Expertise

We are an independent dispute resolution practice with a particular focus on commercial litigation, bankruptcy and restructuring, corporate conflict, white collar crime, and disputes with regulators and state authorities.

Recent experience

Abbott Laboratories RUS
Defending the interests of company management in the course of inspections conducted within the scope of a pre-investigation probe by the Economic Security and Anticorruption Directorate of the RF Ministry of Internal Affairs for the City of Moscow pursuant to incoming complaints about the quality of the medical products sold in the Russian Federation by our client. Working closely with the client's in-house legal team we were able to prove that all of the products made and sold by our client meet the most stringent quality standards and are absolutely safe for consumers, thereby demonstrating that our client’s business activities are entirely devoid of legislative violations.
Mechel

Successful representation of the interests of a Russian mining-and-metallurgical giant in a dispute with the counterparty under consulting agreements and finished-product supply contracts in the total amount of RUB 12.7 bln. Successful representation of the interests of Mechel Group companies in disputes on holding controlling entities to subsidiary liability within the scope of bankruptcy cases, as well as in disputes involving the recovery of damages caused by the actions of management bodies.

ChelPipe

Successful representation of the interests of a systemic enterprise in a dispute over a claim seeking the recovery of RUB 11 bln. The swift and decisive actions taken by our team made it possible not only to secure injunctive relief through the freezing of the respondent’s assets, but also to organize the sweeping imposition of effective provisional remedies that allowed for the actual seizure of the opponent’s key production assets and the freezing of accounts receivable owed to the industry’s main players in just three days. The sheer speed and scope of these actions prompted the opponent to reach an amicable settlement with our client.

Leading global producer of construction equipment
Defense of the enterprise’s manager in a criminal case involving charges of the provision of substandard services resulting in the causing of serious harm to consumer health. Thanks to our team’s deftly-crafted legal position and well-tailored defense strategy, we were able in the course of criminal proceedings to prove the innocence of the client’s employee and secure an acquittal that was subsequently upheld by the courts of all instances.
JLL
Legal support and representation of JLL (as well as the JLL Group companies) in contractual disputes throughout Russia.
American oilfield services company

Successful representation of the client’s interests in a series of disputes with customers and their contractors involving the recovery of damages in connection with the loss of equipment in a total amount of more than RUB 264 mln. The damages stemmed from the loss of our client’s equipment in the customer’s borehole in an incident that occurred through the fault of the customer and the contractors it engaged. Within the scope of this case, we were tasked with substantiating an extremely complicated set of damages, which entailed taking all of the procedural actions envisioned by applicable law: questioning of witnesses, examination of physical evidence, organization of forensic evaluations and collaborating with a wide array of specialists across a number of different technical fields.

Volkswagen Group Rus

Legal support for the client in the process of getting it included on the creditors’ register of a bankrupt auto-dealer for a claim in the amount of roughly RUB 90 mln. Successful defense of the client’s interests in a dispute with an unscrupulous dealer involving the recovery of damages in the amount of RUB 67 mln and additional penalties in the amount of RUB 25 mln.

Toyota Motor Rus
Provision of legal support for the client’s efforts seeking inclusion in the register of creditor claims against a bankrupt auto-dealer and the settlement of recovery claims brought by private consumers in a total amount of more than RUB 100 mln. The work we did was aimed at minimizing the risk of the onset of adverse consequences in the form of the possible lodging of consumer claims against the client. In the end, we were successful in defending the client’s reputational and financial interests in the conflict prompted by the actions of the unscrupulous dealer.
Yamaha Motor CIS
Defending the interests of the client in a dispute with an unsecured creditor, participating in creditors’ meetings, interacting with the administrator controlled by the opponents, and representing the client’s interests in challenging the results of the first creditors’ meeting (the meeting’s decision to shift to outside administration), as well as holding the opponents to subsidiary liability and contesting the validity of questionable transactions preventing the debtor from being able to restore its solvency.
MORE CASES

TESTIMONIALS

PJSC Mechel thanks the staff of Rustam Kurmaev & Partners for fruitful cooperation and comprehensive legal support of our activities at the level meeting the highest international quality standards. Rustam Kurmaev's team are reliable partners of PJSC "Mechel" who help us operate in the legal environment on commercially beneficial terms and represent our interests in cooperation with contractors and regulators. We are grateful to the firm's partners Rustam Kurmaev, Dmitry Gorbunov and Dmitry Kletochkin for quick responses to our inquiries and commercially oriented approach to solving important legal issues facing our company.
Igor V. Zyuzin, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mechel
Rustam Kurmaev is a highly regarded litigator, representing clients in regulatory and commercial disputes. A client describes him as "practical and pragmatic," adding: "He's a very calm person." He also represents corporate clients in economic crime-related criminal investigations.
Chambers and Partners Global 2018
“Rustam Kurmaev represents the interests of large national companies in domestic corporate and commercial disputes, and also consults international corporations within the scope of financial disputes with their Russian partners. Yet another focus of Rustam’s professional endeavors involves the criminal defense of business and internal investigations.”
Chambers and Partners Europe 2017
“A key figure on the market is Rustam Kurmaev – an outstanding specialist in the field of dispute resolution.”
The Legal 500 EMEA 2016
Rustam M. Kurmaev, PhD in Law, has contributed to the CLE courses organized by the Institute delivering highly-successful lectures on dispute resolution at the commercial courts. Attendees have included the in-house counsel of prominent Russian enterprises.
A.G. Karapetov, M-Logos Law Institute
Our gratitude goes out to Mr. Kurmaev for speaking at the seminar-workshop for the legal services of the territorial divisions the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media of the Russian Federation . The presentation was delivered at a high professional level, distinguished for the innovative approach it detailed, packed with real-world examples and greeted with the tremendous enthusiasm of all attendees. We look forward to continuing our cooperation and sharing expert opinions on the most pressing issues of dispute resolution in Russia.
A.A. Pankov, Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media of the Russian Federation
“Rustam Kurmaev boasts a wealth of experience defending clients in Russian courts at all levels; clients tend to stress his competence in cases involving white-collar crimes committed by employees. As our sources noted “he is an unrivalled expert on the Russian culture of litigation and has keen insight into what needs to be done – not only during the court case itself, but also in the course of subsequent enforcement proceedings.”
Chambers and Partners Global 2013
Rustam Kurmaev is a "brilliant trial attorney".
The Legal 500 EMEA 2013