Moscow: +7 495 234 4959 Saint Petersburg: +7 812 740 5823 London: +44 (0) 7384 418877

Sensitive Matters Practice

The practice provides legal advice in the field of family and hereditary law, comprehensive legal advice to show business figures, athletes and other representatives of the entertainment industry (celebrities). The practice specializes in resolving sensitive issues related to the professional activities and private life of our clients, including advice on transactions with luxury items and pieces of art, as well as protection of business reputation.

Key areas of Practice:

  • Family and inheritance law: Our lawyers advise on pre-trial settlement of family disputes, and provide representation  and expert advice in divorce proceedings. We advise on property and non-property issues, including those related to actual family relations and civil partnerships.
    As part of the improvement of the legal status of marital property, we advise on marriage contracts and marital settlement agreements and act for our clients in disputing transactions made by one of the spouses.
    Our lawyers help to determine the legal future of a business in cases of divorce and inheritance, including the preparation of individual and joint wills and inheritance contracts, as well as the establishment of estates and participation in inheritance disputes.
    We advise on child custody, visitation schedules, and adoption, as well as establishment of custody and guardianship, including in cases of adoption of Russian children by foreign nationals. We act in cases involving the identification of the origin of children, challenging paternity/maternity, as well as the use of reproductive technologies (including surrogate motherhood).
  • Sports law: Our lawyers act in sports courts, arbitration courts, specialized chambers, commissions, committees and other institutions in Russia and abroad. We secure and protect the rights of our clients in the formalization of relations between athletes and clubs, including the drafting of employment and agency contracts, sponsorship and advertising contracts. The practice provides legal advice on transfers of athletes at all stages and acts for them when changing “sports citizenship”.
  • Legal advice for art and show business: Our lawyers provide legal support for, and advise on the structuring and formalization of, gratuitous and non-gratuitous transactions involving pieces of art and luxury items. We act for clients in the attribution, provenance and evaluation of pieces of art. We advise on protection of copyright and related rights and assist in IP protection. We advise on building legal models for charitable and philanthropic activities, and provide ongoing legal support.
  • Protection of honor, dignity and business reputation: We act for clients in various types of disputes, including defamation claims and actions. We provide legal review of statements and publications for violations of Russian and foreign law, including regarding possible administrative and criminal sanctions. We advise on blackmail, insults, cyberbullying, and harassment in real life and on social media.