In the days leading to EMERGE, the annual tech product conference, a CIS London senior associate was invited to coach over 500 startups as part of EMERGE U bootcamp. The lawyer presented the most important legal concepts and terms of venture financing that new entrepreneurs should keep in mind, and answered the audience’s questions in a fast-paced Q&A session.

Svetlana London, Managing Partner of CIS London & Partners, gave a talk on the current lockdown measures in Russia and their effect on businesses as part of the BRLA webinar discussion ‘Covid 19 & its impact on dispute resolution in Russia, England and Cyprus’. The participants have discussed the effects of lockdown on the courts’ operations in the relevant jurisdictions and the future of digitalisation in international arbitration.

Women Who Inspire in partnership with CIS London & Partners held the cocktail reception at Bvlgari, London, to celebrate the International Women Day. The event was run for the Russian-speaking female entrepreneurs. Svetlana London shared her experience on a business contingency plan, the topic often overlooked by small businesses and currently in demand in light of the recent events.

In CIS LONDON’s latest workshop titled ‘Investor’s guide to legal literacy and avoiding costly mistakes’ we shared insights with business angels and entrepreneurs, members of Zima Club. Svetlana London focused on the balance of power in a typical English company and described an array of tools that can help improve an investor’s standing, with emphasis on access to information and instruments of control. Zima Magazine report about the event is available here (in Russian).

On 3 February, ZIMA Magazine announced the winner of the annual ZIMA StartUp competition aimed at supporting new projects and assisting young Russian entrepreneurs to further success. The competition was sponsored by CIS London & Partners LLP. 

Managing Partner Svetlana London shared her experience of working with startups with the audience. Svetlana engaged young entrepreneurs, investors and guests of the event in an open dialogue imparting her knowledge on developing relationships between the parties involved during the legal arrangement of funding. As part of the discussion, Svetlana reflected on the difference in the approach of investment funds and business angels. 

CIS LONDON team offers its congratulations to the winner. We would like to thank ZIMA Magazine for inviting us to became part of the ZIMA StartUp competition and wish the project the best of success in the future! 

On 11-14 November 2019 the Law Society hosted English Law Week in Russia: 10th Anniversary. Leading experts and lawyers from Russia and the UK gathered in St. Petersburg and Moscow to discuss the latest legal developments and trends.

Svetlana London gave a talk on "Economic Substance Requirements and Other Developments in Offshore Jurisdiction”, naming transparency among the latest trends in the sphere. Svetlana provided a detailed analysis of legal developments in the British Virgin Islands, and looked at the situation in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Guernsey and Jersey.

Svetlana London, Managing Partner of CIS London & Partners, has been invited to run a seminar on 31 October for a group of lawyers from the CIS region as part of a series of lectures on compliance control and risk management.

We are delighted to announce that The Legal 500 has recognised CIS London & Partners LLP as a Tier 1 Foreign Law Firm in London. Our firm and individual lawyers have been recommended and ranked by The Legal 500 for several years. This year Svetlana London has been named a Leading Individual and on of CIS London senior associates is listed in the Rising Stars category. 

The Legal 500 entry for CIS LONDON in the 2020 UK guide reads as follows:

CIS London & Partners LLP 'provides very detailed analyses'. The London office offers specialised advice to international and domestic companies, financial institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises, and high-net-worth individuals on cross-border projects with a Russian or CIS element. Representative work includes M&As, joint ventures, multi-jurisdictional disputes, and compliance and regulatory issues. 

According to a testimonial provided in the edition,

'Svetlana London is very straightforward and her explanations are always … simple and easy to understand'.

The CIS London team is proud that our work is held in such high regard.