International
law firm Dechert LLP announced today that leading litigator
and arbitrator Ivan Marisin has joined the firm as a partner
in its dispute resolution practice in Moscow. Mr. Marisin
will lead Dechert¡¯s dispute resolution team in Russia, the
CIS, and Eastern Europe. Prior to joining Dechert, Mr.
Marisin was head of the litigation and arbitration practice
of Clifford Chance's Moscow office, which he joined in 1992.
Also joining the team is Counsel Vasily Kuznetsov, listed in
Chambers as a "rising star" and associate Alexander Sidorov.
Mr. Kuznetsov was previously counsel at Clifford Chance,
which he joined in 2002 and Mr. Sidorov was previously an
associate at Clifford Chance.
"We are very pleased to have Ivan join our global dispute
resolution practice," said Dechert Chairman Barton J.
Winokur. "His extensive experience will certainly benefit
our clients and further bolsters the high-quality team we
have in Russia."
Mr. Marisin has represented domestic and international
clients in more than 100 major litigations and arbitrations
worldwide, and has acted for Russian and foreign clients on
corporate, banking, and foreign investment matters over the
last 20 years. His significant representations include:
the Bank of New York Mellon before the City of Moscow
Arbitrazh Court in a US$22.5 billion claim brought by the
Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation; Russian
uranium seller Tenex in a US$1 billion arbitration venued in
Stockholm over the delivery of nuclear materials, with a
final award entirely in favor of Tenex; and Soci¨¦t¨¦
G¨¦n¨¦rale as agent together with the 10-bank syndicate
prior to and in a default situation and insolvency regarding
a US$1 billion loan to Yukos Oil Company secured over oil
export receivables. His other notable clients include
Gazprom, Gazpromexport, CSX World Terminals LLC, Syvazinvest,
Rostelekom, Moscow Oil Refinery, and Erdenet.
"We are thrilled that Ivan is joining our team," said Laura
M. Brank, head of Dechert's Russia and CIS practice. "Ivan
has long been recognized as one of the top litigators in
Russia and the breadth of matters on which he has worked in
a distinguished career, acting as counsel on well-known and
high-value litigation and arbitration matters worldwide and
advising clients on transactions involving Russian
counterparties generally, will provide our clients with a
wealth of experience and insight. This is a very positive
development and highlights the firm¡¯s deep commitment to
providing first class client service in Russia and
throughout the region."
Said Mr. Marisin: "I am very excited to be joining
Dechert¡¯s dynamic new Moscow office, and believe the firm
offers a compelling global platform both for my clients and
for expanding my practice. Dechert¡¯s litigation and
arbitration experience will allow us to assist clients in
complex multijurisdictional disputes. We also look forward
to working with the existing litigation team in Moscow,
which has been extremely successful defending clients in
Russian courts on a broad range of tax, finance, and
corporate matters."
Mr. Marisin, a native Russian speaker is also fluent in
English and German. Mr. Marisin is a member of the Moscow
Bar and an accredited arbitrator at the ICAC, International
Arbitral Center in Vienna, and other leading centers for
arbitration. He has also advised on numerous commercial
cases involving the recognition and enforcement in Russia of
foreign judgments and awards.
Mr. Marisin is listed as a top-tier dispute resolution
practitioner in Russia by Chambers Global, Chambers Europe,
The Legal 500 EMEA, and PLC Which Lawyer?. He is a graduate
of Moscow State University (Russian Law Degree, with honors,
1981-1986), the University of Vienna (Law and Economics,
1989-1990), Frankfurt University (European Law, 1992-1993),
and the Harvard Business School Executive Program (2003).
About Dechert's Moscow office
Dechert opened its Moscow office in 2009 and currently has
over 20 fee earners. Laura M. Brank has been advising
Russian and foreign clients on conducting business in Russia
and the CIS for over 15 years and previously headed the
Russia & CIS practice of another international law firm for
over a decade. Ms. Brank, fellow Moscow partner Shane DeBeer,
and Russian-qualified national partner Evgenia Korotkova
have been working together as a team for more than a dozen
years. Since joining Dechert, the Moscow corporate team has
been listed in the 2010 edition of The Legal 500 EMEA in the
category Corporate and M&A Moscow. In January 2010, Ms.
Brank was listed in the corporate section of The Lawyer's
Hot 100 survey, 2010, a list of 100 lawyers to have excelled
in their field during 2009.
The survey described her as "one of the best-known ... and
best-connected lawyers in the [Russian] market."
