What we say about the firm's legal practice in Russia
Banking and finance
Within Banking and finance, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is a third tier firm,
Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners’ broad banking and finance practice encompasses all types of transactional work as well as disputes. Recently, the team’s workload has been dominated by issues arising from of the economic crisis, exposing it to some of the biggest debt restructurings in Russia and numerous bankruptcy cases. Practice head Dmitry Stepanov advised UC Rusal on restructuring its debt obligations with VEB and Sberbank.
Corporate and M&A
Within Moscow , Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is a third tier firm,
Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is involved in several initiatives designed to grow its English law capacity as well as its presence and reach internationally. Its recent merger with Magisters reinforced a number of practice areas, including corporate and M&A, and added various new offices across the CIS region. At the end of 2010, the team advised global FMCG giant Danone on the merger of its CIS operations with Russian dairy producer Unimilk. Dmitry Stepanov, who routinely advises the government on new and existing legislation, co-heads the team with Kirill Ratnikov, formerly head of corporate and M&A at Magisters.
Within St Petersburg, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is a first tier firm,
Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners’ ‘fast and reliable’ team has been advising Russian and foreign clients on major transactions in the St Petersburg region and north-western Russia. It advised National Media Group on the $1.3bn sale of its majority stake in National Telecommunications, and acted for Bank Rossiya in its merger with Gazenergoprombank. Practice head Elena Sokolova is ‘very committed, experienced and pleasant to work with’, and Vladimir Lobastov is ‘very competent, experienced, hardworking and committed, has a good commercial understanding, and shows excellent communication skills’.
Dispute resolution
Within Dispute resolution, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is a first tier firm,
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.
Employment
Within Employment,
The employment team at Linklaters CIS mainly supports the firm’s corporate group but also advises on cross-border share schemes. Evgeny Ulumdzhiev returned from studying in the US to head the group. Anna Ivanova joined Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners.
Intellectual property
Within Intellectual property, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is a third tier firm,
Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners’ IP team has been considerably strengthened by its recent merger with Magisters. Pavel Sadovsky advises Sony, and Dmitry Dyakin’s clients include Micrsoft. Irina Stepanova leads the practice.
Legal market overview
Within Legal market overview,
Russia’s legal market is dominated by large international law firms, although home-grown law firm Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is notable for its size and prestige, and recently enhanced its status regionally by absorbing the well-regarded Ukrainian firm, Magisters.
Public private partnership
Within Public private partnership, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is a third tier firm,
Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners’ PPP capability was substantially enhanced when Kirill Ratnikov joined following the merger with Magisters. He will continue to lead the project finance and PPP practice across the CIS region. Clients are impressed by Ratnikov’s ability to ‘establish warm personal relationships combined with the right portion of determination’.
Real estate
Within Real estate, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is a third tier firm,
Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is recommended for ‘its high professionalism, wide experience, and responsiveness’. Moscow practice head Ekaterina Medeyko is advising Altius Development regarding the construction of Olympic Games facilities and use of land plots in Sochi. Sergey Strembelev leads the team in St Petersburg.
Shipping and transport
Within Shipping and transport, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is a third tier firm,
Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners represents shipping, rail and aviation clients in litigation and arbitration; in acquisitions and joint ventures; and day-to-day operations. Clients include Russian Railways, Basic Element and Arkhangelsk Trawler Fleet.
TMT
Within TMT, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is a third tier firm,
Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners enters the ranking following its merger with Magisters, from which it inherited a strong TMT practice led by Pavel Sadovsky.
Tax
Within Tax , Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is a third tier firm,
Igor Schikow leads the tax team at Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners, and acts for a wide range of industrial leaders from Germany. Schikow’s experience includes tax support on cross-border projects, real estate transactions and due diligence.