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The comprehensive guide to the world's leading tax firms

Alexander Chmelev leads the tax practice of Baker & McKenzie in Russia which has five partners and 13 fee earners split between Moscow and St Petersburg. The firm has consolidated its practice in St Petersburg this year with the arrival of Andrei Serov ... [more]

Alexander Chmelev leads the tax practice of Baker & McKenzie in Russia which has five partners and 13 fee earners split between Moscow and St Petersburg. The firm has consolidated its practice in St Petersburg this year with the arrival of Andrei Serov from Ernst & Young. He is recommended by his peers for his transfer pricing expertise and his presence will equip the firm to handle the new transfer pricing regulations. Others in the department are also well regarded in the market. Arseny Seidov is noted for his expertise in cross-border structuring work while Ivan Smirnov is singled out for his ability in tax controversy. Their clients include several multinationals operating in Russia such as Lombard International Assurance and Brown Forman, known for brands such as Jack Daniel's and Finlandia. They have been active in both transactional tax matters and tax controversy this year. They represented OAO Central Fuel in their dispute with Russian tax authorities over the taxation of the acquisition of shares in a foreign company. They obtained a ruling overturning the interpretation of both the tax authority and the lower courts which would have imposed a significant tax on cross border investments. Cross border structuring was central to the work done for Brown-Forman in implementing distribution operations in Russia. The distribution of alcoholic beverages is heavily regulated in Russia and meant that careful structuring was necessary to optimise tax treatment of both the importation and resale of goods.

Petr Medvedev leads Ernst & Young's tax department in Moscow. Three new partners have been added this year, providing the firm with a greater spread of expertise. Many of the firm's advisers are respected by peers for their ability. For cross-border ... [more]

Petr Medvedev leads Ernst & Young's tax department in Moscow. Three new partners have been added this year, providing the firm with a greater spread of expertise. Many of the firm's advisers are respected by peers for their ability. For cross-border structuring, Vladimir Gidirim is commended for his ability to see connections and opportunities missed by others. The practice has been closely involved with the Russian government in their effort to develop tax policy and legislation this year, advising in a number of different capacities. They are involved in the Foreign Investment Advisory Council (FIAC) which seeks to make Russia a more attractive place for foreign investment. The firm have also been working as advisers to the Ministry of Economic Development and Federal Migration Service's working group examining possible changes to immigration and tax legislation. They were consulted on changes designed to make Russia a more appealing place for highly skilled foreign workers with the aim of attracting investment and business talent. The firm provides clients with a full range of tax services in Russia and is one of the largest tax practices in the country, with more than 300 fee earners and 26 partners making up the practice.

Former Deloitte partner Graham Povey leads KPMG's tax team in Moscow which expanded significantly between May 2010 and May 2011. A total of more than 100 new fee earners, including partners, joined the practice in that period. The recruitment was part ... [more]

Former Deloitte partner Graham Povey leads KPMG's tax team in Moscow which expanded significantly between May 2010 and May 2011. A total of more than 100 new fee earners, including partners, joined the practice in that period. The recruitment was part of a reorganisation of the firm, which involved the creation of new service groups including tax audit, tax management advising and corporate tax compliance, customs, litigation and indirect tax. The firm created these distinct departments to focus on individual clients' particular needs. This year, Mikhail Orlov led the litigation team in a case for Amcor over its cross-border management fees. The case was the first time that courts have sided with the taxpayer in a dispute over such fees, setting an important precedent for multinational businesses which use service agreements with Russian providers. The Russian M&A service group was also one of seven teams from the firm who advised on TNK-BP's acquisition of BP's upstream and pipeline assets in both Venezuela and Vietnam. This involved tax structuring advice, particularly on holding structures being used in the Netherlands and Germany, and tax modelling to ensure compliance with local legislation and special tax regimes. Substantial due diligence of the tax issues involved in such a quad-jurisdictional transaction was also a key feature, something the firm is well equipped to handle with almost 500 fee earners in their Russian tax practice. Competitors have noted that they are more visible in the marketplace than in previous years and Povey's addition from Deloitte is widely expected to see the firm's profile expand.

The leader of PwC's highly rated tax team in Russia is David John, who peers recommend as a corporate tax adviser. The firm offers a full range of tax services to its clients, but has particular expertise in cross border structuring, M&A, capital markets ... [more]

The leader of PwC's highly rated tax team in Russia is David John, who peers recommend as a corporate tax adviser. The firm offers a full range of tax services to its clients, but has particular expertise in cross border structuring, M&A, capital markets and transfer pricing. There are several practitioners in these areas that competitors mention as notable. Frequently mentioned for transfer pricing is Svetlana Stroykova, Ekaterina Lazorina is a noted tax adviser for capital markets and financial products and her peers comment that "she is really very good and takes a very practical approach to quite complicated tax issues". For both cross-border structuring and M&A, Galina Naumenko is identified by peers as a particularly capable practitioner. The practice also offers a tax compliance service, led by partner Kirill Nikitin, which seeks to tailor compliance requirements to clients' business needs.

Deloitte has added three partners to its Russian tax practice, which is led by Gennady Kamyshnikov. The new additions included Svetlana Fedorova who is recognised by peers for her corporate tax expertise, particularly in the retail sector. The transfer ... [more]

Deloitte has added three partners to its Russian tax practice, which is led by Gennady Kamyshnikov. The new additions included Svetlana Fedorova who is recognised by peers for her corporate tax expertise, particularly in the retail sector. The transfer of capital markets specialist, James Ferguson, from London is also a notable addition to the firm's capabilities. The practice is among the largest in Russia, with some 22 partners and 340 other fee earners working across a full range of tax services for clients. For general corporate tax matters, partner Artem Vasyutin is well regarded by clients and recommended by competitors. Similarly, Sergey Vorapaev has his competitors' respect for his litigation abilities and sound tax knowledge. Among the firm's clients are a number of large Russian multinationals, particularly within the oil and gas and energy sectors. Deloitte have undertaken a significant amount of restructuring work this year. The standout example of such matters was the cross-border restructuring of the key business units of a Russian gas company. Deloitte had to ensure a tax efficient structure was implemented which was compatible with the client's strategic need for a division based management structure. Deloitte were also advisers to the KazakhGold Group in their reverse takeover of OJSC Polyus Gold to create the largest gold producer in Russia. As well the usual tax due diligence matters, this entailed implementing a structure to obtain tax efficient treatment of the purchase price. The firm has been engaged by the Russian government to advise on legislative changes, providing them with close links to the Russian tax authorities and to policy development.

Pepeliaev Group - Taxand is highly rated for its corporate and contentious tax practices and is led by the respected Sergey Pepeliaev, who is identified for his ability in a number of tax areas, with one competitor even commenting that the firm is known ... [more]

Pepeliaev Group - Taxand is highly rated for its corporate and contentious tax practices and is led by the respected Sergey Pepeliaev, who is identified for his ability in a number of tax areas, with one competitor even commenting that the firm is known across the market just because of him. The firm dealt with several significant contentious matters last year, representing one of the world's largest oil companies in a dispute over the production sharing agreement (PSA) in the Kharyaga oil field in north-west Russia. Rustem Akhmetshin led the team who dealt with 10 separate court cases where the tax authorities refused to refund VAT paid by the company due to their interpretation of the PSA. The firm were successful in securing a refund for the company in all cases, including one before the Russian Supreme Arbitration Court. The practice also advised a well known European car manufacturer to enable reimbursement of dealers' expenses on warranty claims in a tax efficient manner for both dealers and distributors. The firm is best known for its tax controversy and litigation work, though and this is the area has been most fruitful for them this year. One competitor commented that they are "historically the leader in that area". However, some competitors suggest that its expertise is somewhat limited outside of this area. Even so, their strength in indirect tax is noted by practitioners as another stand out feature, with Alexander Kosov having a good reputation for his ability and thorough approach.

Alexei Panich is the only partner in Salans' Russian tax practice after Evgeny Timofeev left to join Goltsblat BLP in July 2011. The firm conducts work across a range of tax issues, though Boris Bruk is commended by contemporaries for his cross-border ... [more]

Alexei Panich is the only partner in Salans' Russian tax practice after Evgeny Timofeev left to join Goltsblat BLP in July 2011. The firm conducts work across a range of tax issues, though Boris Bruk is commended by contemporaries for his cross-border structuring capabilities. Salans advised one of Europe's largest retail chains on the tax treatment of a real estate construction project. Particular challenges emerged in relation to disproportionate division of space in the project in relation to the amount of investment by the different parties. This necessitated implementation of an innovative structure to ensure that the full amount of investment was tax deductible for each party involved. The firm has also been active in litigation, representing a European cement producer that sought to use specific regional tax benefits. Though the tax authorities had initially argued that the benefit should not be available to the company, Timofeev and Dzhangar Dzhalchinov, counsel, succeeded in reversing the decision and obtained the benefit for the client.

Competitors have commented that CMS Russia has consolidated its tax department in recent years and is increasingly visible in the market. Stanislav Tourbanov leads the firm's tax practice, which offers clients a full range of services including, unusually ... [more]

Competitors have commented that CMS Russia has consolidated its tax department in recent years and is increasingly visible in the market. Stanislav Tourbanov leads the firm's tax practice, which offers clients a full range of services including, unusually for a law firm, a comprehensive transfer pricing advisory service. The department consists of three partners and nine other fee earners. The law firm is one of the largest in Russia and as such has a significant flow of transactions, meaning that the department's transactional tax skills are well practised. The cross border structuring work as a key area for the practice since it has a strong international network.

Evgeny Timofeev, the new head of the Russian/CIS tax practice at Goltsblat BLP, has garnered a fine reputation in the marketplace for his tax litigation. Many competitors identified him as one of the leading figures in Russia for tax controversy matters. ... [more]

Evgeny Timofeev, the new head of the Russian/CIS tax practice at Goltsblat BLP, has garnered a fine reputation in the marketplace for his tax litigation. Many competitors identified him as one of the leading figures in Russia for tax controversy matters. The former heads of tax, Vladimir Tchikine, a customs and international trade partner, and former PwC partner Andrey Shpak are still at the firm. Competitors identify Shpak's addition to the team as an indication of the firm's improvement this year. The firm is identified as being particularly strong in M&A related tax advice where Andrey Goltsblat is widely recognised in the market for his capabilities. The firm's clients include a number of multinationals operating in Russia such as Mars, Mitsubishi and Kimberly-Clark. Their work this year has included managing tax issues arising from Mars' renegotiation of trade terms with retailers and distributors in Russia. New trade laws were introduced in late 2010 which necessitated reorganisation to maximise tax efficiency. Their M&A and structuring expertise were central to work done on the acquisition of a minority stake in the Bank of Moscow after VTB's acquisition of a majority stake from the government. The previous owner's complicated ownership structure meant that the deal had to be intricately structured to ensure favourable tax treatment and control of future legal risks. The firm has expanded and built its reputation in spite of the difficulties in the financial sector meaning that it is confident it will continue to grow as commercial activity gathers pace again.

Herbert Smith's tax practice is led by Oleg Konnov who is widely respected by his fellow tax practitioners. He is identified by his peers for the quality of his work in both tax controversy matters and cross-border structuring. The firm has a number ... [more]

Herbert Smith's tax practice is led by Oleg Konnov who is widely respected by his fellow tax practitioners. He is identified by his peers for the quality of his work in both tax controversy matters and cross-border structuring. The firm has a number of multinationals as clients with one notable example being the oil company TNK-BP-.

Linklaters' Russian tax practice is led by Victor Matchekhin who peers recommend for capital markets and financial services tax advice. Much of the tax team's work is related to the strong corporate and capital markets departments at the firm and as ... [more]

Linklaters' Russian tax practice is led by Victor Matchekhin who peers recommend for capital markets and financial services tax advice. Much of the tax team's work is related to the strong corporate and capital markets departments at the firm and as such the firm is well placed to advise on transactional tax matters. The firm has handled some of the largest transactions in the Russian market over the past year. It advised PepsiCo on its acquisition of a majority stake in Russian food group Wimm-Bill-Dann in December 2010 in one of the largest ever foreign investments in Russia outside the energy sector.

The tax department of White & Case has been especially active in M&A and corporate financing this year. Under department head Irina Dmitrieva the team advises multinationals such as Microsoft, Nestlé, BMW and Pfizer and Russian companies including Russian ... [more]

The tax department of White & Case has been especially active in M&A and corporate financing this year. Under department head Irina Dmitrieva the team advises multinationals such as Microsoft, Nestlé, BMW and Pfizer and Russian companies including Russian Railway Leasing and pharmaceutical company Sandoz. One of the most technically demanding matters for the firm this year had been its role in advising lime and mineral company Lhoist on its joint venture with listed Russian industrial company TMK. This necessitated a careful use of corporate structures by the team to ensure beneficial tax treatment for the joint venture company and both the participant companies. The practice covers a wide range of tax issues including cross-border structuring, M&A, joint ventures, project finance, both debt and equity capital markets matters. All five members of the department are also capable in tax controversy matters and provide tax opinions.

Alrud has a tax practice that focuses on transactions and controversy. The firm's senior partner, Maxim Alekseyev, is the head of the tax department and its only partner. Alekseyev is particularly skilled in cross border structuring matters, though handles ... [more]

Alrud has a tax practice that focuses on transactions and controversy. The firm's senior partner, Maxim Alekseyev, is the head of the tax department and its only partner. Alekseyev is particularly skilled in cross border structuring matters, though handles a variety of tax matters arising from corporate transactions and structures. The standout transaction the firm has acted on this year was their role as counsel to the underwriters of Yandex's initial public offering on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. This illustrates Alrud's ability to handle matters with an international dimension. The firm also handles transfer pricing issues for clients, an important area in Russia for the next year.

Clifford Chance's tax department in Russia is headed by Alexander Anichkin with three fee earners in support. Their work has included acting on the issue of Premier Russian Depository Receipts (RDR) of shares in UC Rusal. As there was no precedent for ... [more]

Clifford Chance's tax department in Russia is headed by Alexander Anichkin with three fee earners in support. Their work has included acting on the issue of Premier Russian Depository Receipts (RDR) of shares in UC Rusal. As there was no precedent for the issue of RDRs, the firm had to devise a template for tax efficient treatment which may act as a precedent for such transactions in future. Anichkin and Dmitry Tolkachev also advised NOMOS Bank on the tax issues of its initial public offering, providing an assessment of the tax risks in the company prospectus and the tax comfort letter. The firm notes that this is a rare instance of such work being done by a firm other than the big-four accounting firms. The firm has particular expertise in financial services tax issues, as a list of clients including JPMorgan Chase, GE Capital Aviation Services, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Eurohypo and ING Bank attests.

DLA Piper's tax team consists of three partners and three other fee earners divided evenly between Moscow and St Petersburg. Ruslan Vasutin leads the tax team in St Petersburg and Igor Venediktov heads the Moscow tax department. The firm provides clients ... [more]

DLA Piper's tax team consists of three partners and three other fee earners divided evenly between Moscow and St Petersburg. Ruslan Vasutin leads the tax team in St Petersburg and Igor Venediktov heads the Moscow tax department. The firm provides clients with a range of tax services including international tax planning and structuring for both inbound and outbound investments, restructuring, M&A tax advice, tax due diligence, indirect tax and tax controversy. The firm's tax department generates its own work but much of its work is related to its corporate and real estate departments' activities. This year, the firm advised luxury hotel brand Swissotel on its management agreement with Ukrainian real estate investment company KDD Group for a hotel development in Kyiv. The firm handled all aspects of the transaction, but the tax issues presented required substantial coordination with the firm's Ukrainian tax team to ensure efficient compliance with both Russian and Ukranian tax law.

Noerr has a tax department in Moscow that is joined with the firm's private client service, which reflects their strength in advising high net-worth individuals on tax matters. However, the department consisting of seven tax professionals provides a ... [more]

Noerr has a tax department in Moscow that is joined with the firm's private client service, which reflects their strength in advising high net-worth individuals on tax matters. However, the department consisting of seven tax professionals provides a full range of corporate tax services too. International tax and cross-border structuring are particular strengths of the practice and Maxim Vladimirov is noted for his ability in establishing holding structures for inbound investments. The firm has particular ability in assisting German inbound investors as Thomas Mundry is a German qualified lawyer with significant experience in Russia, especially in the real estate sector. He chairs the legal committee of the German Business Association in Russia. The firm is also capable in tax controversy and transfer pricing and even handles tax due diligence for clients. The firm's clients include both large Russian and international companies such as Russian drilling group BKE, retail chain Eldorado, investment company Noble House Group, Bank Austria and Volkswagen.

The official legal consultant to the Russian Football Union, law firm YUST is capable in international tax matters, especially inbound investments and tax controversy. The department's sole partner Alexei Popov leads the department and is assisted by ... [more]

The official legal consultant to the Russian Football Union, law firm YUST is capable in international tax matters, especially inbound investments and tax controversy. The department's sole partner Alexei Popov leads the department and is assisted by three fee earners. This year the firm's work has included defending MMK Trans against allegations by the tax inspectorate that it had understated income from its lease agreements and so reduced its tax liability. Maxim Rovinskiy won a judgment in the Court of Arbitration that the tax inspectorate had failed to show that the leases had not been priced at market rate. The Federal Court of Arbitration has since upheld that decision, absolving the company of any additional tax liability.