17 October 2014
IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate recommends EPAM for all practice areas across the CIS

The latest edition of a reputable legal guide IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate recommends EPAM for all key practice areas in each jurisdiction of its presence in the CIS including Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

In Russia, EPAM is recommended for Banking and Finance, M&A, Restructuring and Insolvency, Debt & Equity Capital Markets, and Project Finance.

For the first time the Guide ranks the Firm in the Capital Markets category for equity and debt finance, where EPAM is the only Russian law firm throughout all four tiers. “Significant boost” of practice in 2014 is caused “by the arrival of Dmitriy Glazounov and his team <…> with significant experience and an impressive roster of clients”. The Guide distinguished the deal “on the securitisation of the mortgage portfolio of the Bank of Moscow” and provision of “ongoing support to the Bank of Khanty-Mansiysk on a debut mortgage portfolio securitization”.  IFLR 1000 emphasizes that it was a “busy year” for the Firm’s Banking & Finance team due to the provision of “regulatory advice to a national bank and international financial institutions and advice on acquisition financing in the metals sector” and a number of other confidential deals. 

This year clients and peers highly recommend the Firm’s M&A and Corporate team for the speed of the service which “contributes to a very good overall offering”. They say “EPAM have an extremely strong Russia practice and Robin Wittering provides very good support on English law issues”. According to the source the most significant deal was advising the bidders in the complex acquisition of a 50% stake in Tele2 Russia Telecom for R40.4 billion ($1.1 billion) from VTB Bank. The team was led by partners Arkady Krasnikhin and Robin Wittering. Also the Firm’s M&A practice is involved in significant transactions in the natural resources and financial services sectors and several transactions related to the deoffshorisation process taking place in Russia.

This year the Firm’s Restructuring and Insolvency work remains well positioned. It is noted that the Firm has been involved in a number of high-value matters with multijurisdictional elements, advising major banks and corporations. The member of the Partners' Committee of EPAM Dimitry Afanasiev is recommended as a leading lawyer for both M&A and Restructuring & Insolvency work.

EPAM in Ukraine is traditionally recommended for Banking, Finance and Capital Markets work. The Firm’s “very strong team” is praised for its “sound legal knowledge, good commercial perspective and service oriented” approach. According to one of the IFLR1000's sources: “The advantage of this law firm is that they are very professional and ready to work 24/7, if necessary. Moreover, they are open-minded and can offer nonstandard – and at the same time well legally grounded – solutions. They are also able to participate during the high-level negotiations and conduct themselves very professionally.” The Firm has worked for a number of foreign lenders on cross-border financings into Ukraine that have included bank-to-bank lending, acquisition facilities, export financings and bilateral loans. The Firm’s team is singled out for advising on the debut USD 500 million Eurobond offering by Donetska, Lvivska, Odeska, Prydniprovska, Pivdenna, and Pivdenno-Zakhidna Railways supported by the State Administration of Railway Transport of Ukraine (Ukrzaliznytsia). Practice Head Roman Stepanenko is acknowledged as “a rising star.”

Clients are “impressed by the firm’s M&A advice”. “Professional, reliable, client-oriented, and always available”, the Firm’s M&A team is recognized for providing “excellent, high quality legal services” and “timely, concise and comprehensive” advice.

Partner Oksana Ilchenko is recommended for her extensive experience advising “on the Ukrainian law on a number of international deals.” She is also noted for her recent work for Apax Partners on the Ukrainian elements of its USD 420 million acquisition of GlobalLogic.

EPAM keeps its top position in the first tier of Financial and Corporate category - the only one ranked in Belarus. Clients praise the Firm for “timely and well researched legal advice” and “absolutely satisfied with quality of due diligence reports which were prepared in full compliance with TOR and in a timely manner”. Competitors also confirm that the Firm’s “financial teams are really strong and Belarusian and foreign banks quite often prefer their services” and “EPA&P truly belongs to the first tier”.

Among notable matters IFLR distinguishes legal advice to EDB in relation to the provision of €100 million financing to BELAZ and a €75 million financing to Amkodor under the lead of Dennis Turovets. The team led by partners Dennis Turovets and Anna Rusetskaya also represented Swiss company Stadler Rail AG on its joint venture with the state to build operations in Belarus for the development of rail carriages and infrastructure. The Firm also worked with the World Bank on the privatization of state assets.

This year the directory highlights a number of the Firm’s Belarus-based lawyers among the leading experts: managing partner Dennis Turovets is ranked for Competition, M&A and Restructuring and insolvency; partner Anna Rusetskaya - for Banking, Capital markets and M&A.

IFLR1000 is the guide to the world's leading financial and corporate law firms and lawyers. Its rankings are based on the recommendations of in-house counsel at the world's most prominent financial institutions and companies, as well as the leading lawyers, attorneys and solicitors in each legal market it covers. The first rankings were published in 1990 and currently they research over 120 jurisdictions worldwide.

Key contacts

Arkady Krasnikhin

Arkady Krasnikhin

Moscow, Limassol