Quinn Emanuel announced in recent days it will launch an office in Moscow with senior litigation partners Ivan Marisin and Vasily Kuznetsov. Both join from Dechert; both joined Dechert’s Moscow office last year from Clifford Chance
Marisin is a senior figure in Clifford Chance’s CIS practice; he became head of the firm’s Moscow litigation and arbitration practice in 1992, and was named local managing partner in 2000.
High-profile cases in which he has been involved include representing Bank of New York Mellon on a $22.5bn (£19.7bn) claim brought by the Russian Government, which was settled in 2009.
Kuznetsov, a national partner at Dechert, joined Marisin’s team at Clifford Chance in 2002, and they jointly represented Russian uranium seller Tenex on a $1bn (£633m) arbitration in Stockholm in 2007.
Quinn Emanuel managing partner John Quinn was quoted as saying in the October 19th legalweek.com article, “Quinn Emanuel set for Moscow with hire of ex-CC duo from Dechert”: “We see Moscow as a key source of work for both our practices in London and the US and we are very excited that Ivan and Vasily have agreed to help us exploit the opportunities that Russia presents to the west. We are fundamentally a trial firm, and Ivan, who is widely acknowledged as one of the most experienced and toughest advocates in Russia, is a like-minded individual who we are confident will contribute to our brand and practice internationally.”
London co-managing partner Richard East was quoted as saying: “These are very senior, very credible litigators, and we look forward to working with them. We expect there to be a lot of interaction between the London and Moscow offices as there are significant client synergies.”
It opened its first overseas office, in Tokyo, in 2007, followed by the London location in 2008 and an office in Mannheim, Germany in 2010. Most recently, Quinn Emanuel opened its doors in D.C. after landing a trio of Alston & Bird partners who specialize in litigating intellectual property cases before the International Trade Commission.
Quinn Emanuel managing partner John Quinn was quoted as saying in the October 19th amlawdaily.com article, “Quinn Emanuel Taps Dechert Pair to Launch Russian Office”: “Representing Russians and those with Russian interests is a big practice in London. Having an office [in Moscow] will assist us in representing those clients and raising our profile in the business and legal community in Russia.”
Quinn was also quoted as saying in the amlawdaily.com article: “There are a lot of other American and British firms there, but more focused on deal work. We see a real opportunity there.”
Founded in 1986, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP