April 24, 2007, London - EPAM has opened an associated office in London, UK. Located at 3 Gough Square EC4, in the City of London, the office neighbours the world’s major law firms and investment banks.
On the opening day, a roundtable discussion organised by the All-Russian Organisation “Business Russia” and Confederation of British Industry took place and was followed by a reception attended by members of “Business Russia”, representatives of Confederation of British Industry and Russian Embassy in the UK and London’s business and legal community.
The associated office of EPAM will become the venue for managing international projects for the firm’s Russian clients. The firm will also be liaising with UK, US and European law firms and offer specialist Russian legal advice through the associated office in London. Another important function of the associated office will be to regularly train Russian lawyers in a Western environment.
“Founded just 14 years ago, the Firm has become a leader in the Russian market. Expanding beyond Russia is the logical next step. Our choice of London not only reflects its status as the world’s centre of the legal profession, but is also a response to our Russian clients’ increasingly international ambitions and requirements”, said Dimitry Afanasiev,Chairman of EPAM.
The associated office will be headed by Allen Thomas, a dual-qualified commercial lawyer and legal advisor with more than 40 years of experience in the UK and USA, who joined from Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison earlier this year.
“Our firm is involved in many challenging projects, and I believe that my cross-border expertise can be of benefit to my Russian colleagues and our clients. I am also pleased that the firm implements international professional standards that I have got accustomed to during my years in New York, London and Hong Kong”, said Allen Thomas.
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EPAM is the leading national law firm in Russia with offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The firm has an associated office in the U.K., EPAM LLP, to ensure a seamless service to clients both inside and outside Russia. Since inception in 1993 EPAM has excelled in a wide range of practice areas including corporate and M&A, litigation and arbitration, regulatory issues, intellectual property, tax and finance and now advises major Russian and international clients as well as the Russian Government. The firm also regularly serves as Russian counsel to leading international law firms.
Allen Thomas is a dual-qualified commercial lawyer and legal advisor (New York and England) with experience in contract and transactional negotiation and execution in the M&A, international finance/banking and joint venture fields. Listed in Who’s Who in America (Marquis) and The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward White), Mr. Thomas is also an experienced plc chairman and non-executive director specializing in corporate change and restructuring. Prior to joining EPAM, Priorly, Allen Thomas worked for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.