The coronavirus year has only benefited law firms. According to Forbes experts, not only the number of cases has increased in Russia (by 4 million units), but also their monetary value (by 50%).
And Forbes magazine also compiled list of the largest law firms in Russia, so that if legal issues arise, you can turn to a reputable firm that has been operating on the market for a long time and that will not disappear in an instant along with the unresolved case and the client’s money.
10. ZAO Sotbi
2020 turned out to be a good year for Sotbi – the company entered the top 10 law firms in Russia for the first time, moving from 14th place to 10th in one fell swoop. This happened mainly due to a significant (almost fourfold) increase in the number of points for the amount of arbitration cases.
Unlike a number of other firms that are specialists in a wide range of fields, Sotbi has chosen one direction – bankruptcy procedures. And it is not surprising – its founder worked in government agencies, supervised the activities of local offices of the Federal Service of Russia for Financial Recovery and Bankruptcy. Since then, Sotbi has helped more than 350 organizations go bankrupt for a total of 450 billion rubles.
9. Yakovlev and Partners
One of the oldest law firms on the Russian market. Its founder was once a military investigator, and in the early 90s he set out on a free voyage.
The organization provided services to many large companies, including DIA, Nordavia, and Samsung. And last year, the Yakovlevites managed to defend the exchange trader Solid-Commodity Markets in a dispute with the Federal Antimonopoly Service. Many lawyers considered this case to be one of the most significant in the outgoing year.
Currently, Yakovlev and his partners are searching for the assets of the bankrupt Rublev Bank.
8. Rustam Kurmaev and partners
Among the best Russian law firms on the Forbes list, Rustam’s company is the youngest, founded in 2017. However, the founder already had a solid track record – he was a senior partner at Goltsblat BLP.
Kuramaev works with partners both with foreign corporations (including IKEA, Panasonic, Mars, Gillette, etc.) and with large domestic organizations (Sberbank, 2x2 TV channel, etc.). Among the latest "money" cases in Kurmaev's portfolio is a dispute between OOO Trek and Auchan for the amount of 219.5 million rubles.
7. Bartolius
Like Sotbi (ranked tenth in the ranking of leading law firms in Russia in 2021), Bartolius specializes in supporting bankruptcy procedures and resolving corporate conflicts.
The firm was founded by three MSU graduates in 1999, and over the 22 years of its existence, it has accumulated many high-profile cases and famous clients. Currently, Bartolius employs about 40 people, six of whom combine their legal work with teaching.
6. Bendersky and partners
Last year was fruitful for the company, it moved up 7 positions at once – from 13th to 6th place. Not only the amount of arbitration cases increased (threefold), but also the citation index in the media – 14 times.
At present, the "Benderskie" are one of the top law firms, accompanying the most "expensive" bankruptcies. In the rating by the total amount of all bankruptcy disputes, it occupies an honorable second place. Among the company's famous cases is the trial with the contractors of the Olympic construction in Sochi.
Currently, Bendersky employs more than 200 specialists. However, the company's strong point is not only in the number of lawyers. The fact is that Bendersky's organization was once the legal department at the Vimpel-A enterprise, which was engaged in ensuring the security of corporate clients. Moreover, security of all types - from physical to financial and informational.
Time passed, the company grew, and it became necessary to separate the legal department into an independent organization. However, Bendersky and Partners did not completely split off from the parent association; they are still closely connected with Vympel-A, which undoubtedly only benefits the company's resources.
5. VEGAS LEX
This company specializes in legal consulting. VEGAS LEX once started with tax consultations in Moscow, but then decided to set sail on the stormy waters of the Russian regions.
Currently, it is mainly engaged in infrastructure projects. VEGAS LEX's track record includes legal support for the creation of the Boguchansk Energy and Metallurgical Association.
4. Regionservice
While other representatives of the Forbes list of leading law firms come from the capitals (Moscow and St. Petersburg), the RegionService company began its work on the outskirts.
It was created for a specific purpose – protecting the interests of large industrialists in Kuzbass. The main clients of Regionservis for a long time were Siberians, including UGMK, Vostsibugol, Sibuglemet and others.
However, Regionservis' ambitions were not limited to the regions. In the early 2000s, the company practically reached the federal level, with three equal offices in Moscow, Kemerovo and Yekaterinburg. However, Kuzbass still remains a kind of "place of power" for Regionservis, as one of the company's partners claims.
3. Pepelyaev Group
But the Pepeliaev Group bureau did not show the best results in 2020 and moved down one line - from second to third place. Even recommendations from those who had already been helped by Pepeliaev lawyers did not help. According to the company's press service, this is how more than 70% clients come to the office.
The company's track record includes more than 1,500 names, including Gazprom, Aeroflot and Volkswagen. The Pepeliaevites are not shy of innovations either; in December, they created a whole area of jurisprudence – legal protection of information.
2. Monastyrsky, Zyuba, Stepanov & Partners
One of the oldest law firms in Moscow was founded at the very beginning of the "roaring 90s". Its founder once had hopes of becoming a diplomat and graduated from MGIMO, but the legal field seemed more fertile to him.
Together with a classmate, he organized his own law firm, which has since held top positions in various international rankings for many years. The company's clients include such big names as Gazprom, Transneft, Uralvagonzavod, Nokia, Samsung and even Google.
And at the beginning of 2020, the company managed to get a particularly large order – the purchase of legal services by the VEB.RF corporation. The maximum contract price reached 21.5 million rubles. However, in order to catch up with the leader of the rating, Monastyrsky's company will have to try hard, because in terms of the number of points scored, it is almost a third behind.
1. Egorov, Puginsky, Afanasiev and Partners
For the second year now, the legal pedestal of Russia has been occupied by a bureau with a long name, consisting entirely of surnames. Its founders are not ordinary people.
- Nikolai Egorov was a classmate of Vladimir Vladimirovich himself,
- Dmitry Afanasyev became one of the first Russian lawyers to participate in the joint anti-terrorist operation of Russia and the United States in 1992.
- And Boris Puginsky is a professor of law at Moscow State University. From the very beginning, the founders' goals were idealistic - to adhere to "high standards of European and American ethics."
The focus on ethics has proven successful, given that the bureau has become the undisputed leader in terms of annual income and total number of legal personnel. It handles a number of high-profile cases, such as the theft of funds in particularly large amounts (2.5 billion rubles) from Vostochny Bank. And currently, on the orders of an entire coalition of businessmen and under the auspices of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, it is fighting the Internet giant Yandex.
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