Representing clients doing business in the former Soviet Union since the early 1970s led Vinson & Elkins to be one of the first international law firms to open an office in Moscow in 1991. Our Moscow office is staffed with experienced Russian and English-qualified lawyers, who team up with other members of V&E’s Russia/CIS practice group from the London, U.S., Asian, and Middle East offices to support our clients across a broad range of industries.
The Russia/CIS practice group, headquartered in Moscow, advises international clients doing business in Russia and the CIS (including in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan), as well as clients from those jurisdictions doing business in other markets.
The core practice areas of our Moscow office include the following:
Corporate / Commercial
The Moscow office provides a wide variety of corporate and commercial counseling, including advising on the best investment structures for non-Russian companies, the establishing of new businesses in Russia, obtaining necessary accreditations and registrations, joint ventures, the structuring of corporate relationships between Russian and foreign shareholders and the protection of shareholder rights, the development of strategies to suit the demands of the Russian business environment, intellectual property, labour and competition law issues.
Mergers and Acquisitions / Private Equity
We have significant experience in complex, high value, domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity investment transactions in a number of sectors, including oil and gas, retail and consumer goods, food and drink, telecommunications, and media and advertising. Our clients include both domestic and international companies, and transactions include both inbound and overseas investments. We advise on the relevant regulatory requirements applicable to foreign direct investment, and have experience advising on the laws introduced in 2008 restricting foreign investment into strategic sectors of the Russian economy.
Energy / Natural Resources
V&E lawyers have advised clients operating in the Russian and CIS energy and natural resources markets for more than 30 years, including on the acquisition and disposal of energy assets and companies, joint ventures, subsoil laws and license compliance issues, oil and gas transportation, international hydrocarbon sales contracts (including long-term supply contracts and export financing), service contracts (including with Russian majors), and on the development and financing of large-scale energy and infrastructure projects (including pipeline construction and liquefied natural gas projects).
Finance
We have represented lenders and borrowers in a variety of finance transactions, including secured and non-secured loans by foreign banks, syndicated lending, acquisition and project financing, including the first project financing in the Russian oil and gas industry organized by multilaterals.
Capital Markets
Teaming up with lawyers from our London and U.S. offices, we have worked on a variety of capital markets transactions, representing issuers, underwriters, and other participants in a variety of equity and debt offerings.
International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution
Working closely with lawyers in V&E’s London and other offices, we advise international and Russian clients on the resolution of disputes on matters involving Russia and the CIS.
In addition to these core practice areas, the Russia/CIS practice group regularly advise on numerous other areas of Russian law, including real estate, construction, customs, immigration, labour and general tax.
Recognition
V&E lawyers leading our Russia practice are recognized for their deep experience by clients and the legal community. In 2008, Euromoney’s Guide to the Worlds Leading Energy and Natural Resource Lawyers named Rob Patterson, co-managing partner of the Moscow office, as a leading practitioner (consecutively in the biennial guide). Rob was also named a 2009 “European Legal Expert” in energy and project finance while Natalya Morozova, co-managing partner of the Moscow office, has been recognized for her extensive knowledge and experience in corporate and commercial law and corporate/M&A for the past seven years. (View all firm rankings here.)