One of the leaders of the Russian Legal Market will continue to operate under the new brand Asari Legal after transformation
Ilya Rybalkin and Anastasia Konstantinova, along with nine other partners and a team of over 70 highly skilled professionals, will continue to provide their services on landmark international and Russian projects under the new brand Asari Legal.
This marks the culmination of the transformation of RGD Law Firm (RGD) following the decision in late 2024 to dissolve the previous partnership and the departure of several partners.
The 2018 foundation of an independent law firm by Ilya Rybalkin and his team, which quickly rose to prominence as a leader in the Russian legal market, marked the start of a pioneering trend of the emergence of independent domestic law firms with international expertise and resources—well ahead of the wave of “new law firms” that emerged under the pressures of 2022–2023.
Asari Legal aims to further solidify its leadership in the legal market, maintaining its unmatched reputation and expertise in dispute resolution, special situations, sanctions, corporate and regulatory matters, and banking and finance law. The firm also brings exceptional capabilities in business reputation protection and private client representation. With a stable international presence in friendly jurisdictions, Asari Legal will continue to meet and overcome complex global challenges.
Two former partners at RGD, Dmitry Kaysin and Stanislav Karandasov, are rejoining Asari Legal, accompanied by their own teams of experienced lawyers. This is an invaluable addition to the firm’s International Commercial and Investment Arbitration Practice, which will now feature five partners and 15 lawyers, making it one of the most prominent and experienced practices in Russia.
Ilya Rybalkin, the longstanding Head of the Litigation and Arbitration Practice, will focus on helming Asari Legal’s strategic development and overseeing special projects. Anastasia Konstantinova will continue to lead the Sanctions Practice. Key leadership roles will be played by Nato Tskhakaia as Head of the Regulatory Practice, Alexander Geda as Head of the Finance Practice, Alexander Lazarev and Gayane Najaryan as Co-heads of the Defamation Practice, and Ivan Meleshchenko, leading the Investigations Practice. Marina Zakharova has been appointed Managing Partner and Head of White Collar Crime Practice, while Alexander Borgoyakov has been promoted to Partner in the Finance Practice.
With its expanded geographic reach and operational scale, Asari Legal has significantly bolstered its management capabilities. Several seasoned professionals from top international and Russian law firms have joined the team, including Olga Melekesova as Chief Operation Officer / Executive Director, Zhanna Kostochkina as Chief Financial Officer, Natalia Kovaleva as HR Director, Maria Meshcheryakova as Marketing Director, and Elena Kuleshova as Compliance Director.
The firm’s Corporate Law Practice has also been strengthened with the addition of Evgeny Shkolun, former Head of Legal and CEO at DiDi Russia, who will also serve as Head of Internal Legal Audit at Asari Legal.
Ilya Rybalkin, Chairman of Asari Legal’s Management Committee, commented: “I am pleased with the success of our efforts to optimize the operations of our law firm, to transform and elevate it to a new level of financial and managerial efficiency—including risk management and internal audit. I now feel confident to continue the work we began in 2018 alongside my longstanding partners, colleagues, and the new management of Asari Legal. We are entering 2025 in excellent shape, with impressive financial performance and a substantial project pipeline. With a team of over 100 professionals and the deep expertise they represent, we are ready to take on cases of virtually any scale and complexity.”
This marks the culmination of the transformation of RGD Law Firm (RGD) following the decision in late 2024 to dissolve the previous partnership and the departure of several partners.
The 2018 foundation of an independent law firm by Ilya Rybalkin and his team, which quickly rose to prominence as a leader in the Russian legal market, marked the start of a pioneering trend of the emergence of independent domestic law firms with international expertise and resources—well ahead of the wave of “new law firms” that emerged under the pressures of 2022–2023.
Asari Legal aims to further solidify its leadership in the legal market, maintaining its unmatched reputation and expertise in dispute resolution, special situations, sanctions, corporate and regulatory matters, and banking and finance law. The firm also brings exceptional capabilities in business reputation protection and private client representation. With a stable international presence in friendly jurisdictions, Asari Legal will continue to meet and overcome complex global challenges.
Two former partners at RGD, Dmitry Kaysin and Stanislav Karandasov, are rejoining Asari Legal, accompanied by their own teams of experienced lawyers. This is an invaluable addition to the firm’s International Commercial and Investment Arbitration Practice, which will now feature five partners and 15 lawyers, making it one of the most prominent and experienced practices in Russia.
Ilya Rybalkin, the longstanding Head of the Litigation and Arbitration Practice, will focus on helming Asari Legal’s strategic development and overseeing special projects. Anastasia Konstantinova will continue to lead the Sanctions Practice. Key leadership roles will be played by Nato Tskhakaia as Head of the Regulatory Practice, Alexander Geda as Head of the Finance Practice, Alexander Lazarev and Gayane Najaryan as Co-heads of the Defamation Practice, and Ivan Meleshchenko, leading the Investigations Practice. Marina Zakharova has been appointed Managing Partner and Head of White Collar Crime Practice, while Alexander Borgoyakov has been promoted to Partner in the Finance Practice.
With its expanded geographic reach and operational scale, Asari Legal has significantly bolstered its management capabilities. Several seasoned professionals from top international and Russian law firms have joined the team, including Olga Melekesova as Chief Operation Officer / Executive Director, Zhanna Kostochkina as Chief Financial Officer, Natalia Kovaleva as HR Director, Maria Meshcheryakova as Marketing Director, and Elena Kuleshova as Compliance Director.
The firm’s Corporate Law Practice has also been strengthened with the addition of Evgeny Shkolun, former Head of Legal and CEO at DiDi Russia, who will also serve as Head of Internal Legal Audit at Asari Legal.
Ilya Rybalkin, Chairman of Asari Legal’s Management Committee, commented: “I am pleased with the success of our efforts to optimize the operations of our law firm, to transform and elevate it to a new level of financial and managerial efficiency—including risk management and internal audit. I now feel confident to continue the work we began in 2018 alongside my longstanding partners, colleagues, and the new management of Asari Legal. We are entering 2025 in excellent shape, with impressive financial performance and a substantial project pipeline. With a team of over 100 professionals and the deep expertise they represent, we are ready to take on cases of virtually any scale and complexity.”