Maxim Ali has revealed to the Vedomosti the key trends in Russian legal market

The coronavirus pandemic has strengthened trends in the Russian legal services market.

For example, firms that retained the resources to bring in new staff have gained an advantage. “They were able to bring in new lawyers at no extra cost, even if the lawyers had previously worked for a higher-level competitor,” Maxim Ali, partner at Maxima Legal, explained for the Vedomosti.

At the same time Maxim pointed out that business relations had been severely tested by restrictive measures. “For example, someone requested preferential terms of cooperation during the pandemic: discounts, installments on services, etc. And this request has been met by law firms that are used to playing the long game,” said the expert.

Also last year Russia became one of the world leaders in the digitalisation of justice. “Previously, it was necessary to use special videoconferencing rooms for a remote court session. Now it is possible to connect to an online session from a personal computer,” commented Maxim Ali, noting that courts often refused to handle cases online due to the occupancy of these rooms before the pandemic.

In addition, according to Maxim, the practices of bankruptcy cases, sale of large real estate have increased significantly. “The number of disputes on rent and lease reduction has increased – this issue was so important that it was reflected in the legislation and the Supreme Court explanations, became a topic of webinars,” – added the expert.

You can read the material on the pages of the website of the Vedomosti >>>