On 2 December 2016, Maxim Avrashkov, Managing Partner at Maxima Legal, took part in the 10th annual conference organised by IBA on the topic of the management of law firms. The event was supported by the IBA European Regional Forum. Maxim Avrashkov moderated one of the working tables in workshop format on the topic of ‘How to become an international law firm’.

Managing Partners and Partners of law firms from across Russia, CIS countries and Europe took part in the event.

http://iba-lfm.ru/

On 30 November, Maxima Legal together with its Cypriot partners, law firm Antis Triantafyllides & Sons LLC, organised a roundtable event on the topic of ‘New investment programme of Cyprus: how to receive the most from the programme and what the potential tax consequences may be for Russian citizens’.

Recently migration has been playing an increasingly important role in the management of wealthy individuals’ finances; migration can appeal as an opportunity not only to improve quality of life but can also be used to safeguard assets and earnings. Relocation abroad remains a viable, and if undertaken in a considered way, a profitable investment for wealthy individuals.

Vladimir Kilinkarov, Partner at Maxima Legal, moderated the event. Robert Houchill, Associate at Maxima Legal, made his presentation first and provided an overview of the immigration services offered by the Private Wealth practice at Maxima Legal.

An overview of the new investment programme of Cyprus was presented by Stelios Triantafyllides, Partner at Antis Triantafyllides & Sons LLC and Nicolas Sparsis, Managing Director at Antis Triantafyllides & Sons LLC. Andreas Santis, Managing Director at NCN Capital Inc., an International Investment Fund, described the investment opportunities in Cyprus in the real estate sector.

Elena Kilinkarova, Consultant and Head of the Tax department at Maxima Legal, commented on the tax aspects for Russians connected with obtaining Cypriot residency and citizenship.

At the end of the event, the participants discussed the latest information regarding the international automatic exchange of tax information (Common Reporting Standing - CRS).

Participants in the event included businesspeople and managers of banking services for HNW individuals.

Sergey Bakeshin, Head of the Dispute Resolution department at Maxima Legal, took part in the radio programme ‘Grazhdanin i zakon’, which was aired on radio station MediaMetrics. Sergey discussed what can happen when government departments and bodies fail to perform their contractual duties with commercial companies.
To listen to the programme (in Russian): http://radio.mediametrics.ru/grazshdanin_i_zakon/46127/#read

‘Delovoy Peterburg’, a daily business newspaper, has published a column written by Robert Houchill, Associate at Maxima Legal, about the investment opportunities in the UK for Russian citizens.
https://www.dp.ru/a/2016/11/30/Luchshe_vetrenij_JEdinburg

On 18 November, Natalia Demina, Associate at Maxima Legal, attended the conference titled ‘Problems with cooperation between participants of legal aid systems and issues of public control’. Natalia gave a presentation on the topic of ‘Pro bono practice or a few words about the social responsibility of Russian law firms’.

Participants in the conference included representatives from academic organisations, government departments and business.

Natalia commented that an important indicator of a law firms sense of social responsibility is found in its willingness to provide organisations in need with legal support at reduced rates or on a pro bono basis. Providing legal services on a reduced fee basis or for charity is simply a manifestation of humanism that should naturally be reflected in the practice of any law firm. Maxima Legal is no exception; we think about those who need our help and spend our time working on not only commercial projects but also social ones. We are pleased to observe the positive trend in the development of pro bono services provided by Russian law firms and the growth of interest in it.