- Developing a structure to protect the personal assets of the heiress of the founder and president of one of the top 200 companies in the Russian Federation, as well as her children's assets. This included addressing evolving restrictions in Russia and other countries, developing and implementing a transition plan to a new trust structure in a changing regulatory environment, selecting a new jurisdiction and administrator for the trust, and preparing trust documents that meet the client's expectations for managing her own and her children's assets and future income
- Developing an ownership and corporate governance structure using a closed-end mutual fund for the owner of a leading Russian diversified IT group. This complied with both Russian law and the laws of the beneficiary’s prospective tax residence. The potential tax savings from this structure exceeded RUB 1bn
- Forming an ownership structure for a vertically integrated group of Russian agro-industrial enterprises (by creating trust structures in Cyprus and private foundations in Austria / Luxembourg / Czech Republic), and analyzing legal risks, including FATCA reporting for a US tax resident beneficiary
- Developing and implementing a structure for personal and business assets for the main shareholder of a leading home appliance retailer. This included transferring the family residence and a stake in the main business to personal funds and creating an inheritance fund for part of the assets
- Representing an heir in a dispute with the Government of the Russian Federation over the ownership of cultural property (a collection of paintings). This is the only such case initiated under Russian law concerning cultural relics moved to the USSR during World War II
- Assisting with the buyout of a major minority shareholder's stake and redistribution of shares among partners in a company (one of Russia's leading IT equipment manufacturers with an annual turnover exceeding RUB 50bn) taking into account the restrictions imposed by financing from one of Russia's largest banks. As part of the project, the potential tax burden was reduced by RUB 500m
- Advising the charitable foundation of a Forbes list member on establishing and managing endowments and supporting the donation of a large block of public shares, including approval procedures and mandatory offers
- Developing an inheritance strategy and preparing a complex multi-level will for the owner of a major business in Russia and the CIS with an annual turnover exceeding RUB 100bn
- Developing a tax-efficient structure for the Russian founders of a leading e-commerce company (with a turnover of over RUB 150bn) to buy out a foreign investor followed by the subsequent sale to a strategic investor
- Developing and later modifying a trust agreement for a private investor and former owner of a large mobile phone retail chain to account for the changing life circumstances and changing tax residency of family members
- Structuring a deal for a Russian developer to exit a joint venture, reducing the potential tax burden by RUB 1bn
- Developing an ownership structure for a leading distributor in the building materials market linked to the main beneficiary's change of tax residency
The abovementioned includes the experience of our lawyers both prior to and after joining BIRCH LEGAL