Family and inheritance law

Full legal support when dissolving a marriage When dissolving a marriage, the spouses have decided to resolve all property issues and issues regarding upbringing and maintenance payments for minor children in an amicable way and out of court. At their request the lawyers have drafted a number of contracts and agreements, and provided legal support during execution of these documents. As a result a significant amount of money has been saved as well as good relationships between former spouses and other family members.

Preventing property conflicts between heirs Four heirs came into inheritance. Their ‘abrasive’ relationships would not allow them to comfortably use the immovable property they inherited, with each of them owning a portion. The situation was complicated by the fact that the real estate was located abroad. Lawyers drafted an inheritance sharing agreement drafted based on the results of numerous negotiations, which took into account the interests of all heirs to the greatest extent possible.

Lawsuit to have a will invalidated The client (the heir of an estate) came to lawyers because he suspected that the will drafted by the testator in favour of a third party had been forged. The specialists filed a lawsuit to have the last will be invalidated. A number of technical and handwriting expert reviews were conducted in course of the litigation process and irrefutable evidence was collected. As a result we won our client’s case.

Having a pre-nuptial contract invalidated, and dividing property After a marriage was dissolved, one of the spouses filed a lawsuit to have a pre-nuptial contract invalidated. The spouse believed that the terms and conditions of the contract imposed highly unfavourable conditions on the claimant. The claimant asked the court to divide the common property in equal shares. As a result of the thorough collection of evidence and successful negotiations with the other side, we managed to close the case by signing an amicable agreement on favourable terms and conditions for our Client.

A lawsuit to determine the procedure for parental access to minor children The mother of minor children, the claimant, demanded that the court limit the access of the father to children to the maximum extent possible. The lawyers drew up a legal position for the defendant and drafted the corresponding documents for the evidence base, as well as assisting in conducting a psychological and pedagogical expert examination. This resulted in the court adopting a decision to establish the procedure for the father’s access to the children, giving him an opportunity to actively participate in his children’s lives. 

Providing advice on inheritance matters Drafted extensive advice regarding the procedure of the client’s property inheritance if the inheritance is opened after the client, taking into account the precise number of family members and the current and future property of the Client. Drafting documents regarding the disposal of the Client’s property during his lifetime, and providing support when performing notarisation and state registration of these documents.

Dividing participation interests in a LLC between former spouses Representing a private client, who owned participation interests in a Russian company, in a court dispute. According to the opinion of the client’s opponents who filed a lawsuit, the Claimant together with the right to a share in numerous pieces of real estate should have received a participation interest in the Limited Liability Company which was created by the Client during the marriage and was the Client’s main business and source of income. As a result of the judicial decision, the Client (the defendant) saved the business, and the claimant received financial consideration.

A pre-nuptial contract and an agreement on keeping minor children Drafting a memorandum regarding the legal consequences for the parties when simultaneously entering into a pre-nuptial agreement and an agreement for maintenance payments with respect to a minor child. The purposes were: to ensure the rights of future children in common; to protect the client’s property rights with respect to the shares (participatory interests, units) of legal entities which might be purchased after the pre-nuptial agreement is entered into; to ensure the rights of the parties and rights of their children in common in case of divorce.