Practices

Industries

Sanctions Law

Stepan Guzey
Partner
Practice leader
Our team provides comprehensive support to businesses on all aspects of sanctions regulation and international compliance
WE PROVIDE CLEAR ADVICE ON ISSUES BIG AND SMALL

What we do

Sanctions Regime Advisory and Risk Assessment

  • Analysis of the applicability of sanctions regimes of the US, EU, UK, Switzerland and other countries to the client's activities and transactions

  • Assessment of sanctions risks for specific projects, transactions, clients and counterparties (Due Diligence)

  • Structuring transactions with due regard to sanctions legislation requirements and building "sanctions-resilient" business models

Sanctions Defense and Challenge

  • Representation of clients in administrative appeal procedures against sanctions decisions, including interaction with regulators in the US (OFAC, BIS), the EU and other countries

  • Advisory on strategies for exclusion of clients and their assets from sanctions lists

Licensing and Asset Unblocking

  • Support in obtaining individual and general licenses for transactions subject to sanctions restrictions

  • Assistance in unblocking frozen or seized assets, interaction with competent authorities and correspondent banks

Export Controls and International Trade

  • Analysis of goods, technologies and software for export control applicability

  • Development and implementation of internal export control policies

  • Advisory on customs and currency control regulation under sanctions restrictions

Sanctions Compliance

  • Development, audit and implementation of comprehensive compliance systems in companies to minimize sanctions risks

  • Training and staff awareness sessions on sanctions security

  • Assistance in internal investigations into potential sanctions law violations

Legal Support for Cross-Border Projects

Comprehensive legal support for foreign economic activity, investment projects and joint ventures with due regard to sanctions restrictions

Resolution of Sanctions-Related Disputes

  • Representation of clients in Russian and foreign courts as well as in international arbitration in sanctions-related disputes (including disputes over non-performance of contracts, contract termination, damages recovery)

  • Development of defense strategies against lawsuits based on the imposition of sanctions

HANDLE CHALLENGING AND COMPLEX MATTERS

Matters

Advising a large Russian company engaged in various development projects, gold mining, gas extraction, crop cultivation, and the development of IT strategies for business on identifying risks and potential consequences of purchasing a yacht previously owned by a sanctioned individual, in case the transaction falls under criteria for actions aimed at circumventing sanctions

Advising a Russian company providing lifecycle service offerings for energy facilities on assessing the risks of losing clients and market position in the event of a transaction to acquire shares in a Turkish company whose clients are companies from Turkey, the USA, Germany, Japan, and Azerbaijan

Advising one of the enterprises of the Russian nuclear fuel cycle on analyzing the legality of a German counterparty's refusal to fulfill a contract for the supply of fuel assemblies for a research reactor, as well as the possibility of recovering the advance payment under the EU sanctions restrictions

Advising the world's leader in the production of zirconium and uranium products for nuclear energy on analyzing current EU sanctions legislation, applicable German laws, and the operations of major German banks concerning the fulfillment of contractual obligations by a German resident to a Russian resident for the payment of delivered goods

Advising international ophthalmic optics company on settling a dispute between the majority and minority shareholders of one of the companies of the client's group at an early stage; advising on interaction between the local companies of the group and HQ under sanctions

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