Public private partnerships and concessions are effective tools to allow governments to partner with the private sector to develop and finance key infrastructure projects. These forms of collaboration are particularly relevant in Russia, where infrastructure investment needs are estimated by the World Bank to be about USD 1 trillion.
A Night of Celebration at CEE Deal of the Year Awards Banquet in Prague
The winners of the 2017 CEE Deal of the Year Awards were announced at the first ever CEE Legal Matters Deal of the Year Awards Banquet last night in Prague. The biggest smiles in the joyous and music-filled celebration of CEE lawyering, perhaps, were on the faces of Partners from Avellum and Sayenko Kharenko, which, along with White & Case and Latham & Watkins, won the award both for Ukrainian Deal of the Year and CEE Deal of the Year for their work on the 2017 Ukraine Eurobond Issue (a story initially reported by CEE Legal Matters on October 2, 2017).
The Buzz in Russia: Interview with Andrei Gusev of Borenius
"The biggest challenge for companies in Russia today is the serious administrative burden," says Andrei Gusev, Managing Partner at Borenius Russia. "There are a huge number of outdated conglomerate regulations in various sectors, applied since the Soviet times, that leads to contradictions among requirements and regulations."
Russian Lawyer Alexander Rymko Joins Harneys in Cyprus
Former Hogan Lovells Partner Alexander Rymko has joined the Harneys law firm in Cyprus as International Senior Counsel in the firm’s banking and finance and investment funds and regulatory practices.
Vladimir Barbolin and Milosz Golab in Clifford Chance's Global Promotion Round
Clifford Chance has announced the promotion of 26 lawyers to the firm's global partnership, including Vladimir Barbolin in Moscow and Milosz Golab in Warsaw.
Five CEE Partners in Dentons Global Round
Five CEE lawyers — Eleanor Johnson, Tomas Osicka, Piotr Staniszewski, Konstantin Tretyakov, and Marketa Tvrda — are part of Dentons worldwide partnership round, which included 36 lawyers overall.
Deal 5: X5 Retail Group’s Head of M&A Legal Support Division Tatiana Sumarokova on Acquisition in Russia
On January 8, 2018, CEE Legal Matters reported that the X5 Retail Group had acquired a supermarket chain operating under the "O’Key" brand in Russia. Later we learned that the acquired supermarket chain was LLC Razvitiye Malykh Formatov. We invited Tatiana Sumarokova, Head of M&A Legal Support Division at X5 Retail Group, to share her thoughts on X5's cooperation with external counsel in the transaction.
Konstantin Bochkarev Becomes Head of TMC Practice at CMS
Konstantin Bochkarev is joining the Moscow office of CMS as the Head of Technology, Media, and Communications.
Karaoglanov is Named Head of Employment at KIAP
KIAP attorney Georgy Karaoglanov has been named head of the firm’s Employment practice.
Pair of Partner Promotions at Lidings
Dispute Resolution lawyer Alexander Popelyuk and IP lawyer Boris Malakhov have been promoted to Partner at Lidings.
Ekaterina Rudova Joins Integrites in Moscow
Ekaterina Rudova has joined Integrites as a Partner in the firm’s Moscow office.
KIAP Merges with Architecture of Law Tax Boutique in Russia
Russia's KIAP and Architecture of Law tax boutique have announced a merger that will result in Architecture of Law becoming part of KIAP’s professional team.
Sergei Kushnarenko is Promoted to Partner at Ivanyan & Partners
Ivanyan & Partners has promoted Counsel Sergei Kushnarenko to Partner.
The Buzz in Russia: Interview with Eric Michailov of White & Case
Although January was “a little bit quiet in the market” in Russia, February was more promising, according to Eric Michailov, Partner at White & Case Moscow, who reports seeing more deals and new investors coming into the country. “I am particularly optimistic — even more so than I would have been six or twelve months ago,” he says. “Business is good. Not great — it is not a full easy go — but pretty good.”
Maxim Ali Becomes Head of IP/IT Practice at Maxima Legal in Russia
Maxim Ali has become the head of Intellectual Property and Information Law at the Maxima Legal firm in Russia.
Goltsblat BLP Part of Global Bryan Cave - Berwin Leighton Paisner Merger
Bryan Cave and Berwin Leighton Paisner have announced that the two firms will merge as of April 2018. The new firm, which will be called Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, will have a combined revenue of over USD 900 million.
Russian GAAR: Carrot, Stick, or Both?
The Russian tax landscape is going through a period of transformation. The average value of assessments as a result of tax audits is increasing and taxpayers are losing more disputes. Various changes to the tax laws have acted as a contributing factor. The introduction of the anti-abuse concept of “beneficial ownership” in domestic legislation, the development of tax residency and CFC rules, and the enactment of new thin capitalization rules are just a few of the recent changes that are already having an impact on taxpayers in Russia.
New Head of EPAM Criminal Law Practice in St. Petersburg
Tatyana Nozhkina, Partner at Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners, has become Head of the firm's Criminal Law practice in St. Petersburg.