The British–Russian Law Association

 and

 Druces LLP (London)

  06 March 2018 –  seminar on:

 RECENT CHANGES TO RUSSIAN INSOLVENCY LAW

AND ITS IMPACT ON CROSS-BORDER DISPUTES

 Venue: Druces LLP, Salisbury House, London Wall, London EC2M 5PS

  Programme 

Speaker Biographies

•  Alexander Popelyuk (Lidings, Moscow) 

Alexander is a Counsel in the Dispute Resolution Practice of Lidings’ Moscow office. His experience extends to full-service support of commercial activity and judicial defense of clients’ interests in commercial courts and courts of general jurisdiction. Alexander has developed particular expertise advising clients from the energy and banking sectors. He is an insolvency practitioner and an expert in contract and corporate law with a particular focus on support of foreign trade activities and projects with a foreign element. Alexander’s experience includes providing comprehensive legal support to a leading power generating company, advising clients across a wide range of industry sectors on the return of control over troubled assets, representing major investors in property disputes complicated by bankruptcy proceedings, and leading numerous debt recovery cases. Alexander is the author of a number of articles on corporate law and dispute resolution. He is a member of the Moscow City Bar. 

•  George V. Utlik (Kobre & Kim, New York) 

George is a lawyer at Kobre & Kim, a global firm focused exclusively on disputes and investigations, often involving fraud and misconduct. Frequently working with other law firms as special counsel, the firm is called upon to handle matters involving bankruptcy, government investigation and enforcement actions, asset forfeiture and confiscation proceedings, and tracing and recovery of hidden assets, often in simultaneous legal proceedings in multiple countries.

George is a member of the firm’s global Insolvency & Debtor-Creditor Disputes team and handles complex, cross-border insolvency cases filed under chapter 11 and chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code as well as related litigation and judgment enforcement actions. His clients include foreign representatives, trustees, debtors, creditors, official committees of unsecured creditors, and distressed assets investors, among others.

Before joining Kobre & Kim, George practiced at Arent Fox LLP. Earlier in his career, George clerked for the Honorable Mary F. Walrath of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

•  Charles Spragge (Druces LLP) 

Charles has been specializing in litigation and arbitration since 1988, acting for banks, financial institutions, investment funds, corporations, governmental entities and entrepreneurs. He has represented clients in arbitrations under all the leading arbitral rules including ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL and ICSID and has wide experience of mediation both as counsel and as mediator. He has substantial experience of advising and acting on arbitrations for and against the state entities including in Central and Eastern Europe and Africa. The range of disputes includes oil & gas, finance and banking including loans/guarantees, contested tenders, state appropriation of assets, trade and marine finance, insolvency claims, contentious regulatory, professional negligence, derivatives, shareholder disputes, directors’ duties, breach of warranty claims and general contractual disputes.

•   Victoria Novikova (Druces LLP) 

Victoria is a solicitor advocate with rights of audience in the English High Court and extensive experience in complex commercial disputes with an international element in the UK and other jurisdictions. She has represented clients in High Court cases involving fraud, conspiracy, misrepresentation, breach of director’s duties, contract and shareholders disputes, interim remedies and injunctions, enforcement of arbitral awards and judgments in the UK and other jurisdictions etc. She has acted for clients in arbitrations under ICC, CCIG, CIArb, LCIA rules and ad hoc arbitrations involving breach of joint venture agreement, oil projects, water and road projects, breach of contractual duty, fraudulent misrepresentation etc.

Victoria holds an LLM in International Business law (Soros Foundation scholarship) from Central European University and has a varied commercial experience. She has advised clients on Russian and Iranian sanctions. Victoria is also a Russian qualified lawyer and member of Russian and CIS Arbitration Network. She sits on the Committee of the British Russian Law Association.

Speakers’ presentation slides can be accessed here: 

• Reform and outcome (Alexander Popelyuk, Lidings)

• Impact of Recent Changes to Russian Insolvency Law – The U.S. Perspective (George Utlik, Kobre & Kim)

• BRLA Druces LLP Presentation – Powers of English Courts in Support of Russian Insolvency Proceeding

Invitation to the seminar: SEMINAR ON RECENT CHANGES TO RUSSIAN BANKRUPTCY LAW 06 MARCH 2018