1o Practice Areas and 5 lawyers of KIAP are recommended by The Legal 500 EMEA 2020 International Ranking

1o Practice Areas and 5 lawyers of KIAP are recommended by The Legal 500 EMEA 2020 International Ranking

The results of the annual international ranking The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa 2020 were announced today. 

According to the results of this year, KIAP was recognized one of the best law firms in Russia and got recommendations in 10 practice areas:


The effective work of 5 leading lawyers is pointed out in the report:

"A unique team of highly professional lawyers and attorneys", - this is what the sources say about the team of KIAP litigation practice, which stands out in the market through its focus on litigation, particularly in the retail, industrial manufacturing, energy and insurance sectors: "The team is very focused on the needs of the client and treats every client as if they are the most important one. All our problems have always been solved efficiently and quickly, since lawyers work around the clock to help".

Managing partner Andrey Korelskiy leads the practice and is a key adviser to clients involved in bankruptcy-related contentious matters: "A true star in litigation, Andrey Korelskiy knows how to manage a team effectively, as he is a strong and motivated lawyer himself".

Head of Bankruptcy practice, attorney at law Ilya Dedkovskiy is also a "noteworthy practitioner for insolvency litigation". Partner Anna Grishchenkova is praised as "a personable and knowledgeable litigator".

Led by Anna Grishchenkova, the arbitration department at KIAP acts for clients in international commercial arbitration. The sources say: "Highly skilled, reliable, friendly and always available to react to clients’ queries – the team provides excellent advice and achieves great results". And add: "The team works very well even under tight deadlines. It is exceptionally hardworking and very commercial in its approach".

The team is also increasingly instructed in arbitration proceedings in the London Court of International Arbitration, International Chamber of Commerce, and International Commercial Arbitration Court: "The team is efficient in international arbitral proceedings, also due to experience of Anna Grishchenkova as arbitrator".

The respondents praise high the work of the Litigation and International commercial arbitration partner of KIAP Anna Grishchenkova: "A rising legal star, Anna Grishchenkova is a highly knowledgeable partner who understands the law and is great at determining a suitable course of action. Anna is pragmatic and extremely commercial without losing any technical excellence. She does not waste a client’s time and is highly responsive".

Associate Natalia Kisliakova is another "key name in the team” having “strong academic background which helps her to structure the argumentation in a very convincing manner".

KIAP practice stands out for contentious Antitrust issues, and the team is also strong in providing competition compliance advice. Practice head Ilya Ischuk and Head of Commercial practice Julia Kirpikova are key figures in the team, who have "notable sector-specific expertise in the financial services, energy, retail and manufacturing industries".

According to the rating, the Bankruptcy practice of KIAP is focused on cases concerning the liability of the management of a bankrupt company and handling challenging restructuring issues. The sources note that "lawyers have extensive experience in such cases". "They always demonstrated creativity in defending our legal position and showed an ability to work under tight deadlines", - the clients add.

Head of Bankruptcy practice, attorney at law Ilya Dedkovskiy "always offers creative solutions to non-standard legal problems. He is well aware of the economic component of the business of his clients. It is pleasant to work with him – he is always in contact, quickly responds to requests, and his recommendations are clear", - the experts say.

The clients praise high the team of KIAP IP practice headed by Elena Buranova: "The team is knowledgeable in various aspects of IP law and extremely responsive to inquiries. They provide excellent value for money and always give clear and practical advice. Another asset is their really strong team work".

Partner and practice head Elena Buranova "demonstrates a solution-based approach, looks two steps ahead and delivers advice quickly". The associate of the practice Maxim Tabolo is "very caring and good at trade mark matters", adding "it is a pleasure to work with him – he is always ready for the most complex tasks and provides us with the best possible results every time. He makes sure that every step he takes on behalf of the client suits both the business strategy and the strategy of the legal case".

White-collar crime practice, led by partner Konstantin Astafiev, "focuses on tax, financial and corporate crimes, and is particularly adept at handling investigations and compliance matters". Konstantin Astafiev leads the department, which also fields senior associate Dmitry Kalinichenko as a "noteworthy figure".

Headed by partner Andrey Zuykov, Tax practice of KIAP assists Russian and foreign companies with contentious and non-contentious tax matters including disputes against the tax authorities, tax compliance and due diligence work, and tax planning mandates: "A great tax practice with a really strong team of professionals. This firm stands above the rest as it sees solutions where other lawyers see problems. High level of service, excellent client focus, unmatched in terms of industry knowledge". Another source ads: "A rare mix of high professionalism, intellect and modesty — this can be said about every lawyer at KIAP". Highly praised department head Andrey Zuykov has expanded the department’s client portfolio: "Andrey Zuykov is able to deal with the largest and most complex cases and quickly propose constructive business-oriented solutions; Andrey is also great at providing his competent opinion on potential commercial risks and complications".

KIAP Corporate practice has a focus on high-value M&A deals and is increasingly instructed by clients on transactions in the construction industry. Led by Anton Samokhvalov, the team also works closely with other teams in the firm on mandates arising at the junction of corporate law and taxation, antitrust, banking and finance regulation and IP issues: "it is impressive how quickly KIAP manages to get into an issue and turn things around for the client. The lawyers keep clients up to date on key changes to the law and are on top of risks associated with our business". Anton Samokhvalov "is one of the standout lawyers on the Russian market" who "has invaluable experience coupled with commercial knowledge", Anton also "has great negotiation skills".

The Real estate practice attracts praise for its property litigation expertise, which is an area of specialism for practice head Sergey Popov: "To our mind, KIAP is one of the most reliable and transparent firms on the market, which also has valuable professional experience. The team specialises in litigation in the real estate industry, which is an area in which we really appreciated its professionalism". The practice head Sergey Popov is "truly an outstanding real estate lawyer, who is very thorough and has extremely good knowledge of the field". Associates Julia Usacheva and Sergey Ilin are also recommended: "Associate Julia Usacheva is a helpful and highly qualified specialist in the sphere of property litigation" and "Associate Sergey Ilin is a very clever and capable associate with a strong mind and a swift reaction".

Experts state that the KIAP Commercial practice primarily handles data protection and general commercial issues, particularly those involving cloud-based platforms: "in my opinion KIAP is one of the most reputable Russian law firms on the market. When you engage KIAP for any matter, you can be sure that the legal opinion, agreement or court documents will be on a par with the standards of a top international law firm for a fair price. They are not afraid of unknown issues and keep up with progress in the industry". The practice head Julia Kirpikova is a "highly qualified professional with considerable experience in general commercial and telecoms issues. She provides us with clear and business-oriented advice which significantly simplifies our decision making".

The Legal 500 is one of the most authoritative legal publications, founded in 1988. Evaluations and recommendations of the series are based on the independent research and questionnaires, filled by the legal firms, and surveys, conducted among 300,000 their clients and partners worldwide. The mission of the ranking is to identify the leading law firms and key experts in various areas of law. The Legal 500 Series provides the most comprehensive worldwide coverage.