12 Practice Areas and 4 lawyers of KIAP are recommended by International Ranking The Legal 500 EMEA 2019

12 Practice Areas and 4 lawyers of KIAP are recommended by International Ranking The Legal 500 EMEA 2019

The results of the annual international ranking The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa 2019 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 12 practice areas:

The effective work of 4 leading lawyers is pointed out in the report: Andrey Korelskiy (Tier 1, Restructuring and insolvency), Konstantin Astafiev (Tier 1, White-collar crime), Anna Grishchenkova (Tier 1, Dispute resolution: arbitration and mediation) and Dmitry Kalinichenko (Next generation lawyer, White-collar crime).

According to sources, KIAP has a strong track record in financial, insurance and IP disputes, representing major clients from a mix of sectors, including manufacturing, investments and pharmaceutical. Managing partner Andrey Korelskiy is named ‘an expert litigator’.

The respondents praise high the work of the Litigation and International commercial arbitration partner of KIAP Anna Grishchenkova for the commercial disputes she leads. She is frequently involved in domestic and multi-jurisdictional proceedings in major European and Asian arbitration forums. Natalia Kislyakova is also highly regarded in the report.

The experts highlight the team of Antitrust practice as ‘highly professional and experienced’, and competition lawyers at KIAP as ‘reliable partners for business due to their deep knowledge of the industry’. ‘Excellent and pragmatic’ practice head Ilya Ischuk has ‘outstanding experience in protecting the interests of businesses in court’, according to sources.

Assisting clients with both contentious and non-contentious matters, “Real estate. Land. Construction” practice fields a team of ‘highly qualified lawyers with an in-depth understanding of the Russian real estate market’, which ‘solves all issues very quickly and professionally’. Practice head Sergey Popov is ‘great at negotiating with contractors, thereby successfully defending his clients' interests’. Also recommended are associates Tatyana Elmakova and Julia Usacheva.

The clients praise high KIAP IP practice, headed by Elena Buranova, for its ‘proactive approach in understanding the needs of the client’ and ‘excellent communication on a cross-functional level’.

The Bankruptcy practice is particularly noted for 'assisting creditors with debt recovery and advising shareholders and company directors on subsidiary liability for the insolvency of the company and outstanding debt'. Managing partner of KIAP Andrey Korelskiy heads the practice.

KIAP significantly strengthened its reputation as ‘a go-to firm’ with the acquisition of boutique tax practice, Architecture of Law, in March 2018, with practice head Andrey Zuykov joining the 'highly experienced and solution-oriented' team. Andrey Zuykov is noted for his 'technical expertise, commercial acumen and approachable style'. Associates Roman Suslov and Evgeny Vasin are other names to note.

White-collar crime practice, led by partner Konstantin Astafiev, strengthened its capabilities in complex financial crime investigations and corruption with the hire of new team players in 2018. The team also includes Dmitry Kalinichenko and Evgeny Metla. Kalinichenko regularly works alongside Astafiev on complex white-collar defence mandates. The practice counts multinational corporations in the retail, technology, bio-tech and manufacturing sectors, and well-known Russian companies and individual clients among its client list.

TMT practice is headed by Julia Kirpikova, who 'handles a broad range of commercial law issues' according to experts. Roman Suslov is named 'the main figure' of the Banking & Finance practice of KIAP.

The team of Corporate practice is comprised of ‘practitioners with strong and varied experience in commercial and corporate consultancy’ who ‘go above and beyond to reach the right result for the client’. The practice is led by Anton Samokhvalov, a ‘responsive and meticulous partner, who knows the commercial market very well’. Ekaterina Spakhova (Pomykalova)frequently assists Samokhvalov with its major transactions.

Experts state that the Employment team consists of ‘devoted professionals with strong knowledge and expertise’. Senior associate Georgy Karaoglanov, who heads the department, is recommended for his ‘impressive litigation experience and exceptional skills in seeking solutions’.

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 their clients and partners. 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 currently available on legal services providers, in over 150 countries.