20.09.19

XI Annual Southern Russia Legal Forum Took Place in Sochi on September 19-21, 2019

XI Annual Southern Russia Legal Forum Took Place in Sochi on September 19-21, 2019

Advocates Bureau Yug, global law firm Dentons and legal web portal Pravo.ru sponsored XI Southern Russia Legal Forum. The place and time of the event were chosen specifically, as Sochi is famous for its warm and sunny velvet season and picturesque year-round nature.

The Forum was created by lawyers to lawyers. However, apart from practicing external and internal consultants from different regions of Russia, there were employees of PR and marketing departments of law firms, representatives of government agencies and business among the guests.

XI Southern Russia Legal Forum covered several aspects of legal business: banking, bankruptcy, criminal liability and relation management between consultants and business.

Sergey Radchenko, senior associate of Advocates Bureau Yug, moderated the first session “Key banking litigations”. The guests discussed how to protect oneself from bank recovery of restrictive commissions, how to challenge the blocking of account transactions or termination of remote service, how to renew the account agreement terminated by a bank in accordance with the Federal Law “on Countering Legalisation” 115-FZ; how to hold the bank liable for failing to comply with requirements of the enforcement document submitted to the debtors account; how to get a refund in the case of illegal debiting of the account under forged documents. They also discussed disputes on credit agreements: foreclosure on collateral, commission refund related to credit, challenging the actual issuance of the loan.

Sergey Kovalev, managing partner of the Bar Association “Kovalev, Tugushi and partners” moderated the second session. The topic revolved around bankruptcy. The guests discussed how the economic situation in the country had shifted the emphasis in bankruptcy. The representatives of Sberbank Razmik Babasyan and Andrey Smirnykh, Project Director of the Distressed Asset Department vividly spoke on regional peculiarities in bankruptcy, vicarious liability and possible digitalization of bankruptcy.

Denis Puchkov, managing partner of Advocates Bureau “LOYS” moderated the third session. The issues raised during the discussion are still relevant: the latest changes in the anti-corruption legislation and its application; exemption from criminal liability for corruption crimes, as well as the main features of the criminal community and a number of other hot topics. Elena Yulova, Chairman of the Moscow Bar Association "Yulova and partners", cited the signs of a criminal community, which should be distinguished from the Board of Directors, as well as from "organized groups". She gave some advices on how to prove in court that the company is not a criminal association.

The fourth session was in the new format of World Café, where the audience was divided into 5-6 teams. Each team has formulated its own list of recommendations to address the following issues on interaction between the consultant and in-house lawyers: whether it is important or not to take into account the industrial peculiarities of the clients business, how to solve issues creatively, how to optimize the support budget, how to maintain long-term trusting relationships with the client, etc. Round tables in the fourth session were moderated by Yuri Pustovit, attorney and managing partner of Advocates Bureau Yug, Glenn S. Kolleeny, partner of Dentons Moscow office, Andrey Korelsky, attorney and managing partner of Advocates Bureau KIAP, Ivan Apatov, managing partner of White Collar Strategy, Razmik Babasyan, Project Director of the Distressed Asset Department of Sberbank.

The highlight of the Forum, beloved by its regular participants, is a real-life informal communication outside the business program. On September 19, the Forum started with a legal stand-up show, tasting of sparkling Fanagoriya wines and a welcoming speech from Yuri Pustovit, managing partner of Advocates Bureau Yug, and Alexey Otradnov, Commercial Director of Pravo.ru. On September 20, the organizers of the Forum invited all guests to start a new day in an unconventional way - with a Nordic walk and meditation in a Natural Ornithological Park near the hotel. Meanwhile all participants took part in the Forum, their accompanying parties were invited to bachelorette party in Okeania SPA, where they could listen to casual lecture on “happy lifestyle” from the founder of Organiс Woman Community and experience a unique SPA-program. The official days closure was the dinner at the restaurant "Bosphorus", where all guests could enjoy food of the Black sea and local cuisine.

Many guests would remember the third day of the Forum for sure. On September 21, 2019, a yacht regatta “Lawyers Cup” took place, sponsored by Moscow Bar Association “Yulova and partners”. Many guests took part in it for the first time. Despite of unfavorable weather and strong gusty wind, it made yacht regatta even more thrilling and extreme experience. The wine house “Burnier” and company Helen-Ocean provided prizes for regatta winners.

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