens and ABB. Akexei Panich is also highly regarded.