TEAM
Vera Rikhterman
Partner
Vera Rikhterman

21, 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Str.,
Moscow, 125047, Russia

Tel.: +7 (495) 935 8010
Fax: +7 (495) 935 8011

vera_rikhterman@epam.ru

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Recognition

  • The Legal 500 (2017-2021)
  • Best Lawyers (2020-2021)
  • IFLR1000 (2021-2022)
  • Kommersant (2020-2023)
  • Pravo.ru-300 (2021-2023)
  • "Disputes of the Year" according to Kommersant (2020, 2022-2023)

For over 15 years, Vera has been advising and representing the interests of Russian and foreign companies in litigations, in arbitrazh courts and general-jurisdiction courts of all levels, most notably before the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. Vera focuses on corporate disputes, contractual disputes, and has extensive experience in legal counselling in bankruptcy proceedings and holding government institutions accountable.

Vera’s experience includes protecting clients’ interest in complex multi-jurisdictional legal proceedings, involving foreign parties, providing opinions on Russian law, as well as acting in arbitration proceedings and counselling on the enforcement of judgments.

Vera has worked on landmark projects in the field of bankruptcy and dispute resolution, and has litigated in over 20 Russian regions as well as abroad.

Her most significant recent projects include:

  • Defending the interests of AB InBev Efes Brewery in a significant FMCG market-wide dispute worth over RUB 730m. The dispute arose in connection with an attempt to unreasonably recover from the client "under-received discounts" and "incentive payments" provided by the distributor to retail outlets and could have affected the entire distribution market. ("Dispute of the Year" according to Kommersant (2022)
  • Successfully defending a major foreign consulting firm in a series of separate disputes on recovery of damages in a bankruptcy of a manufacturing enterprise. The project resulted in the dismissal of claims against the client for over RUB 3.5bn.
  • Defending the interest of JCS Labquesttechnology (LabQuest), a major player in the medical laboratory market in a corporate conflict with a large investment company on the implementation of a joint project to develop a network of medical offices. As a result, a settlement was reached ending over 20 lawsuits for a total amount of more than RUB 2bn and an agreement concluded on the division of the joint business on favourable terms for the company.
  • Representing the interests of consulting companies Alvarez & Marsal, which had been appointed to manage BTA Bank assets, in a cross-border dispute. As a result, corporate control over the enterprises of the White Sea Group (the Belomorskaya Oil Depot and the Vitino Seaport) and its subsidiaries was fully restored, and the trust management agreements preventing the client from using the port were invalidated. Additionally, a legal strategy was developed and successfully executed which recovered all fraudulently taken assets.
  • Representing a foreign investor in a multi-jurisdictional corporate dispute with the former owner of a mining company. The size of the dispute, exceeding USD 40m and the nature and substance of the claims made this a significant case for the protection of foreign investors in Russia.
  • Representing the interests of major pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis and Bayer Healthcare, in litigation with a Russian company that registered generic drugs and tried to bring them to the Russian market before the expiration of our clients’ patents, as well as in disputes over compulsory license issuance for original drugs.
  • Defending Novartis in court in an attempt by Mamont Pharm, distributor of a generic drug produced in violation of a patent, to overturn a decision and order of the Russian FAS in a high-profile unfair competition case. ("Dispute of the Year" according to Kommersant (2022)
  • Defending a client in a case on imposing subsidiary liability totaling more than RUB 5 billion. As a result of the trial, the claims against the client were not satisfied.
  • Defending the interests of an international retailer in a dispute with a construction company for the recovery of more than RUB 2 billion in damages and the termination of the contract for the sale of retail space.
  • Defending the interests of real estate developer GC “Samolet” in litigation proceedings on the application of the Domodedovo International Airport during an attempt to invalidate the permission of the Federal Air Transport Agency to use 50 land plots with a total area of 372 hectares located in the vicinity of the airfield for the residential development of 144 houses (72,000 apartments).
  • Defending the interests of the large shipyard Nordic Yards Wismar GmbH in the ICAC in the RF CCI in a dispute with a customer regarding the contract for the construction of an icebreaker superstructure.
  • Defending Transammiak in a high-profile dispute over an ammonia leakage at the Voronezh parcel of world-largest ammonia pipeline Togliatti-Odessa. The Firm managed to reduce the overall amount of financial claims against the company from RUB 869 million to RUB 1.3 million.
  • Obtaining a pre-trial settlement in a dispute involving a challenge to a contractual agreement and to recover  over EUR 39 million wrongfully obtained by a foreign contractor engaged in the Olympic Facilities construction, as well as successfully protecting the client from the contractor’s counter-claims amounting to over RUB 1.2 billion. This dispute has also been settled out of court.
  • Defending TogliattiAzot during a long-term corporate takeover of the company. The Firm managed to prevent multi-million losses for the client in a dispute to review the court order denying vindication of a large stake in the company (4.4%) worth over RUB 1 billion upon new grounds, as well as to defend the company in a corporate dispute over the recovery of dividends on shares in the company amounting to about RUB 700 million.
  • Representing an Armenian bank in bankruptcy proceedings, including advising the client on potential options to structure its debt recovery.
  • Developing and implementing a concept to recover an investment in Russian oil & gas companies exceeding USD 100 million for Latvia’s largest bank, including the return of withdrawn assets, representation of interests in arbitration court and legal support during bankruptcy proceedings.
  • Advising on and issuing an opinion on the legitimacy of the current FIDE governing bodies as required for the proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as well as acting as an expert in the legal proceedings. Following the hearing, the claim of the client’s opponent was dismissed.

Vera Rikhterman has authored several practical jurisprudence educational courses (at the Moscow State University, the National Research University "Higher School of Economics", the Moscow State Law University), as well as numerous pieces in the leading popular science magazines.

In 2006, Vera graduated from the Moscow State Legal Academy with honours, and in 2008, from the Economic Faculty of the Moscow Aviation Institute. She defended her PhD thesis on the Legal Regulation of Judicial Restructuring of Joint-Stock Companies at the All-Russian State Tax Academy with the Russian Ministry of Finance (2010).

Vera has been admitted to the Moscow Bar Association since 2008.

Rankings and Awards

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