The international law firm King & Spalding today announced the establishment of a major presence in Moscow with its initial hiring of five lawyers from Hogan Lovells and White & Case. The Moscow office will be King & Spalding’s 17th worldwide and will work closely with the firm’s extensive transactions practices in London, the historic legal centre for transactions originating in Russia, as well as its highly regarded international arbitration practice in Paris, an important venue for Russian disputes. Opening in Moscow, which will occur following receipt of government registration, has also been a widely anticipated next step in the expansion of King & Spalding’s top-ranked international energy practice, and the office will have close ties to the firm’s existing operations in the global energy centres of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, Singapore, Houston, London and New York.
“We see this as an opportunity to turn heads and achieve instant critical mass in Russia by bringing together five well-established Moscow-based lawyers from two respected firms,” said King & Spalding chairman Robert D. Hays, Jr. “Moscow is another example of our focus on expanding our global footprint by investing in high-value practices where we are already strong and in markets where our clients are seeking our expertise.”
“A strong presence in Moscow has long been considered a key element of our international growth strategy, particularly for transactions-related assignments,” said Garry Pegg, King & Spalding’s co-managing partner in London and a former partner at Hogan Lovells who has worked extensively in Russia. “The team we have created is of the highest quality and a great fit personally and professionally. It also enhances our ability to serve clients in and from London and across all legal disciplines and market sectors, including energy and life sciences.”
King & Spalding has a long history of representing clients across the Commonwealth of Independent States. Its work with major energy companies in the CIS spans oil and gas exploration, development, production and transportation activities, as well as acquisition financing and the negotiation of joint venture, intergovernmental and host country agreements. In the natural resources arena, King & Spalding has represented investors in the acquisition and disposition of mining interests and other natural resources across the CIS. The firm for many years has also advised clients across an array of industries on financial services, construction, trade, intellectual property and real estate matters in the CIS.
Joining King & Spalding as partners from Hogan Lovells are Sergey Komolov, who served as deputy managing partner and co-head of the corporate practice in Moscow, and transactions partners Olga Kozyr and Alla Naglis. Joining as a partner from White & Case is Jennifer Josefson, who headed the CEE/CIS oil and gas practice of her previous firm and focuses primarily on oil and gas and other energy matters. Rounding out the initial team is Iliya Zotkin, who is joining from Hogan Lovells as counsel.
Komolov will be the resident office managing partner in Moscow. In addition, Pegg and Mark E. Thompson, the London-based M&A and private equity partner who oversaw the firm’s plans for the Moscow office, will together lead the London-based portion of the Russia practice and continue to be significantly involved in the development of the practice in Moscow.
Komolov practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity, finance, restructuring and general corporate law and has represented some of Russia’s largest corporations and banks in connection with groundbreaking transactions and major cross-border disputes. In addition to his law degree from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Komolov holds an LLM from Georgetown University and is admitted to practice in Russia and New York. Komolov joined Hogan & Hartson, a predecessor of Hogan Lovells, in 2000 and became a partner in 2003.
Kozyr practices in the areas of corporate and real estate law, international and Russian litigation and life sciences, and represents U.S. and European companies engaged in investments in Russian. A law graduate of Moscow State University, she also holds the equivalent of a Ph.D. in environmental law and was awarded an LLM by Harvard University in 1996. She joined Hogan & Hartson in 2000 and was named a partner in 2006.
Naglis focuses on cross-border transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and telecommunications, media and entertainment law, and has extensive experience in antitrust and intellectual property matters. She holds a law degree from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and was named a partner at Hogan & Hartson in 2008.
Josefson, who is American and a fluent Russian speaker, has been based in Moscow since 2002 and is consistently ranked as one of the leading energy and natural resource lawyers in Russia. She received her law degree from the University of Texas and holds a master’s degree in Russian law from the Academic Law University at the Russian Academy of Science. She is qualified to practice in Texas, England and Wales. She began her career at a law firm in Houston, Texas, and joined White & Case in Moscow in 2002 and was named a partner in 2006.
Zotkin practices corporate, commercial and real estate law, including advising on mergers and acquisitions transactions, cross-border projects, real estate development projects as well as representation of clients in litigation proceedings in connection with a wide variety of commercial, intellectual property and real estate disputes. He received his law degree from the Moscow State University Law School.
