Elena provides legal support across a broad array of corporate, contract and employment law issues, including support in M&A deals, establishing, liquidating and reorganizing businesses, hiring and dismissing employees, recruiting foreign staff, conducting due diligence, drafting contracts, as well as routine support for clients in corporate and employment matters.

Elena also heads the Personal Data Protection Practice and advises international and domestic companies on matters of applying Russian laws on personal data, including in relation to data collection, localisation and processing. She conducts legal due diligence of business processes and contributes to optimal structuring of the same; she analyses and prepares documents on personal data processing, including local instruments, consents and agreements. Elena advises on implementing software to manage HR and CRM systems and represents clients before government authorities.

Elena’s notable M&A and corporate law projects include: 

• Advising a number of international companies on matters of conducting business in Russia in view of external and internal restrictions.
• Providing legal support to the world’s leading manufacturer of equipment for marine and power industries in connection with the sale of its business to the Russian top management.
• Providing legal support to an international company selling its Russian assets to a partner in Russia.
• Providing legal support to a large European producer of dairy products selling business to a Russian partner.
• Providing legal support on corporate law, compliance and business restructuring opportunities to a major international DIY retailer.
• Advising a major Finnish company on reorganisation of its business in Russia.
• Support in business restructuring of Solntse Mekhiko and Mission Foods Stupino – Russian entities of the Gruma Group, the world’s major producer of corn flour, chips and tortillas. The work under the project included support in obtaining the status of a special economic zone (SEZ) resident in the context of investments in the plant built in the Moscow Region and involved approval of the agreement on conducting business in a SEZ by the Economic Development Ministry of the Russian Federation and other relevant agencies.
• Advising Clarios, a global diversified technology company and one of the largest suppliers of automotive parts, electronics and equipment conducting business in 150 countries, in relation to a potential joint project between the client and its Russian partner.
• Providing legal support to the world’s major container carrier in establishing a joint venture in Russia and on the options enabling cooperation of the JV with other group companies.
• Providing comprehensive legal support to DynaEnergetics, the world’s leading producer and seller of oilfield equipment, in a multipurpose project for plant closing and selling a subsidiary in the Tyumen Region.
• Providing legal support to FAM AB, a major Swedish holding company, in a cross-border transaction of more than US$ 580m for acquiring a structural division of Sandvik Process Systems. The project involved Russian law advice in the course of transaction structuring covering 17 jurisdictions, ongoing legal support throughout the project, rebranding and restructuring within the group, establishment of a new legal entity in Russia and legal counseling for the local company, including on finance structuring, support in business process setup and interaction with counterparties.
• Providing legal assistance to Orolia Group, a French hi-tech association, in an M&A transaction in Russia. The project involved transaction structuring, preparation of documents, as well as advice on regulatory, IP and employee-related matters.
• Providing legal support to Clemco International, the world’s major American company producing pneumatic blast equipment for all industries, on possible forms of conducting business in Russia and other corporate matters.
• Advising EDS Group AS, a Norwegian supplier of drilling solutions, on various contractual matters relating to agreements with branches of one of the largest Russian resource companies.

Elena’s personal data projects include:

• Developing a roadmap, including a programme to prevent violation of personal data subject’s rights, for the Federal Supervision Agency for Information Technologies and Communications (Roskomnadzor).
• Developing amendments to the draft law imposing administrative liability for the failure by the personal data operator to perform the obligation to localise personal data bases of Russian nationals in Russia.
• Providing legal support in personal data processing to a global leader producing corn flour and tortillas, including advice on implementing a global software for working with employees in Russia.
• Advising one of the world’s leading drilling and engineering contractors on applying the localisation regulation.
• Advising a leading American higher educational institution on personal data matters in a project for providing online services to Russian students during the pandemic.
• Advising a major Russian construction company on the legal provisions regulating employee personal data processing.
• Advising a large global pharmaceutical company on data protection in Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Bulgaria, Moldova and Armenia.
• Providing legal assistance to a Dutch company dealing with electronic games and cybersport regarding operation of the client’s online platform, including advice on personal data in Russia, analysis and document preparation.
• Providing legal assistance regarding data protection, specifically, in the context of the localisation regulation, to the world’s leading industrial company, which also included a revision of the client’s internal documents concerning personal data processing.
• Advising a Japanese computer games producer on the legal regulations governing localisation of personal data of Russian nationals.
• Providing legal support in relation to the issue of stock options and personal data processing to a leading Japanese e-commerce company.

Elena’s competence and professionalism are distinguished by major international law firm directories, such as Chambers Europe, The Legal 500, and Best Lawyers. Chambers Europe 2021 recommends Elena as a corporate law expert and emphasizes her “business acumen” and “ability to find workable solutions in complex and comprehensive projects.” The Legal 500 2021 recommends Elena as a “Leading Individual” in Commercial, Corporate and M&A: St Petersburg  category. Clients call Elena “a real professional”, highlighting that she shows a deep understanding of not only the law but also her clients’ business.” The ranking also notes her in the Employment section. The leading Russian legal ranking Pravo.ru-300 highly recommends Elena Agaeva in Tier 1 of the M&A and Corporate Law category.

The Best Lawyers international ranking names Elena one of the few experts in the market in corporate governance and compliance. It highly appreciates Elena’s expertise in corporate, employment and migration law, M&A and investment project support. The ranking recognizes Elena as the "Lawyer of the Year" in the regulatory practice.

The ranking also notes her in the Employment section. The Best Lawyers 2021 international ranking recognizes Elena as "Lawyer of the Year" in the corporate practice and recommends her in M&A, corporate governance & compliance, investments, employment and regulatory practice. The leading Russian legal ranking Pravo.ru-300 highly recommends Elena Agaeva in Tier 1 of the M&A and Corporate Law category.

Elena has earned the acknowledgement and a certificate of merit from the St. Petersburg Bar Association for highly professional and conscientious work, along with an award for her successful professional debut in the St. Petersburg Bar.

Elena members the Competence Centre of the Federal Supervision Agency for Information Technologies and Communications (Roskomnadzor) in the “Personal Data” section.

She holds an honours degree from the St. Petersburg Law University

Elena is fluent in English.