Last year saw the largest corporate transaction in Russian history, when Yukos, the Russian oil giant, acquired a majority shareholding in Sibneft in a $14bn (£78.6m) deal. Although the deal has been dogged by controversy, it is a reflection of the expanding opportunities for business and, correspond-ingly, the commercial lawyer in the new Russia.
“The opportunities in present day Russia are very broad,” confirms Brian Zimbler, managing partner of the Moscow office of LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae. “The Russian market is booming. There is an increasing demand for all forms of legal services – M&A work for Russian and foreign companies general corporate work, security and capital markets work, banking, finance and litigation.”
