Most Highly Regarded Firms: CIS 2010 - Capital Markets
The CIS’s largest stock exchange, the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX), has rallied significantly throughout 2009 and in October was made a full member of the World Federation of Exchanges. This chapter features 17 lawyers from four jurisdictions who can be considered leaders in this rapidly developing and newly optimistic marketplace.
Magisters is the leading firm in this chapter with three lawyers listed. Olga Khoroshylova is head of the firm’s Kiev capital markets, banking and finance group and advises commercial clients, municipalities and state bodies on syndicated lending, debt capital markets, IPOs, structured finance and public private partnerships. Andrew Mac is a managing partner in the Kiev office and combines a strong M&A practice with his investment, securities and privatisation work. Anna Rusetskaya joined the firm’s Minsk office in 2008 and has provided support to foreign clients in investment projects in Belarus. She also advises on securities and stock market operation.
Serhiy Chorny heads the banking and finance/capital markets team in the Kiev office of Baker & McKenzie. Chorny acts for banks and borrowers in international transactions as well as advising clients on securities trade and custody, cross-border leasing and dispute resolution. Vladimir Dragunov is based in Moscow and specialises in commercial, corporate and foreign investment issues.
Andrey Novakovskiy is the managing partner of Liniya Prava and specialises in foreign investment and stock market regulation. The “excellent” Alexander Timofeev is also listed. He focuses his practice on the issuance and placement of securities and corporate management. Both lawyers are based in the firm’s Moscow office.
Dmitry Dobatkin is an equity and debt capital markets “guru” at Linklaters CIS and has advised Citigroup, JP Morgan, UBS and Deutsche Bank in recent matters. Fellow magic circle firm Clifford Chance LLP fields structured finance, securities and banking regulation expert Arthur Iliev in this section.
Three New York headquartered firms also have a strong presence in the region. Alexey Kiyashko is based in the Moscow office of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP and has advised Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank in recent matters. Murat Akuyev represents Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and focuses on securities offerings, joint ventures and cross-border transactions concerning Russian companies. Marat Ibragimov is “a leading name” in Kazakhstan where he represents White & Case LLP and acts for numerous natural resources companies in transactions and offerings of shares.
Kiev-based Armen Khachaturyan chairs the banking, finance and securities group of Asters and has advised Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Standard Bank and BNP Paribas. Michael Kharenko is a name partner at Sayenko Kharenko, where he is responsible for cross-border corporate transactions and international financings.
Tatiana Emelianova is a senior partner at Minsk-based firm Vlasova Mikhel & Partners where she specialises in corporate law, foreign investments and ADR. Maksim Salahub is based in the Belarus office of Sorainen Law Offices and is noted for his advisory work in foreign investments and cross-border M&A transactions. Igor Verkhovodko is a partner at Belarusian firm Businessconsult and was described as “outstanding”.