Each practice area has its own partner
We deliberately do not grow the team wide. Each lawyer handles a limited number of cases at a time, which lets them understand the details personally rather than manage the case through assistants.
Maksim Aleksandrovich Zhikharev
DirectorOversees the corporate and international practice.
More than 20 years in corporate law and international transactions. Personally leads the firm’s largest deals and coordinates cases with a foreign element, from structuring assets to supporting transactions across several jurisdictions at once.
Maksim Mikhailovich Komissarov
PartnerLeads the litigation practice and commercial court disputes.
Represents clients in commercial courts at every level, from the first instance to the Supreme Court. Separately handles bankruptcy cases, including on the creditor’s side.
Oksana Alekseevna Shanina
PartnerSupports M&A transactions and asset structuring.
Leads mergers and acquisitions of any complexity, from due diligence to settlement through escrow accounts. Separately provides tax advice and defends businesses in disputes with the tax authorities.
Yuliya Aleksandrovna Falina
LawyerWorks on inheritance and family matters.
Handles inheritance disputes and the division of property, including cases with assets in several countries. Prepares prenuptial agreements and supports the administration of estates with the utmost confidentiality.
How we allocate cases
A case is handled by the partner whose specialism it is, not by whoever happens to be free at the moment.
Initial review
At the first consultation, we review your situation and determine which practice and which partner are the right fit for your case.
Assigning a partner
A specific partner is assigned to the case and handles it personally from start to finish, without handing it to another lawyer midway.
Bringing in specialists
If a case spans several areas at once, for example a corporate dispute with tax consequences, the lead partner brings in a colleague from the related practice directly and remains your main point of contact.
Personal responsibility
The lead partner is personally accountable for the outcome of the case. That responsibility is not diluted among several people.
In numbers
A small team with great experience.
Practice areas we lead
Who exactly handles your case
A case is assigned to a practising partner, not to a manager who distributes work among junior lawyers.
Partner level, not assistant level. The firm’s director has more than 20 years in corporate law and international transactions. The other partners and the lawyer on the team each have their own specialist practice in their field. Preparing documents and negotiating are not passed to inexperienced junior staff.
The same person at every stage. The partner who gave the first consultation personally prepares the documents, conducts the negotiations and represents the client in court if it comes to that.
Why we do not outsource. We do not bring in outside freelance lawyers for individual tasks on a case. All the legal work on a given case is done within the team, by people who have been aware of every detail from the start.
Confidentiality and conflicts of interest
Before taking on a case, we check that it does not conflict with the interests of other clients.
Conflict of interest check. Before taking on a case, we check whether the firm represents the other party to the dispute or a direct competitor of the client on the same matter. If a conflict is found, we decline the case and say so at once, not after the fact.
Access to case materials. Only the lead partner and the colleagues he or she has personally brought in from a related practice work with the documents and details. The rest of the team has no access to the case.
After the case has ended. Confidentiality obligations continue after the result has been achieved. Case materials do not become part of a portfolio or publications without the client’s separate consent.
When a case goes beyond a single practice
Some cases require two related practice areas, not one, from the very beginning.
A corporate dispute with tax consequences. Challenging a transaction or asset stripping almost always raises questions of additional assessments and subsidiary liability. Here the corporate partner works with the tax partner from the outset.
International assets and inheritance. Structuring assets across several jurisdictions requires considering how those assets will later pass by inheritance. The international law partner works together with the lawyer who handles inheritance cases.
Bankruptcy and subsidiary liability. A bankruptcy case almost always touches the personal liability of the director or owner. The litigation partner brings in a colleague from corporate and tax law as needed.
In such cases, the client does not need to find and coordinate several lawyers. The lead partner does this and remains the single point of contact.
Related areas:
Experience proven in practice
The figures say the same thing as our approach: a small team that sees a case through to the result.
The firm has worked since 1999, which means 27 years of practice by the time of any consultation today. In that time, our open portfolio has grown to 18 cases, from corporate disputes and international arbitration to bankruptcy and inheritance, including support for a $540 million transaction.
Each of these cases was handled by the firm’s own team, not by a lawyer hired on a one-off basis for a specific task. The principle described above has been applied in practice for far longer than a year or two.
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose a specific lawyer?+
Yes. At the first consultation you meet the partner who specialises in your situation, and from then on you work directly with that partner.
What if the lead partner is on holiday or unavailable?+
The client knows in advance who covers for the partner on current matters, so critical deadlines do not depend on one person’s holiday.
Does the lawyer change during the case?+
No, this is a core principle of how we work: the partner handles the case from first contact to result without handing it to another lawyer.
Who is responsible for a case that spans several practice areas?+
One partner remains the main point of contact and personally brings in colleagues from related practice areas as needed. The client does not need to coordinate several lawyers.
How will I find out who will handle my case?+
This is decided at the first consultation, once we have reviewed your situation, usually within one working day.