• Goltsblat BLP
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• About Goltsblat BLP

About Goltsblat BLP

ABOUT GOLTSBLAT BLP

Goltsblat BLP is the Russian practice of Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP). Goltsblat BLP was established at the beginning of 2009 as a result of a merger between one of the biggest teams of Russian lawyers and a major UK law firm, Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP).

Goltsblat BLP is a unique offering on the Russian legal market, because of its widely recognised local law capabilities and strong English law-related capabilities, which are in increasing demand by the firm’s clients.

The core of the firm is formed by a well-established Russian team with exceptional local law capabilities, extensive knowledge of the local markets and over 15-years’ practical experience.

Today, with a team of 100 Russian and English-qualified lawyers based in Moscow, Goltsblat BLP is one of the biggest international law firms in Russia/CIS.

In the early 1990s, the team of lawyers were among the first in Russia to serve major international companies entering the Russian market. We are proud still to be providing legal support for many of them. About 70% of our client base consists of major international companies operating on the Russian market. This experience and our in-depth knowledge of Russia’s legal system, as well as its social, economic and political processes and the local culture and mentality, help us understand the expectations and concerns of foreign investors in Russia. The firm’s client base also includes a large proportion of major national companies both operating in Russia and investing globally.

Goltsblat BLP provides assistance with any legal needs a business might have, ranging from handling complex transactions, including ones of a cross-border nature, to day-to-day operational legal support on corporate, commercial, real estate, tax, customs, finance, competition, employment and IP-related matters.

English lawyers in the office provide English law finance, corporate finance, real estate and infrastructure advice, working closely with BLP’s London and other offices in Abu Dhabi, Brussels, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Berlin, Frankfurt.

Key areas of expertise include:

• Corporate/ M&A
• Corporate recovery & restructuring
• Dispute resolution
• Insolvency & bankruptcy
• Commercial
• Competition & antitrust
• Commercial real estate & construction
• Finance
• Public-private partnership (PPP)/ infrastructure
• Intellectual property/ IT

• Employment, pensions & benefits
• Customs, indirect taxation & foreign exchange
• Tax consulting/ tax litigation
• Legal support for foreign direct investment projects in Russia
• Representing clients in liaising with authorities
• Energy & natural resources
• Environmental
• Telecommunications

KEY FACTS & FIGURES

ABOUT GOLTSBLAT BLP

• Goltsblat BLP is the Russian practice of Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), an award-winning international law firm headquartered in London and with offices operating in major commercial and financial centres throughout the world - Moscow, Abu Dhabi, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Paris and Singapore.
• According to the national law firm ranking 2011 by Pravo.Ru/Vedomosti (Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal group), Goltsblat BLP is:
  • one of the top-3 law firms in Russia,
  • the 7th biggest law firm among the top-50 Moscow law firms.
• One of the fastest growing law firms - an average growth rate of over 20% a year both in Russia and the UK.
• Goltsblat BLP is widely known for its innovative and entrepreneurial nature:
  • BLP is a two times winner of the Innovative Lawyers Awards by Financial Times
  • Goltsblat BLP is a unique offering to the market - the first time merger of a well-established local team with a global law firm
  • high level of technology and management - BLP is the winner of European Practice Management Award for Best Use of Technology - Managing Partners Forum

THE TEAM

• 100 Russian and English law qualified lawyers based in Moscow, the total number of lawyers in all international offices of BLP being over 800.

CLIENTS

• Over 600 clients, including:
  • major multinational investors operating in Russia, including 23 Fortune 500 clients,
  • Russian and international banks & financial institutions, and
  • Russian corporates - leaders on the national markets.
• For GBLP Representative clients list, please refer to http://gblplaw.com/clients/
• High client satisfaction rate - over 86% of GBLP clients are very satisfied with the level and quality of the services offered, according to the GBLP overall client satisfaction survey

SERVICES

• Transactional support for inbound and outbound investments by Russian and international clients.
• Highly reputable local team well-known on the market for its excellent local experience of total legal advice for major Russian businesses and international investors gained over 20 years - from complex/multi-jurisdictional projects to day-to-day operational legal support
• Goltsblat BLP is consistently top-ranked / recommended by Legal 500 and Chambers in Real Estate & Construction, Corporate/M&A, Dispute Resolution, Competition/Antitrust, Tax & Customs, IP.
• Globally, the firm’s broad-based expertise reaches across more than 50 legal disciplines and 20 industry sectors.
•  In Moscow, the firm’s key practice areas are:
  • Corporate/ M&A
  • Banking & Finance
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Dispute Resolution
  • Tax & Customs
  • Commercial
  • Compliance
  • Competition & Antitrust
  • Employment, Pensions & Benefits
  • IP

GOLTSBLAT BLP IS AN AWARD WINNING LAW FIRM

• Goltsblat BLP is the winner of: International Office of the Year 2010 - The Legal Business Awards (Legal 500); Best Client Service / Award for Excellence 2010 - Chambers Europe Awards; Best Law Firm in Russia 2010 - ILO Client Choice Awards; Innovation in International Expansion 2011 - Financial Times Innovative Lawyer Awards 2011 (a short-list nominee)
• BLP is the winner of, totally, 5 Law Firm of the Year awards and over 30 industry awards in the last several years, including UK Law Firm of the Year 2010  awards by both The Lawyer and Legal Week, Managing Partner of the Year, Real Estate Law Firm of the Year, Best Tax Team in a Law Firm, Planning Team of the Year, PFI/Projects Team of the Year, and Finance Team of the Year and others.
• Selected quotations:
  • "The firm provides high-quality advice” The Legal 500 EMEA 2011
  • “...an ideal position to advise international clients on multi-jurisdictional transactions.” Chambers Global 2011
  • "Their strong team leads the way on the domestic scene, thanks to a profound understanding of local issues and client-oriented culture" Chambers Europe 2010
  • “Goltsblat attracts big multinational names, including Danone, Mars and Volkswagen”. Chambers Europe 2011
  • “Clients choose this firm for its “reliability, a business-oriented approach and a capacity to build solid professional relationship” Chambers Europe 2011
  • “A no-nonsense, client-oriented approach that you see from an international firm” Chambers Global 2010
  • "The lawyers are your business partners and they focus on strong relationships, clients say" Chambers Europe 2011
• For the full list of GBLP awards & rankings, please go to http://gblplaw.com/about/awards/

• According to the national law firm ranking 2011 by Pravo.Ru/Vedomosti (Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal group), Goltsblat BLP is:

  • among the top-3 law firms in Russia
  • 7th biggest law firm in Russia
  • 3rd in revenue among the top-50 Moscow law firms
  • No. 1 in Band 1 for RE
  • Band 1 for Corporate/M&A
  • Band 1 for Tax
  • Band 1 for IP
  • Band 2 for Labour law
  • Band 2 for Arbitration
  • Band 2 for Bankruptcy
  • Band 2 for Competition & antitrust

• Goltsblat BLP is the winner of:

  • International Office of the Year - The Legal Business Award 2010 (LEGAL 500) 
  • Client Service Award - CHAMBERS EUROPE AWARDS for Excellence 2010
  • Best Law Firm in Russia - 2010 ILO Client Choice Award 

• For over six years Goltsblat BLP team is top-ranked by Chambers, Legal 500, PLC Which Laywer? in:  

  • Dispute Resolution
  • Real Estate/ Construction
  • Employment
  • IP
  • Competition/ Antitrust

• Who’s Who Legal: CIS 2010 recommends 4 Goltsblat BLP partners as leading Russian experts in their fields:

  • Andrey Goltsblat - Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Anton Sitnikov - Competition; Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Vitaliy Mozharowki - Real Estate
  • Vladimir Tchikine - Trade and customs
    

• More about Goltsblat BLP Team:

  • Chambers Europe 2011
    • Clients choose this firm for its "reliability, a business-oriented approach and a capacity to build solid professional relationships."
    • "When the lawyers commit to a deadline, they always meet it."
    • "Goltsblat attracts big multinational names, including Danone, Mars and Volkswagen”.
    • "..always on time and to the point"
      
  • Chambers Europe 2010: "Their strong team leads the way on the domestic scene, thanks to a profound understanding of local issues and client-oriented culture. Its <GBLP’s> diverse practice has been key to its success in the recession, balancing know-how on property finance and restructuring with investor mandates and infrastructural projects"
    
  • Chambers Global 2010: "A no-nonsense, client-oriented approach that you see from an international firm"
    
  • Legal Business, March 2010: "It is without a doubt one of the most ambitious new office [GBLP office] moves of any international firm in recent years, successfully creating a never-before-seen Anglo-Russian operation that is already one of the largest in Moscow"
    
  • The launch of Goltsblat BLP is mentioned by Legal 500 EMEA 2009 as one of the most notable developments among the country's international legal elite
    
  • Chambers Europe:
    • "No–one knows the law here like they do"
    • "…a top name in the Russian field"
    • "superb local knowledge"
      
  • Legal 500 EMEA: "deep knowledge and understanding of the local issues"
    
  • Chambers Europe: "...they do a really good job... they are hard negotiators, they take their work very seriously and actually they are better placed than anyone else to evaluate risks"

• More about Goltsblat BLP Corporate / M&A Practice:

  • Chambers Global 2012:
    • "Andrey Goltsblat is a high-profile personality in Russia and has done much to raise the international profile of the firm. In addition to his renowned rainmaking skills, his practice centres on M&A, joint ventures, restructurings and investment projects in Russia and the CIS."
  • Chambers Global 2011:
    • "Managing partner Andrey Goltsblat is an active force in corporate law, and his new partnership has boosted his cross-border profile".
    • "...an ideal position to advise international clients on multi-jurisdictional transactions"
      
  • According to the annual international Who’s Who Legal 2010 (The International Who s Who of Business Lawyers), on the basis of the results for 2009, Andrey Goltsblat (for the 4th year running) and Anton Sitnikov (for the 2nd year running) have been named among “the world’s pre-eminent M&A lawyers”.
    
  • Chambers Europe 2011:
    • "The team attracts praise from market commentators: "It is increasingly visible and successful."
    • "Andrey Goltsblat is the key corporate/M&A name at the firm".
      
  • Chambers Global 2010:
    • "flourishing M&A practice"
    • "robust reputation on the Russian corporate market"
      
  • Chambers Europe 2009: “Anton Sitnikov of Goltsblat BLP is one of the standout names in the market.”
    
  • Chambers 2008: “Ian Ivory has tons of experience, which means that in difficult negotiations he knows what points to fight for and where to concede”.
    

• More about Goltsblat BLP Dispute Resolution Practice:

  • Chambers Europe 2011:
    • "Clients say the Dispute Resolution team's advice is "always on time and to the point."
    • "…this group concentrates on advising international clients.The team also specialises in IP, employment, customs and tax disputes, as well as acting on a number of construction and administrative cases".
      
  • Chambers Europe 2010: "… in the thick of the growing insolvency cases, debt collection, shareholder disputes and property litigation, the team has handled the work with an impressively high success rate".
    
  • Legal 500 EMEA 2010:  "… an especially deep knowledge of Russian civil procedure and the principles of international arbitration"
    

• More about Goltsblat BLP Real Estate & Construction Practice:

  • The Legal 500 EMEA 2011: "It is a personal pleasure to work with the real estate team at Goltsblat BLP; the firm provides high-quality advice".
    
  • Chambers Europe 2011: "The lawyers are your business partners and they focus on strong relationships, clients say".
    
  • Chambers Europe 2009:
    • "Andrey Goltsblat (band 1, Real Estate) of Goltsblat BLP is widely praised for his work in the sector and is a popular source of counsel among clients: "He is determined and commercial, and always has a solution". Vitaly Mozharowski, also of Goltsblat BLP, is commended for his "proactive approach and proficient handling of difficult issues."
    • "Vitaly Mozharowski, also of Goltsblat BLP, is commended for his ‘proactive approach and proficient handling of difficult issues’".
      
  • Legal 500 EMEA 2009: Led by Vitaly Mozharowski,the team’s "deep knowledge and understanding of the local issues" makes it a great choice for Russian real estate work.
    
  • Vitaly Mozharowski is recommended by PLC Which Lawyer 2009: "Has strong knowledge of the construction field, especially in the industrial sector” and “General real estate practitioner with excellent local knowledge".
    
  • Vitaly Mozharowski  has been ranked for several years running by CRE 100, published by the Commercial Real Estate magazine, as one of the top 100 most influential legal practitioners the commercial real estate market.
    

• More about Banking & Finance Practice:

  • Chambers Global 2012: "Ian Ivory of Goltsblat BLP relocated to Moscow in early 2009 and has since built a reputation for his corporate finance work covering M&A, private equity, joint ventures and venture capital. He works with both foreign and domestic companies."

• More about Goltsblat BLP Tax Practice:

  • Chambers Global 2012: "Evgeny Timofeev recently joined Goltsblat BLP from Salans, indicating a change in focus for the firm's growing Russian practice. He brings with him a solid reputation and is renowned for his practical skills, litigation prowess and forward thinking. He is widely regarded as “a real star of the market.""
    
  • World Tax 2011 recommends Goltsblat BLP as the leading law firm for Tax/ Customs work in Russia: “Goltsblat BLP formed from the merger of a team of Russian lawyers who were formerly part of Pepeliaev, Goltsblat and Partners with the Russian practice of Berwin Leighton Paisner, the UK law firm. The tax practice has two partners, Andrey Shpak and Vladimir Tchikine, who jointly lead a team of 16 professionals.  Customs is a strong focus area for the

• More about Goltsblat BLP Employment, Pensions & Benefits Practice:

  • Chambers Europe 2011:
    • "This employment group is strongly focused on litigation and mediation, and it predominantly acts for multinational clients".
    • "Employment group is well versed in advising on matters relating to trade unions, outsourcing and immigration".
      
  • Goltsblat BLP Employment, Pensions & Benefits Practice is top-ranked by Chambers Europe 2011 and The Legal 500 EMEA 2011
    
  • According to recently published new PLC Which Lawyer? 2010 research, for Labour and Employee Benefits the Goltsblat BLP Employment, Pensions & Benefits Practice was ranked as “highly recommended” in Russia.
    
  • The Legal 500 EMEA 2009 recommends “impressive” Goltsblat BLP Employment, Pensions & Benefits Practice.

• More about Goltsblat BLP Intellectual property Practice:

  • Chambers Global 2012: "Elena Trusova spearheads the practice and is the main point of contact for IP matters. Her team recently acted for SICK in a domain name dispute whereby the infringer gave up use of the contentious domain name." 
  • Chambers Global 2011: "The team has handled a variety of IP matters for global Internet giants, pharmaceutical corporations and private equity houses".
  • Chambers Europe 2011:
    • "Its IP team climbs the rankings this year as a result of very positive market feedback".
    • "The team advises on all IP matters, including litigation and transactional and regulatory issues".

ABOUT BERWIN LEIGHTON PAISNER (BLP)

Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP is a premier, full-service law firm headquartered in the City of London. BLP offers pragmatic, commercial legal advice that helps major public and private companies, financial institutions, public sector bodies and private clients to achieve their goals. The firm’s service extends to over 65 jurisdictions, with offices in Abu Dhabi, Brussels, Moscow (Goltsblat BLP), Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Berlin, Frankfurt