Former Hogan Lovells Moscow Managing Partner Oxana Balayan has left the firm to found her own consultancy -- the Balayan I Group -- which is scheduled to open its doors in April, 2021.
According to Balayan, the new venture "is an innovative platform which combines a law firm, a VC firm, and a public policy consultancy to support high growth industries and technology driven clients." According to her, "our goal is to achieve synergies between these core areas and create a transformative player -- a game changer."
"Many successful companies build whole ecosystems around them to be competitive and to offer extended range of products and services," Balayan says. "Due to regulatory restrictions, particularly in mature markets like the US, UK and Europe, things become difficult when it comes to legal services. But this industry is going to change too, sooner than we think. I want to be on the cutting edge and to use advantages of the Russian market where certain things are still easier and faster to implement. My team will consist of not just attorneys, but professionals in different business areas. This is how we are going to develop an innovative approach."
Balayan stepped down as Managing Partner of Hogan Lovells' Moscow practice in January, 2020 (at which point Hogan Lovells Partner Natalya Gulyaeva took the role over). Balayan spent a total of 20 years at the firm, after spending the first seven years of her professional career with Beiten Burkhardt. She obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from the Lomonosov Moscow State University in1992, and followed that up with a Ph.D. from the University of Regensburg in 1996.
