Managing partner Sergey Pepeliaev comments: “We have been nurturing the idea of opening our own office in the Far East for a long time, taking into account the enormous business potential of this region. We have had clients and projects there for years, but could not find a permanent representative who would be worthy to become Pepeliaev Group’s ambassador in the region. Now, finally, everything has worked out and we are ready to offer to the business in the Far East a range of legal services at a totally new level”.

The Far East is a region of Russia which is strategically important for the development of the national economy and attracting foreign investments. Mechanisms have been developed at the initiative and under the personal control of the Russian President to improve the investment climate in the region: territories of advanced development have been created, law “On the Free Port of Vladivostok” has been signed and many investment projects are being implemented. Additionally, enormous deposits of raw materials are concentrated in the Far East. All this gives rise to a need for qualified and experienced advisors who can help business to solve the most difficult challenges.

Andrey Mikulin has been appointed the Head of Pepeliaev Group’s Sakhalin Office. He practices in the areas of administrative, financial, customs and civil law. Andrey has fifteen years of experience of advising major Russian and foreign companies on various legal issues, including legal support of large-scale projects in the fishing, construction, raw materials and processing industries. Andrey has successfully implemented projects for Sakhalin Energy, Nippon Express, Airgas Sakhalin, Parker Drilling, Independent Energy Company and other companies.

Pavel Kondukov, who is also the head of the firm’s Offshore Projects and PSA Group, has been appointed the manager of Pepeliaev Group’s practice in the Far East. Pavel has 13 years of experience in litigation and providing advice to Russian and foreign companies. He specialises in the application of legislation on taxes and levies, subsoil use and production sharing agreements. He has many times been involved in drafting amendments to different items of legislation and has participated as an expert in sessions regarding offshore deposits presided over by the chairman of the Energy Committee of the Russian State Duma. In 2013 and 2014, the international directories The Legal 500 and IFLR1000 mentioned Pavel as one of the leading Russian law experts in the oil and gas industry.