Law Firm KIAP, law firm DS Law and law firm Balashova Legal Consultants (BLC) officially entered into the process of merging three companies under one common brand KIAP Digital & Smart. The process of full integration will take at least six months and will be completed by the summer of 2020.
The new Russian law firm will unite more than 80 professionals, including 15 partners.
Andrey Korelsky, Managing Partner of the KIAP Law Firm, will head the united law firm.
The merger of the three companies will create one of the largest national law firms in the Russian market both in terms of the number of employees and the level and quality of legal services provided. In addition to the already established practices, the combined company will offer its clients a number of new opportunities in the field of M&A and venture transactions, in the field of tax law and intellectual property, labor and migration law, as well as in matters related to the entry of foreign companies into the Russian market.
"In April next year, the KIAP law Office will be 10 years old. During this time, we have gone through all the stages of becoming a classic law firm: building trusting relationships with clients, developing a brand, creating a reliable and friendly team. Now is the time to move on - we are proud that we have come to our first big anniversary with such a result. I am sure that the consolidation of our common resources and capabilities will give a powerful impetus to the formation of an even stronger professional team of lawyers, and will set a new trend for the local legal market - consolidation and cohesion," comments Andrey Korelsky, Managing Partner of KIAP.
"There is no doubt that this merger will become a new important stage for our team and will change the Russian legal market. Together we will be able to carry out even more large-scale and complex projects in various areas of the economy, compete with the largest national and foreign law firms in our legal market. We will make every effort for the new team to absorb the best from each of the participants in the transaction," added Oleg Ponamarev, Managing Partner of DS Law Law Firm.
"Personnel is a key criterion for the success of any business. We will be glad to complement one of the largest players in the market of Russian law firms with our exclusive competencies in the fields of labor and migration law, as well as provide comprehensive support to foreign companies when entering the Russian market," added Elena Balashova, Managing Partner of BLC.
In its work, the united law firm will be guided by generally recognized international standards and ethical principles of lawyer legal consulting, defining professionalism and high quality of services as the highest priority. The successful long-term practice of the three companies in the market, as well as an understanding of the specifics of each client's industry and a conscientious approach to fulfilling their obligations will serve as a reliable foundation and form the basis of KIAP Digital & Smart's business reputation.
About KIAP
KIAP Law Firm is one of the leading Russian law firms founded in 2010. The bureau unites more than 40 highly qualified specialists, recognized experts in various branches of Russian business, which is confirmed by international and Russian legal ratings Legal 500 EMEA, Chambers Europe, Chambers Global, Best Lawyers, Law.Ru-300, Kommersant, IP Stars, World Tax, IFLR, etc. Among the clients are the largest Russian and foreign companies, leaders of the world ratings Fortune Global 500, Forbes Global 2000, RBC 500. AB KIAP is a two–time finalist of the Chambers Europe Awards for Excellence in the nomination "Best Law Firm of the Year in Russia", the leader of the Pravo-300 Sympathy Rating in 2017 and the law firm of the Year in Russia in the field of litigation according to Best Lawyers 2020. For the second year in a row, the judicial practice of the CIAP is represented in the first group of the Chambers Europe international rating.
About DS Law
DS Law Law Firm is the first law firm providing legal support to businesses in the high–tech segment.The firm specializes in corporate and tax law, support of venture capital transactions, Private Equity and M&A transactions, intellectual property and dispute resolution. The DS Law team consists of 6 partners and 25 lawyers, offices are represented in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Over the past three years, DS Law has been recognized as one of the best Russian law firms in the field of private equity and venture financing by the leading information resource in this field – PREQVECA (part of the CBonds information group). DS Law is also regularly rated by the leading Russian Internet portal in the field of M&A transactions - Mergers.ru (3rd place in the number and amount of transactions according to the results of 2018). The company is recommended by leading Russian and international ratings, including IFLR1000, Chambers Europe, Best Lawyers, World Trademark Review, Pravo.ru-300, Kommersant and others.
About Balashova Legal Consultants (BLC)
Balashova Legal Consultants is one of the leaders in the Moscow legal market in the field of Russian and international labor and migration law, as well as in German–Austrian business circles. The company has been present on the market for 10 years and is a member of the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce in Russia (AHK), the Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce (SVKK), the German-Russian Association of Lawyers, a participant in the Austrian Economic Forum, as well as a partner of the association of German-speaking lawyers around the world Advoselect. BLC's clients are international and Russian companies operating in the fields of trade, services, manufacturing, automotive and mechanical engineering, construction, consulting, banking and investment sectors. The BLC team consists of recognized experts in the field of labor and migration law, who are comprehensively suited to solving problems of any complexity. Elena Balashova, Managing Partner of BLC, heads the Personnel Committee and is a member of the Board of the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce, a trusted lawyer at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Trade Department of the Austrian Embassy in Moscow, as well as a certified expert in German and European labor law.