MEDIA COVERAGE
14 May 2010

The Moscow Times features Dmitry Stepanov comments on a draft legislation against Russian-style corporate raiders

Kremlin-drafted legislation aimed against Russian-style corporate raiders — unscrupulous businesspeople who seize property through dubious registrations and share emissions — will come up for a first reading in the State Duma. But the legislation, which introduces harsh penalties for raiders, might also backfire and hurt rightful shareholders because of deep-rooted corruption, legal experts said.

7 May 2010

The Moscow Times features Grigory Chernyshov comments on a bill that would fight circular ownership structures by depriving a company's subsidiaries of voting rights and dividends from owning shares in the parent firm

State Duma deputies have introduced a bill that would fight circular ownership structures by depriving a company's subsidiaries of voting rights and dividends from owning shares in the parent firm, although experts said the proposals went too far. The amendments limiting the use of cross holdings were submitted by four Duma committee chairmen from United Russia. When subsidiaries buy the parent company's shares, managers are able to control the firm to shareholders' detriment and the company becomes less transparent, the deputies wrote in explanatory notes to the bill. There are also risks of conflicts of interests, Viktor Pleskachevsky, a co-author of the bill and chairman of the Property Committee said.

29 March 2010

TopLegal publishes Dmitry Afanasiev’s commentary on the law firm investment plan

Despite challenging economic and political conditions, Moscow law firms said they have not only stuck to their investment plans during the crisis but also intend to expand further in the near future.

2 March 2010

The Moscow Times: Natalia Korostelyova comments on the FAS decision to sue over strategic sector violations

The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service on Monday accused several Russian and foreign companies of flouting the law for investing in strategic industries and said it would retaliate in court for the first time since the rules took effect almost two years ago.

1 February 2010

Dmitry Stepanov commented for the Moscow Times on the state receiving a privileged share in Sakhalin Energy

Immediately after Gazprom bought out international companies' stakes in Sakhalin-2, the state received a privileged share in Sakhalin Energy, which paid a $1.35 billion dividend.

23 January 2010

Dmitry Stepanov commented for the Moscow Times on recognition of the Supreme Arbitration Court’s right to set legal guidelines

The Constitutional Court has decided that the Supreme Arbitration Court has the right to set legal guidelines, not just follow the law — a move that lawyers say is the first step toward a precedent-based system of law.

14 January 2010

EPAM represents Yelena Novitskaya in the European Court of Human Rights, Bloomberg reports

OAO Severstal billionaire Alexei Mordashov’s ex-wife is seeking $500 million at the European Court of Human Rights because a judge in the steelmaker’s hometown ordered her to pay $7.2 million for challenging their divorce agreement.

5 January 2010

Top Legal International: CIS network set for three new members

The CIS Leading Counsel Network (LCN), which launched last year and is spearheaded by Russian firm EPAM, is seeking three new members.

11 December 2009

Russian companies need restructuring as markets remain uncertain, EPAM lawyer tells DNA India

Bankers say a failure to complete restructurings may hamper Russia's ability to borrow in the future and the absence of clearly defined negotiation guidelines between Russian and western lenders raises the risk of future defaults. Currency and commodity markets have been unexpectedly benign for Russia since June, helping to stave off a widely forecast debt disaster, but Dubai World's debt woes have served as a reminder that the problem has merely been postponed.

1 December 2009

Legal Week features Dmitry Afanasiev’s commentary on Russian legal market

Legal Week's Independent Law Firms in Europe supplement publishes Dmitry Afanasiev’s commentary on Russian legal market.

16 November 2009

The Lawyer reports on the launch of the CIS Leading Counsel Network

A nine-member CIS­network that launched at the beginning of November is planning to bring the alliance model into the 21st century, according to its chair. The Leading Counsel Network (LCN) is a non-exclusive alliance of firms from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkmenistan and Ukraine. The network’s first meeting was held in Russia at the offices of EPAM.

11 November 2009

The European Lawyer: CIS firms launch network

Called the CIS Leading Counsel Network, the group consists of: Ashga Consulting Team in Turkmenistan, Aequitas Law in Kazakhstan, Ameria in Armenia, EPAM in Russia, Fina in Azerbaijan, Kalikova & Associates in Kyrgyzstan, Rulg in Ukraine, Turcan & Turcan in Moldova and Vlasova Mikhel & Patners in Belarus.

23 October 2009

Dimitry Afanasiev comments on $22.7 bn dispute settlement between the Russian Customs Service and the Bank of New York Mellon for the Wall Street Journal

Russia withdrew a $22.7 billion lawsuit against Bank of New York Mellon Corp. Thursday, agreeing to a $14 million settlement and ending a case that critics said had threatened to further tarnish the already battered reputation of its judicial system.

1 September 2009

Legal Business looks at how domestic and international law firms are redrawing the market

Russian and CIS markets couldn’t escape the painful consequences of the global downturn. Legal Business looks at how domestic and international law firms are redrawing the market and what a series of law reforms will mean for investors.

31 August 2009

Ilya Nikiforov tells The Lawyer the best thing about his job

The Lawyer 31 August 2009 publishes the work-life quiz with Ilya Nikiforov, Managing partner of EPAM.