Alexey Markin

Representation of the client in divorce proceedings, including where:

• The spouse resides outside the Russian Federation
• The spouse is a foreign national
• The spouse evades participation in or delays the proceedings
• Division of property and recovery of maintenance are required alongside the divorce

• Identification of all sources of income of the maintenance payer
• Determination of maintenance for a child and for a spouse caring for a child
• Recovery of maintenance arrears
• Recovery of maintenance through court or conclusion of a maintenance agreement
• Variation of the amount of maintenance and release from payment

Legal support of the division of jointly acquired property: identification and valuation of assets, determination of shares, division through judicial proceedings or by agreement, minimising the client's time and financial losses.

• Preparation, negotiation and notarisation of a prenuptial agreement
• Amendment of an existing agreement
• Protection of the client's interests in the event of breach

Annulment of marriage in the absence of voluntary consent, in cases of sham marriage, marriage below the legal age, an existing registered marriage, close kinship, legal incapacity of a spouse or concealment of diseases specified by law.

• Determination of the child's place of residence
• Removal of obstacles to contact with the child
• Prevention of unlawful removal of the child from the Russian Federation
• Protection of the child's interests from adverse influence of a parent
• Establishing the whereabouts of the child and the other parent

Legal support of proceedings for the establishment and contestation of paternity, including the appointment of forensic examination.

Representation of parents and guardians in proceedings for the termination, restriction and restoration of parental rights, interaction with guardianship authorities.

Legal support of adoption, guardianship and custody procedures, resolution of disputes with guardianship authorities.

Division of property and obligations between persons in de facto marital relations, recognition of the right to a share in jointly acquired property.

Registration of inheritance rights is a lengthy procedure requiring the resolution of numerous issues: identification of the notary, search for the will, interaction with other heirs, contestation of the will and of unlawful actions of the notary. The attorney provides full legal support at all stages.

Restoration of the missed six-month period for acceptance of inheritance through judicial proceedings, or establishment of the fact of actual acceptance.

Invalidation of a will executed under duress, by a person unable to understand the significance of their actions, or in breach of the prescribed form. Defence of a will against contestation by other heirs.

Allocation of the compulsory share, declaration of an heir as unworthy, division of the estate, determination of shares in real estate and business.

Recognition of title by inheritance to assets not registered by the deceased: residential premises, land plots, shares in charter capital, deposits.

Registration of rights to shares in business entities, settlement of creditors' claims against the deceased, protection of heirs from unfounded claims.

• Representation of the client at all stages of criminal proceedings
• Development of an effective defence position
• Mitigation or reversal of the sentence
• Protection from unlawful pressure by investigative authorities
• Appeal against inaction of law enforcement authorities
• Appeal against an unfounded refusal to initiate criminal proceedings

• Advice on criminal procedure, the case file and legally relevant circumstances
• Legal analysis of the circumstances of the case
• Collection of evidence in support of the position of the suspect, accused, defendant or convicted person
• Formulation of the legal position of the victim, suspect, accused, defendant or convicted person
• Participation in investigative actions, pre-trial and trial proceedings
• Preparation of procedural documents
• Representation of the client before courts of all instances, investigative authorities, the prosecutor's office and other state bodies

Participation of the attorney when summoned by the police or the Investigative Committee, during interrogation, search and detention, preparation of written explanations. Timely involvement of the attorney substantially increases the likelihood of a refusal to initiate criminal proceedings.

Defence in cases of fraud (Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), misappropriation and embezzlement (Article 160), illegal entrepreneurship (Article 171), tax evasion (Articles 198, 199) and money laundering (Article 174).

Amid intensified anti-corruption enforcement, instances of provocation under Article 290 (receipt of a bribe) and Article 291 (giving of a bribe) of the Criminal Code, carried out under the control of law enforcement authorities and followed by detention, have become more frequent. The attorney provides defence in this category of cases.

Defence in cases of infliction of bodily harm (Articles 111, 112, 115 of the Criminal Code), battery, threats and defamation, as well as representation of victims.

Defence of drivers and representation of victims, contestation of forensic vehicle examinations, reconciliation of the parties, mitigation of punishment.

Verification of the lawfulness of detention and search, contestation of expert opinions, reclassification of the act as a less serious offence.

Preparation of appeal and cassation complaints, applications for supervisory review and to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, review of the case on new and newly discovered circumstances.

Preparation of applications for parole, substitution of the unserved part of the sentence with a milder form of punishment, deferral of the sentence and expungement of the criminal record.

Representation of victims at the preliminary investigation stage and in court, recovery of property damage and compensation for moral harm, appeal against refusals to initiate criminal proceedings.

Reversal of decisions in administrative offence cases, contestation of the accident diagram and of fault, judicial appeal.

Defence in cases under Articles 12.8 and 12.26 of the Code of Administrative Offences (driving under the influence, refusal of medical examination), Article 12.15 (driving into oncoming traffic) and leaving the scene of an accident. Verification of compliance with examination procedures and procedural documentation.

Contestation of refusals, orders and inaction of officials, the Federal Service for State Registration, the Federal Tax Service, migration and other authorities under the Code of Administrative Procedure of the Russian Federation.

Defence of organisations and sole proprietors during inspections and administrative liability proceedings conducted by the consumer protection authority, the state labour inspectorate, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, customs and migration authorities.

Assistance in acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation, obtaining residence permits and temporary residence permits, appeal against entry bans, deportation orders and cancellation of documents.

Reversal of decisions on administrative liability for breaches of landscaping and parking rules, sanitary and epidemiological requirements, fire safety requirements and other administrative offences.

Participation in the consideration of the case by the administrative authority and the court, preparation of complaints and motions, restoration of missed appeal deadlines.

Principal areas of practice in commercial court proceedings:

• Disputes arising from breach of contractual obligations
• Intellectual property disputes
• Appeal against decisions, actions and inaction of state bodies, including administrative liability decisions
• Real estate disputes
• Protection of business reputation
• Corporate disputes
• Insolvency (bankruptcy) proceedings on behalf of debtors and creditors

The economic security and anti-corruption units (UEBiPK, formerly OBEP) form part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and are responsible for detecting and investigating economic crimes. The attorney provides support during inspections, interviews, examination of premises and seizure of documents and data carriers.

Information on legal entities and sole proprietors is subject to entry in the state registers (EGRUL, EGRIP), and only from the moment of such entry is the information deemed available to third parties. The attorney ensures registration of companies and sole proprietors and prepares charters and shareholder agreements.

• Value added tax disputes
• Appeal against decisions of tax authorities
• Contestation of arrears, penalties and fines
• Unlawful suspension of account transactions
• Support during field and desk tax audits

Resolution of conflicts between participants and shareholders, exclusion of a participant from the company, contestation of resolutions of general meetings and transactions, withdrawal from the company and payment of the actual value of the share.

Support of bankruptcy procedures on behalf of debtors and creditors, inclusion of claims in the register of creditors, contestation of transactions, protection of directors and controlling persons from subsidiary liability.

Protection of an organisation's business reputation against the dissemination of false information in mass media, social networks, public statements and printed publications.

Legal assistance during inspections by the Federal Antimonopoly Service, appeal against orders and decisions of the antimonopoly authority.

Legal review of counterparties, assets and documents prior to the conclusion of a transaction. According to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, instances of fraud in real estate transactions have increased substantially, making preliminary legal review an essential protective measure.

Drafting and legal review of supply, construction, lease, service, distribution and non-disclosure agreements. Pre-trial claims and recovery of receivables.

Verification of the designation for identity and confusing similarity, preparation and filing of the application with the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, responses to examination requests, support of registration.

• Suppression of plagiarism and unlawful use of works
• Protection of rights to inventions and other intellectual property
• Disputes arising from licence agreements

Appeal against decisions of the Federal Customs Service to a superior customs authority, a court of general jurisdiction or a commercial court.

Pre-trial claims, judicial proceedings, support of enforcement proceedings and, where necessary, initiation of the debtor's bankruptcy.

Representation of creditors and debtors in enforcement proceedings, interaction with the Federal Bailiff Service, appeal against actions and inaction of bailiffs.

Legal support of termination of employment, defence against reinstatement claims, disputes on material liability, support during state labour inspectorate audits.

Legal support of registration of rights and transactions involving commercial real estate, interaction with the Federal Service for State Registration.

Registration of charitable, social, cultural, educational and other non-profit organisations, preparation of constituent documents, interaction with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.

Ongoing legal support of the organisation's activities: contract and claims work, advice to management and staff, representation before courts and state bodies.