On 20 October 2009 Sergey Pepeliaev, Managing Partner of Pepeliaev Group, delivered a lecture to students from the Fordham University School of Law (New York) on the topic “Legal Business and Legal Education in Russia”.
The Fordham University School of Law is a leading legal university in the US (together with Columbia University School of Law and New York University School of Law). The master’s degree course of the Fordham University School of Law ranks 15th out of 600 universities globally offering legal education programmes on such criteria as value and popularity.
Sergey Pepeliaev noted: “The main task of a lawyer is not only to enable clients to retain their businesses, but also to help them mitigate their legal risks and expenses and thereby enhance their profitability.” According to Mr Pepeliaev, “the strengths of Russian legal firms are connected with the familiarity of the lawyers working there with the Russian mindset. They know how the legal system functions, understand how the regulatory and supervisory agencies operate and how local authorities deal with issues. At the same time, their hourly rates are as a rule lower than the rates of lawyers working for English or American law firms.”
In his lecture Sergey Pepeliaev described the nuances of legal education and the career progression of a Russian lawyer. He also highlighted the close connection between business in Russia and the USA, considering in detail the legal issues confronted by American companies in Russia.
Sergei Pepeliaev pointed out that the key legal issues for foreign companies were similar to the difficulties confronted by all companies in Russia and were connected with customs and tax law, employment legislation, intellectual property protection and antimonopoly legislation. Pepeliaev stated: “The fall in FDI and business activity in Russia resulted in a 40 percent contraction in the volume of services in M&A and corporate law and a 40-50% drop in the land, real estate and construction sectors. At the same time, however, as the supervisory authorities have been applying more administrative pressure on business in order to fill the budget coffers, there was a rise in demand for legal support in customs and tax disputes and disputes with the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation.” In addition, demand for services related to employment and migration legislation increased significantly.
The lecture generated a lively debate. Students asked for information about employment opportunities in the Russian Federation for American and Russian lawyers who obtained master’s degrees in the USA, and also about the legal issues and conflicts faced by Russian and Western lawyers.
