• Goltsblat BLP
• About the firm
• 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 over 90 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

* Partners and lawyers from Pepeliaev, Goltsblat & Partners, one of the most highly regarded Russian law firms at that time.

** opening 4Q 2011

KEY FACTS & FIGURES

• Goltsblat BLP opened for business in January 2009 as a result of the merger with the major UK law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP).
• Legal Business Awards 2010: “Never-before-seen Anglo-Russian operation that is already one of the largest in Moscow” .
• One of the biggest full-service law firms in Russia today.
• Resources: in Moscow - over 90 lawyers of Goltsblat BLP and over 800 lawyers in other BLP offices.
• Market-leading capabilities in real estate, corporate, dispute resolution and IP in Russia (according to Legal 500, Chambers Global, etc).
• Offices: Abu Dhabi, Brussels, London, Moscow, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Berlin, Frankfurt**.
• Strong, non-exclusive relationships with leading independent law firms in over 65 countries around the world.
• GBLP clients include over 23 Fortune 500 companies.
• GBLP lawyers spoke at over 300 major legal and industry specific conferences over the past 2 years.
• Every month about 50 expert comments by GBLP lawyers appear in leading business media like BBC, Financial Times, Vedomosti, Kommersant, Finance, The Moscow Times and others.
• Over 250 legal updates on the most acute legal issues have been prepared by GBLP lawyers and sent to clients over the last 2 years.
• Competitive hourly rates ranging from US$90 for Russian law related matters up to US$800 for English law related matters.

AWARDS & RANKINGS

We are proud to say that, for several years running, Goltsblat BLP and its lawyers have been named “recommended” by leading international and Russian directories and rankings.

• 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 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 Goltsblat BLP Tax Practice:

  • 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 practice.”

• 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 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*

* opening 4Q 2011