LawFuel.com –
May 11, 2009
Dechert LLP announced today that it will open an office in Moscow in June and that five partners from Chadbourne & Parke LLP have agreed to join the firm in Moscow and London.
Moving to Dechert is Laura Brank, who has been managing partner of Chadbourne & Parke’s Moscow and St. Petersburg offices and the head of its Commonwealth of Independent States practice, along with Shane DeBeer, Jennifer Handz, Konstantin Konstantinov, and Mikhail Rozenberg.
Dechert is one of the top-ranked firms for private equity, hedge funds, and M&A transactions; representation of issuers and underwriters in capital markets offerings; financial services and asset management; real estate and structured finance; and arbitration and litigation. Last year, Dechert opened offices in Hong Kong and Beijing.
“Laura, Shane, Jennifer, Konstantin, and Mikhail are intrepid, entrepreneurial, and trusted to chart the way in challenging terrain. Their talent and knowledge of a vast and important region adds tremendous energy and resources to Dechert, and we are just delighted to have them on our team,” said Dechert Chairman Barton J. Winokur.
Dechert’s new partners will be:
Laura Brank (U.S.-qualified), who has been advising clients on doing business in Russia and neighboring countries since 1995, focuses on M&A, corporate governance, joint ventures, corporate finance, banking, and project finance, with particular emphasis on the energy, manufacturing, mining, telecom, and real estate sectors. Brank has advised on some of the largest acquisitions and direct foreign investments in Russia and is regularly recommended as a leading international lawyer in Russia in the corporate/commercial and finance spheres by the Chambers Global and Chambers Europe directories. Brank will split her time between the Moscow and London offices.
Shane DeBeer (U.S.- and UK-qualified), has more than 15 years of experience in complex international transactions. His practice focuses on oil and gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and other energy-related matters, including oilfield services, as well as project finance, real estate development, and transnational mergers and acquisitions. DeBeer, who will split his time between the Moscow and London offices, is ranked as a leading international lawyer in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe for projects and energy-related matters by the Chambers Global and Chambers Europe directories.
Jennifer Handz (Australia- and UK-qualified) specializes in banking and finance matters with a broad range of experience in project finance, secured and unsecured lending, equity financing, and restructuring. She has represented lenders, sponsors, and borrowers in the telecommunications, infrastructure, energy, steel and manufacturing, oil and gas, and real estate sectors. Handz, who will be resident in the firm’s Moscow office, was senior counsel at European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for seven years.
Konstantin Konstantinov (U.S.- and Russia-qualified) focuses on project finance, securities regulation, secured finance, debt restructuring, and M&A. He also has considerable experience advising on joint ventures, corporate reorganizations of Russian multinational corporations, debt restructuring programs, and fixed income transactions. Konstantinov, who will be based in the Moscow office, is ranked as a leading Russian lawyer for private equity, M&A, and banking and finance by the Chambers Global and Chambers Europe directories.
Mikhail Rozenberg (Russia-qualified), is a litigator and arbitrator with extensive experience across a broad range of civil and criminal matters. He advises financial institutions and corporations in disputes in Russian and foreign courts involving banking and finance, real estate, telecommunications, taxation, and general commercial matters, including trade laws, debt restructuring, and bankruptcy proceedings. He is ranked as a leading Russian lawyer for dispute resolution in both the Chambers Global and Chambers Europe directories. Rozenberg, who has more than 25 years of experience, will be based in the Moscow office.
