Ukraine: lawyers choose words carefully
10 March, 2022
Lawyers on their their presences in Russia.
At least five firms — the London-headquartered Linklaters, Norton Rose Fulbright and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Helsinki’s Borenius; and the American firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius — plan to shutter their Russian offices entirely.
Another, Swedish firm Mannheimer Swartling, said it has suspended operations in Russia and is “analyzing” whether to exit the country.
Three firms — New York’s Cleary Gottlieb, Chicago’s Winston & Strawn and Amsterdam’s Houthoff — said they will drop all Russian government and state-sponsored clients.
New York’s Debevoise & Plimpton said it has “taken action to terminate several client relationships,” is not taking on new clients at its Moscow office and is “conducting a review of the status” of that office.
White & Case, another New York firm, is keeping its Moscow office open but officials said they “continue to review our Russian and Belarusian client activity and are exiting some representations in accordance with our professional responsibilities.”
Clifford Chance, another London-headquartered firm, says it will not take on new Russia work, and will “review” existing work to ensure it aligns with sanctions and “our responsible business principles and values.”
Two other firms — London’s Allen & Overy and Hogan Lovells, co-headquartered in London and Washington — also said they’ll drop clients that don’t align with “our values” but did not elaborate.
There was a distinction between firms dropping clients that they were no longer permitted to represent because of U.S. sanctions and those that were shuttering outposts in Russia. DC firms varied – Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Squire Patton Boggs, DLA Piper, Hogan Lovells, Sidley Austin LLP ,
Greenberg Traurig, which has an office in Poland but not in Russia, said it planned to donate up to $2 million for relief efforts and offer pro bono legal services for Ukrainian refugees.
[April 2 2019 US investor Michael Calvey under house arrest in Moscow ]
Judge Yulia Safina of Moscow’s Basmanny District Court accepted a request filed by state investigators and ordered Michaer Calvey released . He will be confined to his apartment located in an upscale building in central Moscow.
[February 15 2019 Russia’s dubious arrest of American investor ]
Payback?
The charge against one of Russia’s longest-standing foreign investors comes less than 24 hours after President Vladimir Putin hit out at pressure by law enforcement on entrepreneurs, saying that business people shouldn’t have to live under “constant fear of criminal prosecution.”
Michael Calvey, a senior partner at Baring Vostok private equity group in Moscow , set up in 1994, has been detained on suspicion of fraud in connection with a dispute over Russia’s Vostochny Bank, in which the fund, with over $3.7 billion of committed capital, is a controlling shareholder. Baring Vostok executive Phillipe Delpal, a French national, is in custody on suspicion of embezzlement. The firm’s funds have investments in 80 projects, focusing on oil and gas, consumer products, media and technology, telecommunications and financial services. Investors are drawn primarily from pension and sovereign wealth funds from around the world.
Hue and Cri 